Safety

Providing a Safe Environment

A family’s biggest concern is their child’s safety. Families need to know that the person caring for their child will do everything in their power to keep them safe and not do harm to them.  A few of the many safety issues families and child care providers will want to consider are:

• Criminal Record Check

Ensure that all child care staff undergo a criminal background check. Providers need to take appropriate action against any staff member who comes back with a criminal record.

• Supervision

The most effective way to prevent accidents or children getting separated from the group is through supervision. Children need to be supervised by sight and sound at all times. If children need privacy for toileting or a quiet place to be alone or rest, it should be ensured that those children still can be heard and monitored frequently. Teachers should avoid congregating for side conversations and should be still be able to observe children when engaged in a conversation with a child’s family member.

• Toxic or dangerous substances

All toxic or dangerous substances must be out of the reach of children and/or stored in locked or safety-latched cabinets that are inaccessible to children at all times. This includes cleaning substances, detergents, drain cleaner, charcoal lighter fluid, bottles of bleach and water solution used for sanitizing toys, nail polish and remover, shampoos, soaps and perfumes, and all medications to name a few.

• Plants and animals

Many plants are poisonous.  Child care providers must be sure that the plants around their program are not toxic to children. That should include  both the indoor and the outdoor environments. For a searchable database of poisonous plants click here.

 Child care providers should ensure that any animals in their program are up to date on their immunizations and free of any diseases.  The natural temperament of an animal should be considered before allowing children to be around them it must be remembered that  they are animals that act on instinct.  In New Hampshire, the following pets (including but not limited to) cannot be in the same room as children or accessible to them: bats, turtles, tortoises, snakes, other lizards or reptiles, hedgehogs, parakeets, parrots and parrot-like birds.

• Choking hazards

Any small parts or toys can be a choking hazard to young children. Child care providers must ensure that children under three (or those still in an oral sensory phase) do not have access to small toys, items like hair barrettes, balloons, or small office supplies. A toilet paper tube can serve as a choking test tube. If an item fits in the tube, it is small enough for a child to swallow and choke on. Many foods are choking items too. In New Hampshire, licensed providers are required to serve foods cut into small pieces for swallowing for infants and toddlers. The following foods can not be served to children under the age of three or to other children with chewing or swallowing difficulties: spoonfuls of peanut butter, whole or rounds of hot dog, whole grapes, hard candy, raw carrot rounds, peas, celery, chips, hard pretzels, marshmallows,  nuts, seeds and popcorn.

• Long cord or strings; plastic bags or covering

The environment should be free of  any long cords or strings that could be a strangulation hazard to young children. This may include telephone cords, cords on window coverings or blinds, or strings on pull-toys. Children should not have access to plastic bags, small pieces of plastic or surfaces covered in plastic, especially when sleeping.

• Broken toys or equipment

Child care providers should check the toys and equipment in their environment daily to ensure that there are no loose or broken pieces. Broken or loose toys or equipment should be removed from the environment immediately and discarded or safely repaired.

• Back to sleep

Infants must be placed on their backs to sleep unless there are written medical orders requiring alternate positioning on file.  This information should be easily visible and accessible to child care providers in the infant’s assigned classroom

• Allergies and special health concerns

Some form of documentation of children who have allergies should be posted in the child’s classroom or prominently in the family child care home. Information should include the child’s name, what the child is allergic to, and authorization for use of an EpiPen or other emergency procedures and contact information. Similar information should be posted regarding a child with special health concerns. It may be helpful to have the child’s picture on this documentation as well so that anyone in the room could identify the child. Child care providers should preserve the child’s and the family’s confidentiality without compromising the safety of the child.

• Playground safety

Playground checks should be done daily to ensure there are no animal feces, broken toys, litter, debris, and sharp objects. More thorough checks should be done regularly to ensure that all equipment is in good working order with no loose or missing pieces or parts and that sufficient resilient surfacing cover the play area to reduce the risk of injury.

• Water safety

Children can drown in ½ an inch of water. A drowning can take place in a pool, lake, river, pond, ocean or other body of water. But they also take place in 5 gallon buckets, bathtubs and toilets. Provides must take care to see that children are strictly supervised around water and that drowning hazards are eliminated from areas that children have access to. In New Hampshire, at least one child care provider who will be supervising children around water must take a Water Safety Training and Supervision course and be present before a water activity can take place. That staff member must also have current First Aid and CPR certifications.  For a list of  water safety trainings offered in New Hampshire annually in the spring, visit the water safety website.  These trainings are free and open to the public.