Safety Practices and Policies Week One Application

Dana Helton
EDUC 1005-1: Professor Eissler
September 13, 2009


The age group I will focus on is preschool. This is the age group that I want to work with. The first potential hazard to this age group is running in the building. It is natural for children to run. However, this is dangerous because children can fall into an object and hurt themselves. Specific safety policies that apply to this situation are good supervision of children (Robertson, 2007). Children need to be taught the consequences of running in the building. Our textbook says that after furnishings are in place inside the classrooms, that the regulations are 50 square feet of play area for each child (90). It is important to have enough space for each child so they do not get hurt. Ways that families can help is to enforce the rule of no running in their house. It is too dangerous to run inside because there are too many objects in the children’s way. I have had children slip and cut their mouths, faces, and legs.
The second potential danger is people walking right into the center without being escorted. There should be a lock on the outside of each door because you never know who is trying to come in. However, there has to be easy access to get out of the building from the inside. On ehow.com (1999-2009), I read a suggestion that will help when it comes to visitors. We must have them sign in and wear a visitor sticker to show everyone that this stranger is allowed to be inside with the children. We can also prevent people from coming in unexpectedly by installing video cameras, having a code to enter at the door or a buzzer to let the teachers know someone is on the outside and the teacher can go to the door to let people in (Robertson, 2007). In order for this to work people must shut the door at all times. I worked at a center where a teacher was hanging stuff up on the outside of the door. She left the door open to come back inside and started talking to another teacher.
Meanwhile during naptime a man walked in and demanded that we give him his son. The teacher in charge did not handle this correctly. In fact, she is the one who left the door open to begin with. The man just went up to all the teachers demanding we show him, which one is his son. At least most of the children were asleep. It was sad because this man did not even know what he looked like. One teacher was trying to get a hold of the boy’s mom and she never answered. I told them that if there is no custody paper between the parents then we must give this man his son. We don’t make up the rules and regulations however we must abide by them. I know this law from my own children. The schools have told me that since there is no custody papers that if the biological father shows up wanting them the school has to give them my child. The teacher did not like my answer so she called the owner and she said, “If there are no custody papers then you have to give him his child.” I believe this could have been prevented if the teacher closed the door. If she did this then she could have went on the outside of the door with the parent to talk things over. It is not safe that this man was approaching all the children and upsetting some of them. Everyone was upset and nervous because none of them knew how to handle this. I believe there should be an explanation to all teachers on what to do when this happens. In the end I showed him, which child was his son and he left with him.
The third potential hazard is what to do in case of a fire. The most important thing is to have fire extinguishers and smoke detectors in each room. Robertson 2007, said, “70% of deaths from fire and smoke inhalation, did not have smoke detectors” (120). I have also heard that many people have smoke detectors but they did not work because of dead batteries or no batteries at all. I change the batteries every three months at my house. Robertson also says that we must teach children over and over again about fire prevention. It is good to have a practice fire drill every 6 months. Make sure you post up evacuation signs in every classroom. Children must learn stop, drop, and roll also; teach them to cover their face when they roll. Another factor that fits here is making sure children keep their shoes on at all times. You never know when an evacuation may occur and children are much safer if they are wearing their shoes; we cannot take time to put shoes back on. We must leave the building right away. One more way to prevent fire is to clean and inspect the heating system and make sure you do not over fill any outlets because this will trigger a fire. I also suggest that every outlet has a protector on it. Children are very curious and they will try and stick their fingers or objects into them. Parents can help with this one by taking the same steps as we do in the classrooms. It is imperative that parents teach their children the risks and safety precautions to take in case of fire. I believe we should have firefighters come in to discuss the importance of safety and children also need to see the suit they wear so children will not be afraid if one comes into the building to save them.
The fourth potential hazard is playground equipment. We have to use plastic instead of wood or metal equipment. Wood will splinter and metal will rust and can cut children. There also needs to be shock-absorbing material that is on the ground to prevent more injuries when children fall. Another important way to reduce injuries is close supervision on the teacher’s part. Teachers must be watching all the children all the time. Too often I see teachers let the children outside and then stand in a group and socialize. This makes me angry because those teachers can talk later when they are not working with children. I do not socialize, I always watch the children. The children are the most important thing, not socializing. Robertson 2007 says the equipment must not be taller than 5 ½ feet tall because children love to climb and some may even try and jump off, which can be a lot more dangerous if the equipment is really tall (142). Teachers must explain often, the guidelines and rules for playing on each piece of equipment. The way parents can help is encourage their children to be as safe as possible when playing outside. Parents should enforce the rules we set for the playground because we are not trying to be mean with placing rules; we just want them to be safe. Children are curious and they love to explore; however, it is up to all of us to make sure they do it as safely as possible. One important way to ensure their safety is constant reminders because young children forget things a lot. It is not their intentions to defy us; it is their age level that is to blame for forgetting.
The fifth potential hazard is toys. We have to make sure that no little toys are lying around because children will put them in their mouths, nose, or ears. Toys must be age appropriate also (Robertson, 2007). Puzzles should be 25 pieces or less and teachers should be close by incase children need assistance. It is important that we try to let the children figure it out on their own first. If they ask for help then we can step in and give a few pointers. We want children to learn to feel proud of themselves for accomplishing things on their own. Teachers should also check toys often to see if anything is broken or starting to fall apart because these toys should be taken out of the room and thrown away. There is a checklist for just about everything, so we should have one and make sure we follow it. Another thing we must keep an eye out for is product recalls. This is important because children’s safety is very important. One more important job is to clean the toys often. I do not see this being done enough. I make it apparent to go into other teacher’s rooms and clean toys when it is naptime. A lot of teachers just sit and talk during nap; however, I am always working to keep children safe and healthy. Sometimes I have a bucket or two with some water and rags in it and I let the children help clean the toys. They love to help plus we talk about the importance of cleaning, germs, and ways to prevent them from getting sick. I believe parents can help with this also. If we talk to the parents and remind them the importance of constantly modeling cleanliness and prevention then children will see and hear the same information at home and at school.


Resources

Ehow Inc. (1999-2009). How to do just about everything. Retrieved on September 11, 2009, from http://www.ehow.com/way_5154588_safety-tips-childcare-facilities.html

Robertson, C. (2007). Robertson, C. (2010). Safety, nutrition, and health in early education (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth