Biting Policy

Information on the health and safety of all children, biting prevention, and policy on rules.

At Emerson Academy the health and safety of ALL of the children is our number one priority. Although biting is a normal aspect of child development, we cannot allow excessive biting to occur. The following is an outline of our procedures for handling biting at our center:

• Biting will be prevented as much as possible by ensuring that the children are not overly tired or hungry and that the children receive regular, positive attention throughout the day.

• Biting will NOT be ignored, but we encourage parents and family members to not overreact to biting as this may only make the situation worse.

• If biting cannot be prevented the caregiver will:

1. Say, “No biting! It’s NOT o.k. to bite!” in a firm voice

2. Calmly remove the biter from the area and place him/her in the Safe Place to calm down.

3. Tend to the child that was bitten, giving lots of attention and checking for injuries.

4. Have the biter apologize (with words/sign language) and help the other child feel better (give hugs, hold ice on the bite mark, etc…).

5. Closely monitor the biter to prevent any further bites.

6. Notify parents before the end of the day if more than one bite has occurred.

7. Notify both parents immediately if a bite breaks a child’s skin.

• If biting becomes a problem that is occurring on a regular basis the director will meet with the parents and the teacher to come up with a behavioral plan. In rare cases a child may be dismissed from our program if his/her biting issue cannot be resolved.