A Childcare Center: How Safe Should It Be?
Many parents, perhaps out of the desire to find a suitable childcare center for their children in the least amount of time, tend to overlook the most important factor in choosing a childcare center: its safety features.
All a parent needs to know is the troubling statistic that many home accidents involving children occur while they are in their grandparents’ homes! This means that when a home is not inherently child-friendly, there is a big possibility that accidents can happen.
The same thing is applicable for childcare centers. Some independent childcare providers look after kids in their own homes, and a significant percentage of these homes are not licensed by the government. Thus, several safety features may be missing from the childcare center.
Licensed or not, it is best to first inspect the place where you will eventually be leaving your child. When looking for an appropriate childcare center, keep in mind these four important safety measures.
Adult supervision
How many adults will be on hand to supervise the children? What is the ratio of adults to children in the childcare center? Ideally, there must be no more than 4 kids to an adult who, needless to say, must be well-trained in child psychology, CPR, and first aid, apart from the required early childhood education courses.
This is not an unrealistic figure at all, if you’ve ever experienced being the mother of quadruplets. Children with ages below 5 can be quite a handful, and there remains the possibility that they could all “act up” at the same time.
Indoor and outdoor gates
When we speak of outdoor gates, we refer to the security of the center’s perimeter itself. Even during outdoor play, the children must not be able to open the main gates by themselves and possibly venture out into the street. Indoor gates refer to the contraptions attached to staircases and other areas of the house or establishment where access to them may pose dangers to the children.
For the child’s safety, all staircases must be blocked by a safety gate which no child should be able to open without assistance from an adult. In the same vein, washrooms and toilets must have all the features necessary for it to be child-friendly – that is, toilet seats must be at levels accessible for kids; there should be no bathtubs which could pose dangers to toddlers; and sinks must be within their reach.
Radiators
There are older homes that are still being heated using exposed radiators. This can become a hazard especially during the cold season. Make sure that the childcare centers have covers for their heating units – even for baseboard heating.
Electrical hazards
Electrical outlets, if at all possible, should be out of reach of the children. If the childcare center is only a house converted into a childcare facility, then all electrical outlets must have protective covers or at least blocked by heavy furniture to keep little kids from inserting objects into them.
