Daycare Behaviour Guidance Policy in Saskatchewan | What Parents Need to Know | Daisy Days

Behaviour guidance is one of the most important — and most misunderstood — aspects of quality early childhood care. At Daisy Days Daycare in Regina SK, our approach to behaviour is grounded in positive guidance principles and consistent with Saskatchewan’s licensed childcare regulations. Here’s what every Regina SK parent needs to know.

Positive Behaviour Guidance — What It Means

Positive behaviour guidance is an evidence-based approach to supporting children’s behaviour that focuses on teaching and supporting self-regulation skills, rather than punishing mistakes. In quality licensed daycares in Saskatchewan, this means:

• Prevention first: Creating predictable routines, adequate materials, and positive environments that reduce the triggers for challenging behaviour
• Redirection: Guiding children toward appropriate alternatives rather than focusing on what they shouldn’t do
• Co-regulation: Supporting children to manage strong emotions by staying calm, empathetic, and present alongside them
• Natural consequences: Allowing age-appropriate natural consequences of behaviour rather than arbitrary punishments
• Skill-building: Teaching the social-emotional skills (waiting, sharing, asking for help, handling frustration) that replace challenging behaviour

What Saskatchewan Law Says About Discipline at Licensed Daycares

The Child Care Act, 2014 and The Child Care Regulations, 2015 explicitly prohibit the following in Saskatchewan licensed childcare settings:

• Physical punishment of any kind (spanking, hitting, grabbing roughly)
• Shaming, humiliating, or degrading children verbally
• Withholding food or bathroom access as punishment
• Isolating a child in a confined or locked space
• Threatening or using fear as a behaviour management tool

These prohibitions are absolute. Any licensed daycare that uses these approaches is in breach of provincial regulations and can have their licence revoked.

Time-Out: A Nuanced Question

Traditional “time-out” (a child isolated in a corner or chair as punishment) is generally not considered a positive guidance practice and is discouraged in contemporary ECE. However, voluntary “calm-down spaces” — a cozy area a child can choose to use when they need to regulate — are considered appropriate and supportive.

The distinction: punitive isolation (forced) = not appropriate; voluntary de-escalation space (child’s choice, educator-supported) = supportive practice.

When Challenging Behaviour Persists

If a child’s challenging behaviour persists despite positive guidance approaches, quality licensed daycares in Saskatchewan will:

• Request a meeting with parents to share observations and strategies
• Collaborate with the family to ensure consistent approaches at home and daycare
• Connect families with appropriate resources (occupational therapy, behavior specialists, ECIP) if developmental factors may be involved

Daisy Days Daycare ECE educators view challenging behaviour as communication — not defiance. A child who bites, hits, or melts down is telling us something about their state, their skills, or their environment that we need to understand and address with support.

Contact Daisy Days Daycare to ask about our behaviour guidance policy.
306-807-3233 | info@daisydaysdaycare.com | 2007 Potts Crescent East, Regina SK S4V 2E5