Empowering Teachers Through Positive Guidance: An Administrator’s Perspective on Supporting Early Childhood Educators

In early childhood education, where young minds are rapidly growing and learning, positive guidance is key to fostering a supportive and nurturing environment. As administrators, we often focus on ensuring that our teachers have the tools and resources they need to create engaging lesson plans, maintain a structured classroom, and meet developmental goals. However, one of the most impactful resources we can provide is encouragement in applying positive guidance techniques.

But what exactly is “positive guidance,” and why should it be at the core of every early childhood classroom? More importantly, how can administrators support teachers in incorporating these strategies into their daily practice?

What is Positive Guidance?

At its heart, positive guidance is about teaching children how to make good choices rather than simply correcting poor behavior. It involves setting clear expectations, offering choices, and encouraging problem-solving in a way that helps children understand their actions and how they affect others. By guiding children with warmth and respect, educators can foster independence, self-regulation, and empathy—skills that are critical not only for the classroom but for life.

For young children, behavioral challenges are often a result of not having the words or the tools to express their needs and feelings. Positive guidance provides the structure they need to learn social and emotional skills while feeling supported and understood.

The Administrator’s Role in Supporting Teachers

As administrators, it’s our responsibility to ensure that our teachers are equipped with both the knowledge and the confidence to use positive guidance effectively. This goes beyond offering a one-time training. It requires ongoing professional development, thoughtful observation, and, most importantly, the creation of a school culture that values patience and positivity.

Here are a few ways administrators can actively support teachers in using positive guidance:

1. Provide Training and Resources

Positive guidance requires a shift in mindset for many educators, especially those who may have been trained in more traditional behavior management techniques. Offer regular workshops or in-service days focused on positive discipline, social-emotional learning, and classroom management strategies that align with these values.

Sharing resources like books, podcasts, or articles on positive guidance can help teachers continually learn and refine their approach. Better yet, invite speakers or coaches who specialize in early childhood development to give teachers practical strategies for dealing with challenging behaviors in a positive way.

2. Foster Open Communication

Teachers need a safe space to share their challenges, especially when it comes to classroom behavior. Create opportunities for regular check-ins, either one-on-one or in small groups, where teachers can discuss what's working, where they’re struggling, and how they can improve.

Listening to their concerns with empathy and offering constructive feedback can help teachers feel supported and encouraged to try new techniques without fear of judgment. Encourage collaboration between teachers—sometimes sharing ideas with a peer can open up new solutions that may not have been considered before.

3. Model Positive Guidance in School Culture

Children are not the only ones who respond well to positive guidance—adults do, too. As an administrator, it’s important to model the behavior you want to see in your classrooms. This means practicing active listening, acknowledging challenges without criticism, and offering praise and encouragement when teachers successfully implement positive guidance strategies.

By creating a school culture where kindness, patience, and understanding are the norm, you help teachers feel confident that these values should be passed on to their students.

4. Provide Tools for Success

Positive guidance doesn’t happen in a vacuum—it requires a classroom environment that supports exploration, choice, and structured independence. Make sure that your classrooms are equipped with materials that foster creativity and cooperation. Open-ended toys, designated quiet areas, and easy-to-access materials give children the autonomy they need to make positive choices.

Encourage teachers to set up routines and structures that allow children to navigate their space independently while still providing boundaries. Positive guidance is easier to implement when the classroom is designed to support it.

5. Celebrate Small Wins

Implementing positive guidance may feel overwhelming at first, especially for teachers who are used to more traditional classroom management styles. Encourage your staff to focus on small wins—like the first time a child solves a problem without intervention or a day when the entire class cooperates during circle time.

Celebrate these successes at staff meetings or in newsletters to show teachers that their efforts are being recognized and that positive guidance is making a difference. Even a simple shout-out or thank-you note can help boost morale and reinforce the benefits of this approach.

The Long-Term Impact of Positive Guidance

When teachers feel supported in using positive guidance, it has a ripple effect throughout the entire school community. Classrooms become more peaceful, children develop stronger relationships with their peers and teachers, and educators experience less burnout from trying to manage behavior reactively. Over time, this leads to an environment where learning can thrive.

By fostering a culture of positive guidance from the administrative level, we are not only shaping the classroom experience but also contributing to a brighter future for the children we serve. The social and emotional skills they learn in their early years will carry them through life—helping them become empathetic, confident, and capable individuals.

As administrators, we have the power to create a school environment where teachers feel empowered, children feel respected, and learning happens naturally. Supporting positive guidance is not just a strategy for managing behavior—it’s a way to build stronger, more connected classrooms where everyone can flourish.