Title: The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct: A Position Statement of
1 The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct A Position
Statement of
- The National Association for the Education of
Young Children - Guidelines for Responsible Behavior in Early
Childhood Education
2The Code of Ethical Conduct
- Offers guidelines for responsible behavior
- Sets forth a common basis for resolving the
principal ethical dilemmas encountered in early
education care - From the Preamble to the Code
3The Code of Ethical Conduct
- Primary focus daily practice with children
their families - Revised periodicallycurrent version approved
April 2005 - Recent Additions Supplement for EC Adult
Educators (Joint statement developed with NAECTE
ACCESS) and Supplement for EC Program
Admini-strators
4So,What Are Ethics Anyway?
5To answer that question, we have to begin by
looking at
- Values
- Morality
- Professional Core Values
- Ethics
- Professional Ethics
- Ethical Responsi-bilities Dilemmas
6VALUES
7VALUES
- Values are things that an individual believes to
be intrinsically worthwhile or desirable, that
are prized for themselves (e.g., truth, beauty,
honesty justice, respect for people and for the
environment).
8MORALITY
- Morality involves peoples' views of what is good,
right, or proper their beliefs about their
obligations and their ideas about how they
should behave. - Morality concerns duties and obligations to one
another and is characterized by words such as
right, ought, just and fair.
9ETHICS
- Ethics is the study of right and wrong, duties
and obligations. - Ethics involves critical reflection on morality,
including the ability to make choices between
values and the examination of the moral
dimensions of relationships.
10PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
- The moral commitments of a profession that
- involve moral reflection that extends and
enhances the personal morality practitioners
bring to their work, - concern actions of right and wrong in the
workplace, and - help individuals resolve moral dilemmas they
encounter in their work.
11Ethical Responsibilities Ethical Dilemmas
- Ethical Responsibilities
- --clear-cut, spelled out
- Ethical Dilemma
- --conflicting professional values
responsibilities
12What Does a Code of Ethics Do?
- Creates a professions sense of identity
- Identifies the issues the profession cares about
and wants new members to care about - Communicates with those outside the profession
what they can expect from its members
13HISTORY OF THE CODE
- Initially prepared under the auspices of the
Ethics Commission of NAEYC, which became the
Ethics Panel - Its development was a 5-year process, involving
NAEYC membership - Draft Code approved by NAEYC Governing Board July
1989
14HISTORY OF THE CODE(cont.)
- 1st set of revisions adopted 1992
- 2nd set of revisions approved by Board November
1997 - Code is reviewed for revision periodically (every
5 years)
15REVISION PROCESS
- Undertaken according to NAEYCs procedures for
position statements - NAEYC 2003 Annual Conference gathered feedback
re revisionsEthics Interest Forum conference
session participants - Request for input on NAEYC Web site
- March 2004 Governing Board appointed workgroup
16REVISION PROCESS (cont.)
- Workgroup reviewed feedback received, suggested
recommendations - Developed Draft revised Code
- Draft revised Code posted on Web siterequesting
feedback - Request for feedback from EC leaders, seeking
diverse perspectives - Final draft Board review/approval April 2005
17The Code
- The goal of NAEYCs Code of Ethical Conduct is to
inform, not prescribe, answers in tough decisions
that teachers and other early childhood
professionals must make as they work with
children and families. - The strategy inherent in the code is to promote
the application of core values, ideals, and
principles to guide decisionmaking about ethical
issues. -
- S. Feeney N. Freeman, 1999. Ethics and The
Early Childhood Educator Using the NAEYC Code.
18THE CODE ofETHICAL CONDUCT
- Core values
- Conceptual framework
- Idealsreflect the aspirations of practitioners
- Principlesintended to guide conduct and assist
practitioners in resolving ethical dilemmas
19Features of the Code
- Ideals principles direct practitioners to those
questions that, when answered, provide basis for
conscientious decisionmaking - Many situations with ethical dimensions will
require practitioner to combine guidance of the
Code with sound professional judgment
20Sections of the Code
- Section I Ethical responsibilities to children
- Section II Ethical responsibilities to families
- Section III Ethical responsibilities to
colleagues (coworkers, employers, employees) - Section IV Ethical responsibilities to community
and society - Statement of Commitment
21Revised Code
- Same format as previous versions (Core Values, 4
sections, Ideals and Principles, etc.) - Revision of Core Values
- Language updated simplified
- Issues regarding child assessment and
accountability as well as diversity are more
fully addressed
22Revised Code (cont.)
- Ethical responsibilities to Community Society
(Section 4)Individual Collective
responsibilities - Statement of Commitment modified
- Glossary of terms related to ethics added
232005 Code and the 1997 Code
24What do we do?
ID Problem ?
No Seek solution Involves ethics? ? Yes (issues of right, wrong)
Responsibility Do what is right Dilemma or responsibility? ? Dilemma You have a choice
Yes Solve it! Can it be solved with ethical finesse? ? No
25What do we do?
Look for guidance in Code, get more info ?
Yes Seek legal advice! Legal dimension? ? No
Decide on a course of action ?
Issue resolved!
26Lets Play a Game!
- What Would the Good EC Educator Do?
27What Would the GoodEC Educator Do?
- A game with rules!
- Youll play this game with your colleagues
28What Would the GoodEC Educator Do?
- Choose from Group 1 AND Group 2
- Use the Code for guidance
- What core values apply?
- To whom do you have responsibilities?
- What guidance is in the Code?
- What would the good ECEer do?
29What Would the GoodEC Educator Do?
- Discuss (and its OK to change your decisions
after hearing from your colleagues)
30So, How Can the Code Be Used in Real-Life
Situations
31Why Is the Existence of the Code Important to ECE?
32The Code of Ethical ConductFinal Thoughts