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Policy

Classroom celebrations can be a part of building a classroom community: a place where people help one another and consider themselves to be part of the group. Classroom celebrations will be consistent with providing an environment of acceptance that supports and respects gender, culture, language, ethnicity and family composition.

Procedure

  1. Classroom celebrations will be consistent with Anti-Bias curriculum core goals.
  2. Classroom celebrations will be consistent with agency nutritional guidelines.
  3. Staff will review Classroom Celebrations policy with families during the intake and orientation process.
  4. Staff will review the information provided by families during enrollment or through the “Getting to Know Your Child and Family” (aka Funds of Knowledge) form before planning any classroom celebrations if possible.
  5. Holidays
    1. HSOLC does not endorse or promote any particular holiday. Educational staff will not plan or implement classroom wide religious or holiday themed celebrations.
      1. Staff may access the “Learning About Holidays and Fairness” chapter of the Anti-Bias Curriculum as a resource.
    2. Child initiated conversations, play, and activities related to holidays will be supported by educational staff.
    3. Individual family members may share their family holiday traditions as a classroom guest.
      1. Any classroom learning about holidays, planned in response to or as follow up from child or family initiations, will be consistent with Anti Bias goals (see Anti-Bias curriculum for additional information).
  6. Celebrations related to children’s learning
    1. Classroom studies or projects may conclude with a celebration of the children’s learning.  Celebration will be focused on sharing what was learned during the study and planned in collaboration with the children and/or families.
      1. Celebration may include families, others in the school, or the wider community.
    2. End of the Year Last Day & Goodbyes
      1. Will be planned in collaboration with children and may include small celebrations of the learning that took place over the year.
    3. Celebrations of learning can include but are not limited to: exhibits, parades, art/fashion shows, shared meals, or performances.
  7. Special events
    1. Birthdays
      1. Educational staff will develop a preliminary plan on how they will address birthdays in the classroom during pre-service of each program year.
      2. Staff will finalize plan based on discussions with families and results of Funds of Knowledge form. Plan will be submitted to the Regional Manager and will be followed for the rest of the program year.
        1. Classroom plan may be further individualized for children or families as appropriate.
        2. Classroom plans will be consistent with agency nutritional guidelines and outside food is not permitted.
  8. Using celebrations for behavior management
    1. Educational staff in collaboration with the children may plan classroom events to celebrate progress towards a group social or behavior goal.
      1. Examples of events include pajama parties, movie day, lego parties, and bubble parties.
      2. Educational staff will create a child appropriate visual to mark group progress toward goal.  Progress markers will not be used as punishment by taking them away or by threatening to withhold/remove them.
      3. Food and physical activity may not be used as a punishment or reward.

This policy complies with Head Start Performance Standard 45CFR Section 1302.30, 1302.31(b)(iv)(c), 1302.32(1)(i)(ii), 1302.34(a)(b), 1302.509a)9B0, 1302.52(b) 

It was approved by Policy Council August 2013. August 2015
Updated August 2013. July 2015 August 2018 

© 2013-2016. Head Start of Lane County. All rights reserved. 

Reviewed May 2021