Paper Moon Childcare Cooperative

Paper Moon’s Childcare Practices are rooted in our shared anti-racist, anti-sexist, & gender-affirming values. While there are myriad best practices for childcare (tips and tricks of the trade that members cultivate over time), the following tenets are non-negotiable for a Paper Moon Childcare Cooperative member:

1. Members will attend carefully to the safety and health of each child. Upon arrival at a job, members will ask adults in the household about any allergies or medical conditions to be aware of. Members will attend a CPR & First Aid training within 3 months of their invitation to the collective. Members will not multitask (for example, do a household’s dishes or answer a phone call) unless they can first ensure the safety of the children for the duration of that task. Members will not drive with children in their own vehicle without a properly installed car seat that an adult in the child’s household has checked and approved.
2. Members will respect the autonomy of each child, and will resist perpetuating a culture of adult supremacy. This includes providing children with safe options for activities, and respecting the child’s choice whenever possible (within reasonable parameters; for example, caregivers should respect a family’s request to not allow their child to watch TV past a certain time of day, and should then work with the child to identify interesting alternative activities). Outside of emergency situations, caregivers will ask for a child’s consent before engaging in any physical contact.
3. Members will use positive behavior reinforcement strategies to encourage safe and kind behaviors in children. Members will model de-escalation tactics and nonviolent communication to work through conflicts with or among children. Members will avoid using explicitly punitive measures (for example, time-outs) unless doing so is a specific and reasonable request by the household’s adults. Members will never engage in physical discipline of a child.
4. Members will demonstrate sensitivity to the ethnicity, race, religion, and culture of each family and household. If a member feels that their lack of familiarity with an aspect of a household’s identity is negatively impacting their ability to provide adequate care, that member will engage thoughtfully in a deliberate learning process to bridge these gaps.
5. Members will actively affirm the gender identity and sexual orientation of each child and household member. This includes using everybody’s preferred names and pronouns, as well as maintaining confidentiality for a child’s preferred name and pronouns, if the child requests that a member does so.
6. Whenever possible, Paper Moon will pursue community-based responses to harm that circumvent institutions complicit in the Prison Industrial Complex, such as the police and Child Protective Services. Members are not Mandated Reporters to any external institution, but if a member witnesses or suspects child abuse or neglect, they must report it within 72 hours to the Paper Moon Board, who will then collectively decide how to proceed in the best interests of the child, household, and community.