Bullying a serious issue in all walks of life; but when it happens in preschool, it can traumatize the child for life. Most preschool Sierra Madre, CA will have strict anti-bullying policy in effect, but what can you do when your little one is facing one? Here are some tips to help you out.

• First of all, learn to see the signs of bullying affecting your child. Some children are very open and vivacious and will tell their parents each and everything that happened in school, especially when someone bullied them. Then there are children who are introvert and quiet and these are the children who are hurt most by bullying. They won’t say anything, but their behaviour will change. They won’t like to go to school, and in name of school they will have stomach ache and other health issues. Listen to her when she says that a particular classmate is bothering her or upsetting her. If she brings it up, ask her why she doesn’t like the other child or what has the other child done to her. If it is a repeated complain about the same child, your child is being bullied. One-time things can be overlooked as children often make it up within themselves after such an incident.
• Once you are sure that one child or a particular group of children are harassing your child repeatedly, it is time to talk to the preschool. Make an appointment with the class teacher or day-care provider and tell them about it. Most often, bullying happens when the teacher is not there or busy elsewhere and so she or he may not know about it, if your child didn’t complain in class. Simply telling her about the situation will make her aware and she can help your child avoid the bullying while confronting the person responsible.
• Wait for some time before you take the next step. In the meantime, you can teach your child on how to handle bullies. Remember, fighting is not the answer so never suggest it. But teach her to stand up for herself. A loud protest is often enough to startle a preschool child; and it is guaranteed to bring the notice of the adults in charge that something is going one. Ignoring the bully also works but physical attacks should never be ignored. When that happens, she must report to the teacher then and there. Many times, the children don’t want to report because they think that their classmates will see them as a snitch or tattletale, and everyone wants to be accepted by their peers. But tell them that talking to a teacher about physical violence by another student on them is never telling on someone, rather it is a necessity.
• If you think that your preschool Sierra Madre, CA has not taken enough action even when you bought the bullying to the notice of the class teacher and the administrator, you can then talk to the parent of the child who is bullying your child. This can be a very sensitive issue, so you need to handle it with patience and tact. Don’t go guns blazing; rather gently let the parent know that their child’s behaviour has been upsetting your child. See where it goes from there and involve the school if the parent refuses to act.