Learning Log 4/27, 4/28

Why do we need safety policies?

We need safety policies to establish rules and inform others such as the staff to
follow. It also establishes dangers, creates safe environment, and prevents accidents.

GOALS:
Safety policies: supervise children, maintain minimum adult-child ratios
Health policies: medical examinations of staff, keep medical info on file, follow
regulations for medications, care for mildly ill children, exclude ill children from contact
with others, sanitary practices, and access provided for parents to child.

Policies to Protect Children

Just as children need warm blankets to protect them from the cold, they also need policies to
guarantee other aspects of their safety and health when they are cared for away from home.
Select one of the safety and health topics to investigate. Read about the topic in your textbooks.
Then write on the blanket a policy for a child care facility to address this topic. Choose from
these topics:
Safety
1. Supervision
2. Adult-child ratios
3. Safe environment
Health
1. Medical examinations for staff
2. Medical care information for children
3. Giving medications
4. Care for mildly ill children
5. Exclusion of ill children
6. Sanitary practices
7. Parent access
 Sunshine Valley Daycare
2849 Sunny Rd.
Wilson, NC
(252)-384-0444
Safe Environment Policy .2287

Purpose Of This Policy: The safe environment policy identifies and addresses any factors that could potentially
make the child care environment unsafe. The staff is informed of these policies and are able to distinguish what an
unsafe environment is comprised of. It is our priority to maintain the environment clean, neat, organized, and most
importantly free from any harmful factors.

A safe environment is comprised of

- Thorough sanitation of surfaces, floor, and equipment.
- Automatically locked doors for the entrance and exit of the daycare facility.
- An established and practiced lockdown, fire, evacuation and severe weather drill.
- An available first-aid kit.
- A fire extinguisher available.
- Reasonably sized toys to avoid choking.
- CPR certified staff.
- Consistent playground checks.
- Restorations completed when needed. (Ex: loose flooring, damaged toys)
An unsafe environment is anything that
- Poses a threat to the children and staff.
- Damaged equipment.
- Unsanitary equipment.

*Sanitation tools and other maintenance tools are locked away, only accessible to the staff through keys.

The save environment policy is one of our greatest priorities to fulfill and the staff are trained to
identify an unsafe environment.
What Does the Handbook Say?
Using the same safety and health topic that you used for Policies to Protect Children, consult the
NC Child Care Handbook to find policies that regulate North Carolina child care centers with regard
to your topic. Keep in mind that policies in this handbook are licensing standards that must be met
in order to operate legally as a child care facility. After checking the Handbook, complete this
form.
Your Health or Safety Topic:

On what pages did you find statutes/requirements that address this topic? 5.7
Copy the requirement below as found in the Handbook.
CHILD CARE RULE .0601 Requirement for Safe Environment A safe indoor environment must
be provided for the children in care. All hazardous items, materials, and equipment must be
used by children only when adult supervision is provided.

In a safe setting, children are able to freely move and explore the area. Complete safety
checks on a regular basis. HH It is helpful to position yourself at the childrens eye level to
see what they see. This may help you identify hazardous items or materials. The United
States Environmental Agency provides information on ways to reduce chances of pesticide
poisoning. Visit http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/playitsafe.htm for information and
fact sheets. A pesticide is any bait, liquid, powder, or spray used to kill a pest (ants, germs,
cockroaches, flies, mice, rats, or termites). Carolinas Poison Center offers emergency
telephone resource for poisoning questions and information. Visit www.ncpoisoncenter.org or
call 1-800-222-1222.
Now, paraphrase the requirement --- i.e., write it in your own words.

A safe environment is necessary for children in the child care facility. All hazardous items
that include materials or equipment,must be used in supervision of an adult. Children should be
able to move freely and safety checks should be issued on a regular basis.

Now, compare the Handbook citation with the policy you wrote in Policies to Protect Children.
How are they similar? How do they differ?
Both are similar because they are considered priorities, children should be able to move
freely, safety checks should be included. The differences however is that the policy I wrote
is more in depth and includes other considerations such as equipment, CPR certified staff, and
practiced evacuations.

Imagine that you are the director of a child care center. What challenges do you think you might
face in meeting these standards?

Challenges that I might meet in meeting these standards is if the staff doesn't comply to the
policies. Another challenge would be if safety checks are not up to date or done regularly by
the staff.