Ethical responsibilities are the actions a professional should always do or always refuse to do.
In the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct these are labeled as Principles. Ethical Dilemmas are
situations in which two or more different responses can be defended by principles in NAEYC’s
Code of Ethical Conduct.
Consider the following ethical dilemma:
A single mother of a 4-year old in your center has asked that her child not nap at school,
because when he naps he stays up too late at night. You know the mother is working
and taking classes to earn her bachelor’s degree. The child arrives at the Center around
7:45 am each morning and is picked up around 5:30pm. The family commutes via public
transportation. On days the child naps he seems to be in better spirits and have better
afternoon interactions with peers and adults then on days he does not.
● Who are the stakeholders involved in this situation?
● How would you work through the dilemma?
● What principles from the code of ethics apply to your situation?
