Features
Environmental safety: The keystone in program quality
continued

In the classroom
Plan for safety—every time you add a toy or material to the classroom, take a walk in the neighborhood, plan a cooking activity, feed the hamster, and arrange the environment. Let classroom management be guided by your attention to the safety of the children. Plan ahead—equipment, activities, and interactions. Establish and maintain rules for safe behaviors—and enforce them consistently. Supervise attentively—with your eyes, ears, and whole body. And model, guide, and teach safety.
The following practices will help keep children safe and minimize your liability risk.
Turn down the water heater to a maximum of 120 degrees to minimize scalding.
Childproof the space by removing blind and curtain cords, covering electrical outlets, locking away hazardous materials like cleaning chemicals, medicines, cosmetics, and adult-use supplies like craft knives, sharp, pointed scissors, and kitchen utensils.
Arrange furniture and materials for easy supervision. You should be able to see all areas of the classroom from wherever you stand.
Stick decals on floor-length windows and doors.
Keep electrical cords out of reach; eliminate extension cords. Arrange furniture to block children’s access to electric outlets.
Mount fans, heaters, and air conditioners out of children’s reach.
Provide equipment and materials that are appropriate to the ages, interests, and skills of the children in the group.
Examine secondhand purchases and donations with extra care.
Check toys and equipment daily. Remove, and replace or repair the material before sharing it with children. Schedule routine maintenance or work days to repaint, tighten, and clean equipment.
Arrange materials and toys on low, child-accessible shelves. Avoid storage chests and trunks that children could crawl into.
Use safety straps on high chairs, strollers, and diaper-changing surfaces.
Provide a shock-absorbing floor covering under indoor climbing equipment and lofts more than 20 inches high. Climbers and loft ladders must have handrails and protective barriers that prevent accidental falls or entrapment.
Never allow balloons, explosives, or projectile toys. The risk—and your liability—is too great.
Purchase sturdily built toys and equipment. Look for durability, non-toxic paint, and stability. Don’t buy materials with sharp corners and edges, pinch points, loose or dangling parts, or those made of glass or brittle plastic that could break.

Outdoor spaces
Outdoor play spaces offer an endless array of opportunities for discovery, creativity, and socialization. When you plan these spaces, think safety first. Use these guidelines to help keep children and adults engaged and safe in their outdoor learning.
Offer a variety of surfaces that are appropriate to particular activities. Grassy lawns invite tumbling and running, wheel toys need hard tracks, and water play requires a water source and good drainage.
Trees, greenery, and gardening spaces invite investigation and offer soothing shade. But make sure your plantings are safe for children to explore.
Arrange equipment for easy supervision. You should be able to visually supervise all areas of the space from wherever you are.
Anchor large equipment with metal pins or concrete. Refer to regulatory standards for guidance on the minimum space required for use (or fall) zones, ground cushioning depths, and entrapment hazards.
Monitor water play carefully. Empty buckets, dishpans, plant saucers, trays, and wading pools immediately after use. Standing water is the breeding ground for mosquitoes as well as a drowning hazard.
Monitor the play yard for broken glass, wire, and other debris.
Inspect equipment daily to identify hazards. Look for jagged or sharp edges, loose bolts or screws, and broken or missing parts. Remove dangerous equipment—repair it, replace it, or junk it.

Share the plan with families
Parents choose a child care program wanting to be assured that their children are safe. They want and need to know what happens to their children during their time with you. You can best, and most easily, satisfy parents by preparing forms and charts that record unusual events—minor cuts and scratches as well as injuries that require professional attention. All parents realize accidents happen; no parent wants to be surprised by a child’s bandaged leg at suppertime, long after you have gone home.
Be prepared. At the time of enrollment, spend time with parents describing your program’s safety plan. Reinforce the information when you ask parents to sign forms giving you permission to seek emergency medical attention; review your safety procedures for field trips and water play when you present those permission forms. Let parents know that they will always be given a written record of accidents and incidents that cause injury or place children at risk.
Review regulatory standards for your area and include any required information on the permission and reporting forms you provide parents for signature. Make sure you have multiple copies of the forms: one for the office file, one in the classroom, and one that travels on field trips and any away-from-facility events.
Follow up. If it becomes necessary to report an accident or risk event, make sure you are prepared to answer parents’ questions and concerns. Telephone the parent immediately. Rely on a written description of the event (where and when it happened, and who was involved), the name of the teacher who witnessed the incident, and a description of any first aid provided. If appropriate, provide your program’s liability insurance information. Make a copy of the incident report for the parent and ask for a signature acknowledging receipt.
In programs that serve young children, healthy environments—and accident prevention—reflect four basic principles: planning ahead, establishing and maintaining clear, consistent policies, supervising diligently, and teaching safety. It’s not possible to prevent all accidents—a slip on a wet sidewalk, a hollow block dropped on a finger, or a tumble over a floor toy—but adherence to these principles will minimize your liability risk and reassure parents that you are equipped to protect the safety of their children.

Resources
Chang, Albert. Caring for Your Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs, 2nd Edition. Washington, D.C.: American Public Health Association, 2002.
Marotz, L.R., M. Cross, and J.M. Rush. Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child, 3rd Edition. Albany: Delmar, 1993.