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Policy

We are dedicated to providing a safe, nurturing, and inclusive environment. We recognize that challenging behaviors are often a form of communication. Our primary goal is to guide children through these moments using positive, supportive, and developmentally appropriate strategies. Head Start of Lane County is committed to supporting children to remain in Head Start services. Occasionally, young children present unsafe behaviors in the educational setting with the potential to injure themselves or others. In such circumstances, children may need more intensive interventions to maintain safety and help them learn appropriate behavior.

Procedure

  1. Staff must follow the Child Guidance policy to support children’s social emotional development and their developing self-regulation and friendship skills.
  2. Challenging behaviors and responses will be documented in the child’s electronic file when appropriate.
  3. Staff will share behavior concerns with families in a timely manner and will work with families to develop strategies and interventions.
  4. HSOLC strictly prohibits the use of unilateral suspensions or expulsions. Staff will not send a child home early or exclude them from care as a punishment or consequence for challenging behaviors.
  5. Staff will access Early Childhood Education Coordinator (ECEC) as needed for behavior observations in the classroom and classroom-wide behavior support strategies.
    1. ECEC will work with family and teaching staff to obtain a mental health consultation.
    2. If appropriate, ECEC will work with family and teaching staff to refer the child for mental health services and/or special education evaluation.
    3. ECEC will work with RM to notify the Complex Coordination Team for a staffing and review of the case.
  6. When challenging behaviors persist or are dangerous to self or others, staff will work with the family to access Behavior Support. If appropriate, referrals may also be made to mental health or special education services.
    1. If a child’s behavior requires special support during the time of referral and assessment, the Regional Manager, FSC, FSI, and/or the ECEC Team be included in planning the support as needed.
  7. Behavior Support may include a Behavior Plan. A Behavior Plan is an individualized, intensive intervention based on information collected by the family and teaching staff (BIRS, family interview, etc.).
    1. Behavior Plan will be developed by the family, teaching team, and ECEC with support from partnering agencies as needed.
    2. Behavior Plan will include:
      1. Description of behavior of concern including triggering events and maintaining consequences.
      2. Prevention Strategies
      3. Replacement Skills that will be taught
      4. Strategies for when new skills or the challenging behavior occurs
    3. Staff will implement behavior plans and meet with team regularly to discuss progress and modify plan as needed.
    4. Behavior Plan will be documented in the Behavior Plan tab in the Education Domain of the child’s electronic file.
  8. Rarely, a child may need use of physical restraint if there is imminent danger to self or others. Physical restraint is not to be used as a routine procedure nor without an approved behavior plan specifying its use (signed by parent).
      1. Prior to using physical restraint, staff will receive training on how to safely implement and document.
      2. Staff will use Restraint Incident form to document and will notify RM and family the same day as the incident.
      3. Program Directors will notify Child Care Licensing Division (CCLD) after the use of restraint.
      4. Consultant Coordination team will access support from Oregon’s Every Child Belongs if restraint is used more than once with an individual child.
  9. Continual communication with parents and guardians must be maintained concerning the child’s behavior and ongoing documentation and progress reports are required. Staff will be sensitive to different cultural beliefs and values.
        1. Ongoing documentation may include Behavior Support Log, Injury Log for monitoring, BIRS reports, updates to the child’s electronic file, and classroom observations.
  10. Challenging behavior in the classroom can have a cumulative effect on teachers’ mental, physical, and emotional health. Staff wellness and resilience is a priority and ECECs and RMs will work with their MH consultant to schedule time for teaching teams to access MH consultation time for themselves either individually or as a team. RMs will report high stress classrooms to the Head Start /EHS Director and the Consultant Coordination Team. Additional supports could include referrals to EAP, retraining, job shadowing, and observations by a member of the Consultant Coordination Team.
  11. Changes in service delivery due to a child’s behavior is considered a suspension. Suspension means the temporary removal of a child from the learning setting due to a child’s behavior including requiring the child to cease attendance for a specified period of time, reducing the number of days or amount of time that a child may attend, removing the child from the regular group setting for an extended period of time, or requiring the parent or the parent’s designee to pick up a child for reasons other than illness or injury. Rarely, a child may engage in behavior that poses a significant physical and/or mental risk to self or others. Only then should a team consider a change in service delivery due to a behavior related incident.
    1. No change in service delivery will occur without prior approval from the Consultant Coordination Team in consultation with the Head Start/Early Head Start Director or designee.
      1. The Consultant Coordination team will access Oregon’s Every Child Belongs system for support.
      2. The Consultant Coordination team or Operations Director will notify Child Care Licensing Division of behaviors that require the use of a temporary safety-based intervention and/or the implementation of a temporary safety-based intervention by 5pm the next business day (see also Incident Reporting and Response Policy).
      3. The Consultant Coordination Team will notify the Regional Manager and Transportation Manager (if applicable) of the approved schedule change.
      4. Whenever possible, consultation should include Mental Health provider or ECSE service coordinator, if applicable. In the case of change of bus services, the Transportation Manager will be consulted.
  12. Each incident will be considered on its own merit and not be generalized with other incidents by the child or other children.
      1. Any incident resulting in changes in services will be followed up immediately with:
        1. A staffing/team meeting including any outside agency consultants working with the child, teachers, Regional Manager, family, ECEC, Family Support Coordinator, Family Support Interpreter, bus driver, and program consultants as needed.
        2. Development of a temporary behavior plan or modification of an existing plan to support the child while additional services are being accessed.
        3. The incident, behavior plan, and team meeting will be documented in the child’s electronic file as soon as possible.
        4. See Incident Reporting and Response Policy for reporting requirements.
  13. Expulsion will never be used as a disciplinary measure. In rare circumstances, if a child’s medical, psychological, or behavioral needs exceed what our program can safely accommodate—even after implementing all recommended state interventions—we will work in partnership with the family and the Every Child Belongs team. Together, we will create a collaborative, supportive transition plan to help the child move safely into an alternative care setting that meets their needs.

This policy complies with Head Start Performance Standard 45 CFR 1302.21, 1302.45 and Childcare Licensing Regulations 414-305-0710, 414-305-0720, and 414-305-0750
It was approved by Policy Council: August 2026
Reviewed: