Providing for Wellness in the Home (continued)

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Providing for Sex Education

Health education is always a part of a quality child-care experience, but sex education can be a controversial topic. Families have the initial responsibility for children’s sex education, and at the minimum, families should focus on attention to gender differences, names for body parts, words for toileting, attention to privacy, and knowledge of “good touching” and “bad touching.” Chrisman and Couchenour (2002) suggested that although there are different approaches to sex education among families, families who support healthy sexual development “include respectful interactions with one another, appropriate expressions of affection among family members, and a sensitive awareness of both expected behaviors and unacceptable behaviors” (p. 5).

Because sex education outside the home, can be controversial, child-care centers and schools must be very clear on their procedures and maintain good communication with homes on the content of their curriculum. Although some child-care programs have a planned curriculum for sexual education, most take a more informal approach. For example, when children ask questions or behave in certain ways, the adult provides accurate information and positive guidance. Child-care programs can also serve as a resource for families and support their role in children’s sexual development. Readers may wish to consult Essa and Murray (1999) for a brief but helpful background on the sexual behavior of young children and how parents and teachers can cope with their concerns over identifying normal and deviant sexual play.