The children and teenagers that attend your after school care facility must be kept safe at all times. Accidents are not always avoidable but most safety issues can be determined ahead of time and corrective and preventive action taken to ensure nobody gets hurt or becomes ill at your aftercare facility.
Prevention begins with you. You set the policy for all safety and health-related matters, including those required by your state licensing agency. However, running an after school care program that exceeds those requirements can make an awesome business differentiator.
Here are several tips for protecting the children in your after school center.
The one sure way to protect children is to provide supervision commensurate with their age. For smaller children and babies that translates into caregiver-to-child ratios of one to three. Older children who are more self-sufficient and trustworthy don't need supervision at that level, so the ratio of caregiver-to-children is reduced.
For example, older toddlers should have a ratio of one to six and preschool-aged children can be adequately supervised with a ratio of one to nine.
Smaller children should remain in sight at all times, particularly during transition times. With more movement, there is a greater chance a small child could slip away or get lost.
Health and safety training are imperative for a safe environment. Your staff may need to be certified in certain activities depending on the requirements for licensing in your state. A background check may also be mandatory.
Besides health and safety training, you may wish to include adults with specialized education in early childhood development as well as assistants to help the children through their day.
It seems rare to have an entire after school care group with no health issues. Colds and flu are common throughout the school year. Before school begins, implement a health and safety program that outlines when children should stay out of school and under which situations they may be sent home.
Also, you may have students with chronic conditions who require medications.
If you or your staff are required to administer medication, request a written parental authorization along with the medication and make sure the dose the parent suggests matches that on the container.
Train your staff in medication storage, handling, and administration and review the training periodically. All immunizations should be kept on file, which can be done easily with a childcare management software.
You should take further steps to protect the children’s health as well as that of your staff. Promote and enforce stringent handwashing, particularly after using the restroom and before and after handling food. Children should wash their hands often, including after blowing their noses or if their hands appear dirty.
While sunscreen is not medication, you may wish to ask parents to furnish their children with a preferred brand or type. Also, ask if the child is allergic to any sunscreen ingredients before use.
Children are most likely to get hurt on the playground, but you must also monitor toy and equipment recalls. Manufacturers are not required to test their products so a recall may not be issued until a problem occurs.
All toys and surfaces should be cleaned and disinfected daily to reduce the transmission of germs.
Every state in the country can have extreme weather; several states also have active seismic regions. As always, there is the threat of fire. Your aftercare facility should have an emergency preparedness plan that includes how parents will be notified and what the staff and children should do for each type of emergency.
Keep a log of all practices and drills. Require identification from anyone who wishes to enter the building.
Accidental poisoning is a leading cause of injury and death among small children. All toxic substances from bleach to medications should be kept locked away and out of reach of the children.
Avoid using laundry or dish soap packets that look like candy. Keep all detergents locked in a childproof cabinet but take the extra step of using a detergent that looks less inviting to eat.
After school care facilities enroll children as young as three or four, an age where close supervision is still required. As children get older, less supervision is needed as they are less likely to get into trouble.
In any case, your facility should have a written health and safety policy as well as an emergency preparedness plan. Keep the environment clean and free of clutter, and eliminate broken or recalled toys and equipment.
Safety in any industry is job number one. In childcare, it is imperative.