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September 4, 2012

Doodle Bugs! Standard of the Week: 09/04/12

Because many of our little friends (of all ages!) may be a little uneasy this week – new classrooms, new teachers, new classmates, etc. – it seemed like the perfect time to remind team members that comfort items are developmentally appropriate.

The attached SOTW reminds teachers that blankets, binkies, bottles, and other ‘loveys’ are important to young children and that ‘weaning’ from these items is a gradual, individual process. There is no set age by which a child must stop using a comfort item, nor is there any company policy that prohibits these items in a particular classroom.

Rather, developmentally appropriate practice requires teachers to be responsive to children’s individual needs – and some children need comfort items! Please keep in mind, too, that a ‘comfort item’ sometimes comes in an unusual form – rather than a blanket, some children are particularly attached to an article of clothing, a toy from home, a sippy cup, a fidget item (like a ball of clay), etc.

The SOTW will be posted for parents to see, in the faculty lounge, and placed in each classroom’s mailslot.

View the current SOTW as a .pdf here: Comfort Items