Wash. Admin. Code § 110-302-0331
Prohibited behavior and discipline, and physical separation of children
Effective Jan 30, 2025WSR 25-02-097Chapter 42.56 RCW, RCW 43.215.070, 43.215.201, 43.216.055, 43.216.065, and 43.216.742CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES, DEPARTMENT OF
(1) ONB providers are prohibited from using the following behaviors and discipline of children:
- (a) Profanity, obscene language, "put downs," or cultural or racial slurs;
- (b) Angry or hostile interactions;
- (c) Threats of physical harm or inappropriate discipline such as, but not limited to, spanking, biting, jerking, kicking, hitting, slapping, grabbing, shaking, pulling hair, pushing, shoving, throwing a child, or inflicting pain or humiliation as a punishment;
- (d) Intimidation, gestures, or verbal abuse including sarcasm, name calling, shaming, humiliation, teasing, derogatory remarks about a child or the child's family;
- (e) Emotional abuse including victimizing, bullying, rejecting, terrorizing, extensive ignoring, or corrupting a child;
- (f) Sexual abuse, pursuant to RCW 26.44.020;
- (g) Preventing a child from or punishing a child for exercising religious rights;
- (h) Restricting a child's breathing;
- (i) Binding or restricting a child's movement unless permitted under WAC 110-302-0335;
- (j) Taping a child's nose, mouth, or other body part;
- (k) Depriving a child of sleep, food, clothing, shelter, physical activity, first aid, or regular or emergency medical or dental care;
- (l) Forcing a child to ingest something as punishment such as hot sauce or soap;
- (m) Interfering with a child's ability to take care of their own hygiene and toileting needs;
- (n) Using toilet learning or training methods that punish, demean, or humiliate a child;
- (o) Withholding hygiene care, toileting care, or diaper changing from any child unable to provide such care for themselves;
- (p) Exposing a child to extreme temperatures as punishment;
- (q) Demanding excessive physical exercise or strenuous postures. Excessive physical exercise includes, but is not limited to, running laps around the yard until overly tired, an extensive number of push-ups, having a child rest more than the child's development requires, standing on one foot for an uncomfortable amount of time, or holding out one's arms until tired or painful;
- (r) Placing the separated child in a closet, bathroom, locked room, out of visual range in an approved tent, cabin, yurt or other structure; or in an unlicensed space; and
- (s) Using confining space or equipment to punish a child or restrict movement.
- (2) ONB providers must supervise to protect children from the harmful acts of other children. ONB providers must immediately intervene when they become aware that a child or children are teasing, fighting, bullying, intimidating, or becoming physically or sexually aggressive.
(3) ONB providers may separate a child from other children when that child needs to regain control of themselves.
- (a) During separation time, the child must remain under the appropriate level of supervision of a licensee, director, program director, assistant director, site director, program supervisor, lead teacher or an assistant teacher.
- (b) Separation time should be minimized and appropriate to the needs of the individual child.
(4) If a child is separated from other children, ONB providers must:
- (a) Consider the child's developmental level, language skills, individual and special needs, and ability to understand the consequences of their actions; and
- (b) Communicate to the child the reason for being separated from the other children.
(5) If ONB providers follow all strategies in this section, and a child continues to behave in an unsafe manner, only a licensee, director, program director, assistant director, site director, program supervisor, lead teacher, or an assistant teacher may physically remove the child to a less stimulating environment. Staff must remain calm and use a calm voice when directing or removing the child. Physical separation of a child is determined by that child's ability to walk:
- (a) If the child is willing and able to walk, staff may hold the child's hand and walk them away from the situation.
- (b) If the child is not willing or able to walk, staff may pick the child up and separate them to a quiet place where the child cannot hurt themselves or others.
[Statutory Authority: Chapter 42.56 RCW, RCW 43.215.070, 43.215.201, 43.216.055, 43.216.065, and 43.216.742. WSR 25-02-097, s 110-302-0331, filed 12/30/24, effective 1/30/25. Statutory Authority: RCW 43.216.742. WSR 23-10-059, § 110-302-0331, filed 5/1/23, effective 6/1/23.]