Childcare center security helps you protect the little ones that parents have entrusted to you and helps you showcase why prospective parents should choose you. Here’s how to provide greater security at your childcare center to ensure the best security possible.
1. Access control
Parents need to be able to come and go for pick up and drop off, and yet you can’t just leave the door to your childcare center unlocked and accessible. You need to control the access to your center for staff and parents.
The best way to do this is to have the primary door into your center have a keypad on it where parents enter a custom code to access the center. The keypad should only be active during your operating hours. When you choose this option, you should use it in conjunction with the additional security measures listed below to enhance the protection it provides.
For prospects coming in for a tour of your facility, have a call button near the keypad. Before unlocking the door, be sure there is a representative waiting for the person in the lobby. Require that all tours be scheduled ahead of time so that you know to expect someone.
2. Surveillance
Place cameras on all sides of the building outside and in the entryway inside. This gives you a birds eye view into what’s happening. Place a command central inside your main office so that you can see these cameras at all times and monitor activity.
To add another layer of safety place security cameras inside all classrooms. Should there ever be a dispute with parents about the care that your team is providing or charges brought against you, you’ll be able to prove what’s actually happening in the classroom. If there are any violations of care from your teachers, you can also catch them before they become an issue.
3. Door alarms/chimes
Even with a keypad on the door, you should have a chime sound in the childcare center office whenever someone opens the door. That’s because doors go both ways, which means children could get out of your center without you knowing it if you don’t have an alert when the door opens.
Always have someone monitoring the door so that children can’t leave unexpectedly.
4. Front desk coverage
Your front desk should have a good view to the main entrance so that the receptionist or administrator can always see who is coming and going. The easier this is to monitor, the safer your center will be so position your desk or office strategically.
Have the person at the front desk sit there regularly. They should be able to recognize the faces of everyone coming and going and recognize anyone who stands out. If someone visits your center that they’ve never seen, have them present a photo ID before ever getting near the classrooms. This will ensure adults can’t pick up children when they don’t have the rights to do so.
5. Closing procedure
You might have different administrators or teachers handle closing the center at the end of the day. If so, be sure that there is a standard procedure that they follow. All the best daily monitoring can go to waste if the center is not secured overnight.
Lock all doors, arm all security systems and check video cameras to be sure nothing is obstructing them. You might even have motion sensors that you arm overnight to ensure no one tries to break in.
Once your physical building is secure, take a look at how you handle the security of your student records. iCare Software’s childcare management software is a secure place to house and keep all student records so you can trust that nothing will go wrong with them.