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Worried about health and safety in your center? You should be!
Your primary duty as a child care provider is to keep the children safe and healthy. Their immune system is only beginning to develop, therefore, they need close supervision and care to keep them from falling sick every other day of the week. Everything from their food to their clothes, toys, and activities should be meticulously guided to keep them away from harm. This is why safety is an important topic in every early education program. Join me to explore these practical safety tips every child care worker ought to know.
- Stick with the right class size
How many children are enrolled in your child care program? The Child Care Act outlines detailed rules and regulations concerning space and the size of each class. While I cannot categorically tell you the right class size to maintain, I can tell you for free that it must be in line with the guidelines. This rule is not there to limit your business growth. It is there to protect the children in the center. A crowded center spread germs faster.
- Promote good hygiene
Good hygiene is a non-negotiable practice in child care. For the health and safety of the children in your center, you must adopt proper hygiene at all times. This includes regular hand washing, proper storage of foods, closing your mouth while coughing, regular cleaning and sanitizing surfaces, etc. Everyone in the center including your staff and the children should be trained to follow this practice. If properly done, good hygiene is enough to reduce the spread of germs and illness in your center.
- Keep first aid and medications on site
I believe there are child care centers without first aid kits. But what many forget to do is restock their first aid kit as at when due. What is the use of an incomplete first aid kit? As the name implies, the first aid kit is your first line of action should an incident occur. This insignificant box makes all the difference between life and death in certain cases. Whatever you do, please make sure there are multiple first aid kits on site and, most importantly, that they contain the necessary items. The same goes for the children’s medications from their GP.
- Practice healthy eating in your center
Like class size, there are rules and regulations guiding the foods served in every early education program. Since food play a critical role in the health and development of children, the Child Care Act correctly outlines food guidelines including the type of foods to serve and the right preparation and storage. The goal of the guide is to ensure every child is properly fed balanced diets.
- Keep your surroundings safe
You cannot promote health and safety in a cluttered unsafe environment. This makes your surrounding just as important as any other tip on this list. Keep in mind that children’s development is greatly influenced by their environment. This extends to how well your center is structured. Child care centers are expected to be void of harmful objects and substances. In fact, both indoors and outdoor surroundings should be kept clean and free from clutter. Kids easily trip and fall. By cluttering your surrounding, you increase the risks of slipping and the likelihood of sustaining serious injuries in every fall accident.
- Always use age-appropriate toys
Despite their vital role in a child’s development, the wrong toy poses grave danger to the children in your center. There is a toy for every age. For example, since babies put virtually everything in their mouth, you definitely want to take away tiny little toys that they can swallow. You also want to avoid heavy toys that they cannot move around. Instead, get them toys that are safe to chew and too big to swallow.
- Provide constant supervision
The above tips are excellent but they do not replace the need for constant supervision. Both the kids and their parents trust that you know what is best for them. They put their faith in you to care for and protect the kids. If you do not have enough staff, make a plan to hire more. You cannot do this alone. You need enough staff on site to properly care and guide the children in your center. Don’t risk it!
Final thought
Like their homes, children deserve safe and nurturing child care centers. They require close monitoring and trust that you are capable of protecting them. Whatever you do, always put health and safety first.
