Welcome back to this week’s segment of After School Tea Time! Get your tea cups ready because we have more to spill this week! Keep your questions coming because you could be helping someone who has similar questions! 

Question from Hartford County- In our program we have a strict no electronic hand-held gaming devices policy. There is a child in our program who continues to bring their device even though we made the policy clear to all of the children in our program. My staff and I have confiscated the device multiple times, but the child continues to bring it and use it during activities. My staff and I are unsure of what to do. How should this situation be handled? 

Hey Hartford, thank you for asking this question. Electronic gaming devices are very popular among children and it’s understandable that they may want to bring theirs with them. This situation is frustrating, but there are ways to find solutions! If you have already confiscated the device and explained the rules multiple times, the next step would be to speak with a parent/guardian about the situation. Maybe they will have some insight as to why this continues to happen. You can discuss some alternatives with them. Maybe the child can bring the device, but they will have to give it to a staff member, and they can have back at the end of the day. Maybe the device will be kept home instead. Talking with them can help you navigate the situation. If you don’t want to get a parent/guardian involved yet, I would suggest speaking to the child about why they continue to bring the device. Maybe the device is a source of comfort for the child. Maybe the device has sentimental value. Try to have a conversation and understand the reasons why. Here is an article on strategies you can use when you are experiencing difficulties with a student. We hope this is helpful! 

We’ll see you next week for another segment of After School Tea Time! Don’t forget to submit your anonymous questions here.