Early childhood educators often face challenging situations in the workplace, and it can sometimes be difficult to know how to proceed. When you encounter a tough situation, the first question you should ask yourself is, “Does this issue concern right and wrong, rights and responsibilities, human welfare, or individuals’ best interests?” If you answer yes to this question, you are facing an ethical issue.

How you respond to an ethical issue depends on whether the issue is an ethical responsibility or an ethical dilemma. Ethical responsibilities are mandates that are clearly spelled out in the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct: they describe what early childhood educators must and must not do. It is important to remember that when you encounter a situation that involves an ethical responsibility, you must follow the Code’s clear directions. Then you can be confident that when you have done the right thing, the Code is there to back you up. You can rely on it to help you explain why you made a difficult or unpopular decision.

When you determine that a situation involves ethics and that it is not a clear-cut responsibility, it is likely to be an ethical dilemma. A dilemma is a situation in which the legitimate needs and interests of two or more individuals or groups are in conflict with one another. Resolving a dilemma forces you to choose between two or more morally justifiable courses of action, each of which has some benefits but also some costs.

Instructions:

Below are two situations. For this discussion, select one of the situations. Address the five questions below, using the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct (Links to an external site.)

Identify the problem and discuss why it involves ethics.
Identify which, if any, of the Code’s Core Values (from page 1) apply to this situation.

The teacher often has conflicting responsibilities. What does she owe to the child, the family, or the center where she works? (In doing an ethical analysis, it can be helpful to summarize the conflicting responsibilities as a choice between alternatives: “Should the teacher do _________ or should she do _________?”)
Look for guidance in the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct. Carefully review its Ideals and Principles, particularly those that apply to responsibilities to children and families. List three relevant items in the Code and indicate how you prioritized their importance.
Based on your review of the Code and using your best professional judgment, describe what you think is the most ethically defensible course of action for the teacher.