Inspirational and Empowering Child Care Business Owners To Build Successful Child Care Businesses

Posts tagged ‘Child Supervision’

10 Steps To a Healthier & Safer Child Care Business

As I write this blog post, I reflect on my seven years of experience as a Medical assistant. As a Registered Medical Assistant I learned so much about the causes germs, the effects of sickness and disease.

Most importantly I learned how to stay healthy. I carried that experience into my Child Care Business and I believe mixing the two together has gave me the momentum to build a Quality, Healthy and Safe Child Care Business.

Along with my experience from the medical field, going through the Accreditation process 3-4 times, has inspired me to create a healthy & safe environment for young children.

Now, I am going to share with you (from my experience) 10 steps that you can take to provide a healthier and safe childcare business:

  1. Require that children wash their hands upon arrival
  2. Train your staff to be aware of the health & safety needs of young children in their care. This can be done in weekly memos, mentoring and/or with monthly health & safety meetings.
  3. Create an Illness policy that assures that sick children are not excepted into care and have a plan in place to isolate sick children when they become ill while in your care.
  4. Offer health & safety resources for parents on a regular basis. You are the expert and parents look to you for resources.
  5. Plan health & safety activities in your classroom(s) on a weekly basis. This could include: fire safety, hygiene practices, stranger danger, healthy eating practices, kitchen safety,etc.  Idea: Sing Health & Safety songs,read stories, play healthy games, hang health related posters on the walls.
  6. Conduct a daily or monthly health & safety checklist. Here is a sample Monthly Indoor Checklist
  7. Be sure to train your staff on how to effectively supervise young children. “ Safe Care is Quality care.” Join the How to Effectively Supervise Young Children email list, for more information on child supervision.
  8. Have a procedure in place that assures that your entire program is sanitized at least once a week. This will help to minimize the spread of Germs. Including, sanitizing all toys. * Sanitize mouthed toys daily.
  9. Require that at least 2 staff members (in the home or building) has CPR certification and First aid Training.
  10. If you do not have a first aid kit, create one today. To create your own  first aid kit, you will need: gloves, gauze, band-aids, first aid cream, medical tape, thermometer, splinter remover, ice pack and first aid procedures to refer to. (I may have forgotten some items, but this is a basic first aid kit) Be sure to create a kit for field trips, for your van and to take on the playground. Check out this article on First aid kits. Click here

For more childcare business tips, follow my podcast, facebook page,  twitter and subscribe to my weekly childcare business e-tips. When you subscribe to my weekly e-tips, you will receive the e-Course: “7 steps to Quality care.”

Thanks for all that you do for young children and their families,

Shiketa Morgan

Category:

Child Care Center, Family Child Care, Health/Safety, Quality Care

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How to Effectively Supervise Young Children In Your Child Care Program


” I strongly believe that, Quality Care is Safe Care”

After nine years of being a Child Care Center Director/Owner, I have come to the conclusion that Quality care begins with good supervision. Let me tell you how I came to this conclusion.

Two years ago I hired a teacher who was trained at the same college that I attended, we both had the same instructors and she had the knowledge to teach young children. However, there was one skill that she lacked, ” How to effectively supervise young children.”

It was obvious that she was unable to keep the children in her class safe, because every time that I stopped by the classroom, it was chaotic and she recorded at least three incident reports a day.

This is when I decided to offer her some assistance and she still was not able to effectively supervise the young children in her care. Within days, the decision was made to inform her that having her work in my center was not working out.

She was not the only teacher that I observed to have very poor classroom supervision skills. In fact, over the years, I have observed many early childhood teachers, that lacked child supervision skills.

When a staff member or caregiver is unable to effectively supervise children in their care, the following will take place:

  • Frequent accidents/incidents
  • Children left unattended
  • Parents complaining about their child’s safety
  • Children left in vans
  • Children being left behind on the playground or on a field trip
  • Chaotic classroom

Have you experienced any of the situations above? If so, you my want to Check out my eCourse: How to Effectively Supervise Young Children.

For immediate strategies on how to supervise young children in your program, check out my article: Effectively Supervising Young Children.

With Child Supervision in mind!

Shiketa

Category:

Child Care Center, daycare, Family Child Care, Health/Safety

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