Competency

Explore advocacy opportunities in the community.

Scenario

Victor, a new parent to the program and the community, arrives late to pick up his children for the fourth time in two weeks. As the director of All Kids Childcare and Education, you are proud of the compassion, respect, and patience Master Teacher Veronica has offered Victor. You know that Victor and his family have relocated after a family hardship and they are struggling to make ends meet. However, you become concerned about professional boundaries after observing the following interaction.

Veronica chats with Victor as they get the children ready to go home, not mentioning Victor’s late arrival. She asks Victor if he has found beds for all of his family members to sleep in. Victor says, “Not yet. I have been busy working two jobs. I was offered the opportunity to pick up a few extra hours at my second job, so I haven’t had time for anything else.”

“Oh,” says Veronica. “I have a couple of extra beds at my house. Why don’t I bring them over with all the bedding later?” Victor is excited and says, “Yes, thank you! Thanks also for the table, chairs, and dishes you brought last week.”

As they part, Veronica says, “And, Victor, don’t worry about being late to pick up your children. We are very happy to have them here.”

Instructions

As the director, identify if this in an ethical situation. Then outline a coaching plan with Veronica. The coaching plan should be a written Word document or PowerPoint Presentation and include the following:

A coaching plan for approaching Veronica. Will you have a casual conversation, a sit-down meeting, or use another coaching method? Support the method you choose with examples, and best leadership and ethical practices using outside resources.

A coaching plan for supporting Veronica. Were there boundaries crossed in Veronica’s interaction with Victor? Explain your perspective and how you will facilitate your interaction with Veronica. Describe your actions and interactions with Veronica. Include two suggestions for how you might have handled the situation differently using outside resources for ethical conduct in early childhood education.

Support for Veronica and Victor. Describe at least one follow-up action step needed from Veronica and from you. Include a rationale for each step. Offer at least three resources to support Veronica, with one resource that Veronica can use to support Victor. Information on how to locate and use the resources must be clear and detailed