Choosing a child care facility is one of the most important decisions a working parent will make to help ensure the health, safety, and general well-being of their children while they must be away from them. Thousands of children are treated in emergency rooms for injuries sustained in child care centers or family child care homes each year, in addition to cases of abuse or neglect. Unfortunately, some of those children will lose their lives.
There are precautions that can be taken to help ensure that a child receives proper care while a parent is at work. The first question a parent should ask themselves is whether the child care center or family child care home has an open door policy. If the answer is no, that provider should not be selected. Next, a parent should ask the prospective provider if she has been licensed by the state’s department of child care licensing to operate a child care home or center and if the certification is current.
Verify that staff have received training on bloodborne pathogens. With diseases such as AIDS, hepatitis B, etc., and antibiotic-resistant strains of various infections, ensure that child care staff always wear plastic gloves when changing diapers and administering first aid, and that gloves and diapers disposed of in a separate garbage container. labeled bodily fluids. All trash cans must have plastic bags inside and lockable lids. All garbage must be taken out at the end of each day.
Parents should not be afraid to ask to see the most recent license and inspection date. Find out how many infants, toddlers, and older children they are licensed for and how many children are currently in care. Make sure the local police department and state investigative agency have background checks on the staff. Health and Human Services agencies and local police departments will usually submit a background check request on behalf of the parents for a nominal fee.
Parents should also find out if child care staff have received training on child abuse and neglect and state requirements for reporting suspected child abuse. With an increasing number of incidents of domestic violence and kidnapping by non-custodial parents and other caregivers, parents should find out if the doors are kept locked during the hours the center is open and how the child care provider Make sure only approved people are picking up. pick up a child and do they have a signable form designating who can and cannot pick up a child?
Other training that staff should have had is on positive discipline, nutrition, child development, how to prepare and store food, food allergies and foodborne illnesses and proper food storage and handling, etc. Staff must be recertified annually in the administration of infant CPR, other CPR, choking, and the care of infants, toddlers, and preschool children by the local American Red Cross, hospital, or other person or agency that has staff certified to be trainers. Make sure there are enough staff to care for the number of children in the center or private daycare.
Take a tour of the child care center or family child care home, including the outdoor play areas and the kitchen where food is prepared. Make sure cleaning supplies and other hazardous materials are stored in containers with tight-fitting lids, spray bottles are closed and everything is placed in a locked cabinet out of reach of children, and surfaces are clean . Many daycare accidents occur when children accidentally come into contact with toxic materials because someone forgot to store cleaning supplies properly or didn’t return them to a locked cabinet.
To ensure the safety of their children, parents should ensure that tables are cleaned with warm soapy water after meals and that other cleaning materials that may be more toxic are only used to clean tables, cabinets, and cabinets. restrooms after the child care center or home is closed. closed for the day and followed by secondary cleaning with hot water only. Also look around and make sure electrical outlets have safety covers to prevent children from sticking things into outlets and getting electrocuted.
Outdoor play areas should have equipment that is the right height for younger children to minimize the danger of injury from a fall. Check that there is enough space between pieces of equipment, that the play area is completely enclosed with a locking gate, and that there are no splinters, jagged wires, etc. children could get hurt.
Find out if the staff go out with the children to supervise and supervise their safety and well-being. If possible, outdoor play areas should have a thick covering of wood chips or a soft rubber mat under the equipment to break a fall. (Wood chips or rubber mats are helpful but not necessary, as they can be an expensive purchase, especially for a private child care home.) Large child care centers should keep play equipment and things like tricycles used by older children separate from equipment for children under five.
A fire and evacuation contingency plan, floor plan, and emergency contact numbers should be posted on a wall or bulletin board where they can be easily seen if needed. Depending on what part of the country a parent lives in, providers must have a plan for tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. Ask staff if children are talked to about what to do if there is a fire on the premises and if fire drills are scheduled regularly.
How a child care provider stores medications is also important to the health of all children. Parents should ask the provider how they store medications that need to be kept cold, if there is a first aid kit that includes ipecac, and if medications are kept in a locked cabinet or box out of reach of children. Ask to see the dates on first aid supplies and where medications are stored.
To ensure that there will be no risk from medications prescribed to children, parents should try to schedule the administration of their children’s medications at home. Of course, if a child has a medical condition such as diabetes or asthma, this will not be possible. Make sure the child care provider stores each child’s medication in a separate zip lock bag with the child’s name on the bag as an extra precaution. Parents should also look to see if a provider posts any allergies a child may have to medication, food, etc. where other parents cannot see the children’s names while making sure staff have easy access to the list.
With the rise of unsafe toys and in light of recent recalls of hundreds of foreign-made toys due to lead paint, choking hazards, etc. A parent should ask the child care provider if he or she has a current and up-to-date list of recalled products as a visible reminder not to purchase children’s toys and other potentially dangerous products, including infant formula. If the provider does not have a list, parents can ask them to obtain one, as the list can be downloaded and printed from the Internet.
Safety gates should be securely placed in front of stairwells, kitchen and laundry doors, basements, porches, utility areas, or other open places. Make sure basement doors have safety locks high enough so children can’t reach them and that there are child safety locks on cabinets, refrigerators, oven doors, and microwaves. Check to make sure the cables are not coiled, so there is no chance of them hanging up.
For infants, child care providers must have cribs with a certified safety seal, slats no more than two and three-eighths of an inch apart, and mattresses that fit snugly. Ask providers how babies are placed in a crib to sleep, making sure they are on their backs without pillows or comforters.
Once a child care center or home has been selected and a child attends, parents should be vigilant for any changes in their child’s behavior. If the child is afraid of the provider, a staff member, or going to the child care center, parents should follow up by asking their child questions and scheduling a meeting with the center or home operator to discuss any concerns. If a child continues to show fear, cry, or scream and cling to her parent or another caregiver, the parents might consider finding another home or child care center.
Parents can never do too much to ensure that their child, or the child of a friend or relative, is cared for in a safe and healthy child care environment. These guidelines will help select the best provider and help parents be less stressed at work. A checklist could be made to help survey the child care environment to which a child will be exposed.
As an early childhood education consultant, I have had to inspect a child care center or private child care home on occasion. The guidelines set forth in this article are things that I have looked at and have been trained for. When choosing a child care provider, a parent can never be too careful.
copyright 2009 by Jerrie DeRose