Nanny's step 'breaches kids' rights'

Television's Supernanny has been sent to the naughty step.

Behaviour-control techniques popularised by the TV disciplinarian breach the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the national curriculum, an Auckland academic says.

Pauline Bishop, a Unitec lecturer with 20 years' experience in early childhood education, told the Early Intervention Association conference in Auckland this week that Supernanny techniques had spread to preschools but were unprofessional for teachers.

"What you're really doing is you're punishing the child for doing something that is not appropriate, instead of teaching them, which is our mandate.

"It could be quite traumatic for children they might have hit somebody because they didn't understand or they couldn't communicate so they lashed out. Instead of teaching them a way of communicating, we're punishing them by putting them on a naughty chair and giving them time out."

Ms Bishop said the Supernanny techniques were OK in the home but did not belong at early childhood centres.

"Children are competent and capable, so if we're saying that, then we should give them the opportunity to engage in problem solving instead of putting them under a time-out sort of system."

Teachers who used the Supernanny techniques were breaching the UN declaration and the national curriculum document, Te Whariki. "That talks about respectful, responsive relationships," she said.

Ms Bishop is investigating the extent of Supernanny's prevalence in early childhood centres. "I have seen it in people's behaviour-management policies that time out will be used," she said.

"I've been in to quite a few centres and seen them used and I want to question that use."

The two-day early-intervention conference was partially organised by the Education Ministry t and provided training and professional development for staff.

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