Safety is one of the top concerns parents have when evaluating childcare centers. You can stand out from your competitors by ensuring your childcare center is safe and secure.
But how can you tell if you’re just in line with your competitors as far as safety is concerned or actually leading the way? We’ll outline the ways to spot a safe childcare center so you can check for gaps and improvements.
- All licensing requirements are followed closely. Childcare center oversight is in place to guarantee the safety of children while in attendance of a childcare center. These regulations are created based off of studies of early childhood development as well as to prevent previous accidents from happening again.
- The childcare center consults a health care professional. For a childcare center to operate confidently and in line with regulations, it may need outside counsel from a childcare health consultant. This allows for open communication about any developmental concerns and ongoing care.
- The childcare center has thoroughly evaluated its childproofing. Children learn best through exploration, which means that the classrooms where they play must be completely childproofed. This means outlet covers, gates for stairs, hygienic toy cleaning practices, straps on places children sit and lay, the absence of choking hazards, and more.
- Regular CPR training and recertification. Everyone who works at the childcare center, even administrators and receptionists, should have CPR training regularly. Have a teacher in-service days with CPR refresher courses and ensure anyone you hire is certified.
- Observe safe child-to-teacher ratios. Most states have guidelines for how many children a teacher can oversee based on the children’s age range. The guidelines are designed to ensure the proper level of care necessary to protect these young people.
- Written policies are reviewed and signed by administrators, teachers and parents. You need to ensure that all parties know your rules. Putting them in writing and making them available in your office, online and when parents join your center is important. You should also have everyone involved sign off on having read them to ensure they know and understand the rules.
- Appropriate disciplinary actions are taken. Disciplining children can be a sticky subject with parents. You want to ensure that the actions you take related to discipline are appropriate and encourage positive behavior. Different age groups should have different discipline to be developmentally appropriate. Never use physical harm to discipline a child or abusive or violent language.
- A reporting opportunity for parents who feel their child has been mistreated. You should offer an open-door policy so that parents know they can discuss any concerns with an administrator at any time. This will allow you to catch violations of any of your policies early and take the appropriate action. Additionally, an open-door policy will give confidence to parents that you are serious about maintaining safety at your center.
To take safety and security to the next level, implement childcare management software. With childcare software from iCare Software, you can manage health records securely and in HIPAA compliance, track development and stay in close contact with parents.