Rest TimePolicy
PolicyNo. 211
The children can benefit from a short quiet time or calm-down time. Rest time allows for children
to rejuvenate for the afternoon. All children will be provided an opportunity to rest in a quiet and calm environment. The rest time routine will be consistent from day to day to ensure that children feel secure and can relax. The mats and all linen used during napping will be cleaned and disinfected in a manner that prevents spread of communicable disease.
Procedure 211-P
WAC 388-295-2050 states that you must:
- Offer a supervised rest period to the child who is:
- Five years of age or younger and in care for more than six hours or
- Showing a need for rest
2. Allow a child twenty-nine months of age or younger to follow an individual sleep schedule, and plan
alternative quiet activities for the child who does not need rest.
Planning for a safe rest time
1. Keep in mind the following elements when planning individual and center routines:
a. Prepare the children head of time that rest time period is coming
b. There must be sufficient light in the classroom in order to see each of the children’s face while they
are resting in order to ensure proper supervision of the children is occurring.
c. Children who are laying on the their mat or infants who are in their cribs, must be 36 inches apart
d. Give the children time to settle down and time to wake at their own pace
e. When appropriate, the children will assist with setting up for rest time.
f. Supervision and zoning must occur at all times by the staff, even during rest time.
g. Teachers must plan to individualize for the children who wake up early and for children who do not
sleep.
h. Allow the infants to follow their own sleeping schedule.
i. Infants must be placed on their backs when placed in their crib
j. Crib’s must be kept free of all items except for a fitted sheet.
h. Infants who have developed the muscles to roll back and forth will have a label placed on the outside
of their crib that states, “I can roll back and forth”
j. Infants must never be placed in their crib with a bottle or with a pacifier.
k. An Infant must only be placed in their crib when they are asleep, as soon as an infant awakes, they
must be removed from their crib.
Restraint and rest time
1. Restraining a child to make them go to sleep or stay on their mat is not appropriate.
a. Physical restraint should never be used to keep a child on their mat or to sleep
b. The children are encourage to rest and calm their bodies on their mat, children must not be forced to
sleep.
c. The children who do not sleep after 15 minutes being on their mat, must be provided with an
alternativequiet activity.
d. There may be children who need to sleep earlier or longer and the staff must accommodate and
support the best they can to meet the child’s sleeping patterns.
Care of Mats and Linen
- The children must not share personal bedding items and personal bedding will be stored in individually labeled bags or child’s cubby space in between use.
- The mats will be disinfected weekly in addition to any time that the mat is soiled with body fluids, or after a child's illness.
- Soiled linen will be stored away from food preparation areas and in a sanitary manner.
Rest time possibilities and options
a. Create structure and flow with the daily rest time schedule to help foster a feeling of ritual at rest time.
b. Create activity bags for the children to work on that help create quiet play. Such as: learning file folder
games, books, calming music, or journals.
c. Carefully consider the placement of children’s mats for maximum success.
d. Regular team problem solving and discussions need to occur in regards to children who do not sleep or lie
on their mat and need a calm table activity instead.
e. Rub children’s backs or play soft restful music or utilize other comforting techniques to help children relax
and fall asleep
f. For Infants, document sleeping pattern on a daily basis on the Infant & Toddler Daily Activity Record.
Activity Record
CJ/HR Dept. 4/14/16
Approved byPolicyCouncil:4/14/16
Approved byBoard of Directors: 6/21/16
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ECEAPPerformance Standards:D-13, D-18
HeadStart Act:n/a
HeadStart PerformanceStandards:1304.22,1306.36
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