What is the Staff to Child ratio in a nursery?

Would you allow your childs nursery teacher to give your child a kiss?

• Would you allow your childs nursery teacher to give your child a kiss? I work in a girl's only nursery (at a private school) with children aged 6 weeks to 8 years. And I was wondering if you would find it ok for a member of staff to kiss your child if you had one in a nursery (not out of the blue obviously!) but if a child asked for a kiss whats your views on it? and how would you feel if they kissed the child open mouth? is this grounds for a sexual harassment law suit? btw, I'm a 49 year old american man, if that makes a difference.

• Answer:

  First off, I am really hoping that where you typed "open mouth" you meant "on the mouth" because there is no reason ever for a staff member (or any adult for that matter) to kiss a child open mouthed! There is much more information needed to make a determination on this. When children initiate "adult" activities it can be a sign that they are being/have been abused. Let me say, I have two children and when they were in preschool I didn't think twice about teachers hugging them or kissing "owies" but now it is a big deal in some places. Most of it has just gotten out of hand due to fear of frivolous lawsuits. However, no question about it, if a teacher is kissing a child open-mouthed then it needs to be reported! It doesn't matter if a child asks or not, they are not capable of determining what is right or wrong for them. It is very common for children to attempt to kiss someone open-mouthed because they see it on tv, in a movie or even their parents doing it. They do not inherently know it is inappropriate. They are very curious by nature, it is the adult's job to let the child know in a kind manner (so as not to embarrass/humiliate them) that this type of kissing is not for young children. I would also speak with the parent(s) to make sure they were aware of the child's curiosity and could determine if it is harmless or not. I would be more concerned about ensuring the health and safety of the children you are serving than about what constitutes grounds for a lawsuit. **If an adult is kissing a child open-mouthed whether they were asked to or not..they need to seek help from a professional immediately as this is highly inappropriate!