The following behaviors should be prohibited in all early care and education settings:
a) The use of corporal punishment\ including, but not limited to:
i. Hitting, spanking, shaking, slapping, twisting, pulling, squeezing, or biting;
ii. Demanding excessive physical exercise, excessive rest, or strenuous or bizarre postures;
iii. Compelling a child to eat or have in his/her mouth soap, food, spices, or foreign substances;
iv. Exposing a child to extremes of temperature.
b) Isolating a child in an adjacent room, hallway, closet, darkened area, play area, or any other area where a child cannot be seen or supervised;
c) Binding, tying to restrict movement, or taping the mouth;
d) Using or withholding food or beverages as a punishment;
e) Toilet learning/training methods that punish, demean, or humiliate a child
f) Any form of emotional abuse, including rejecting, terrorizing, extended ignoring, isolating, or corrupting a child;
g) Any abuse or maltreatment of a child;
h) Abusive, profane, or sarcastic language or verbal abuse, threats, or derogatory remarks about the child or child’s family;
i) Any form of public or private humiliation, including threats of physical punishment2;
j) Physical activity/outdoor time taken away as punishment;
k) Placing a child in a crib for a time-out or for disciplinary reasons.
2 Determinations of safety concerns must be based on actual risks, best available objective evidence, and cannot be based on stereotypes or generalizations.
Last Updated: September 29, 2022