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10 Ways To Have a Fun and Safe Summer

05 18 14
 
 


I had a great time with my staff at our Annual Summer Safety training/meeting.  I believe that quality care is safe care and 10 years years ago I  made it a tradition to kick off my Summer Camp off with a Summer Safety Training.

At my annual Summer safety meeting, we discuss: summer uniform requirements, summer safety stories,  summer curriculum theme, van safety, fieldtrip safety and outdoor safety in the sun.

After the training, I feel that my team is empowered to have a fun and safe Summer.

 I share many of my Summer Camp secrets in my Summer Camp Planning guide, however, today  I want to share 10 ways to have a fun and Safe Summer with you!

1. Be sure to plan lots of fun and exciting activities and field trips
2. Create a first aid kit for field trips and for the van
3. Invite parents to send sunscreen, sunglasses or sun hats for outdoor time
4. Take the water play outdoors this summer!
5. Be sure that you have at least 2 people on site, who are trained in first-aid & CPR.
6. Do not take children outdoors if the weather is above 90 degrees.
7. Refrain from using wading pools and if you have a filtered pool, be sure that there is a trained life guard on site.
8. Be sure that the ratio on field trips is at least 1-to-5 for preschoolers and 1-to-8 for school age children. (Exceed state ratios on field trips to assure a safe and fun time)
9. Create a van check list for field trips that instructs staff on head count procedures, etc. Always double-check vans, even after you have counted all the children.
10. Take the water pitcher and disposable cups on the playground so that children will have access to drinking water at all times.
 
Have a Safe & Fun Summer!
Shiketa
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Category:

Guest Blog Post, Summer Program

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Enforcing The Cut-Off Time For Arrivals

05 12 14

Do you frequently have children that arrive later than the other children? Are late arrivals interrupting your routine? Does your staff complain about children arriving in the middle of nap time circle time or lunch?

I have always opted to have a cut-off time in my program. In fact, I believe that children need a schedule and if you do not have a cut-off time on arrivals; it could be difficult to schedule staff or to keep the children on a regular routine.

Also if you have a daily circle time, this is a great time to get all the children to together to discuss daily activities, go over class rules and review vital educational skills.

Furthermore, if all of your children are not in attendance by your Circle time, they will be missing out on a vital part of their day.

Are you afraid to enforce rules? If so, you can simply tell the parents that your class time begins at 9:00am  and you don’t want their children to miss out on morning class time.

Parents want their children to be in an educational program and if you place an emphasis on the fact that the cut-off time benefits their children, you will have a higher level of compliance.

Three ways to encourage parents to bring their children by your cut-off time:

  1. Reward the children with stickers for coming to school on time
  2. Tell the parents, thank you for making sure that (say the child’s name) made it on time for class or circle time.
  3. Post a notice that indicates  your arrival cut-off time, where parents can see it.

Should there be an exception?

Yes! Require that parents report late arrivals before the cut-off time and consider only allowing late arrivals in the event of an emergency, part-time enrollment,  the parent called to report the late arrival or in the event of a Doctor appointments.

My cut-off time has always been 9:00am and 98% of the children arrive on time daily. We tend to have at least 1 or 2 parents that arrive shortly after 9:00am. I don’t make a big deal if they are late, I just remind the parents of the cut-off time.

Cut-off times bring a sense of order in your program and it helps the children to have consistency in their day. How do you feel about a cut-off time? Do you have a cut-off time in your program?

For more information on policies or program management, be sure to grab a copy of my Parent Handbook template.

Shiketa

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Category:

parent communication, Policies, Program Planning

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