Working with children can be quite a blessing. There is something about watching them grow that can make you feel accomplished when you know you’re the one that helped them learn new skills. When working at a daycare, this is particularly true, as children are coming into their own at this stage of life. However, this is also the stage where they constantly get into things, chew things, and generally have you running in circles.
That is why, aside from your daycare center being a source of fun, it needs to be secure, as well. Even if the kids do not notice it, their parents will be more relaxed when dropping them off for the day. In turn, your daycare facility and you as a person will be more trustworthy, and you may see an increase in clientele. To get you started, consider some of the following options when you go to update your safety codes.
Sanitation
When it comes to kids, most of them have no regard for health and keeping their hands clean. They are still learning to brush their teeth or wash their hands, so you can expect them not to care when toys and crayons were last cleaned, nor do they question if their friends have a cold or flu.
If children touch toys that are not clean or stick their hands in their mouths afterward, they can become sick. This will continue to spread across other children in the facility, and you will have a mini epidemic, along with a much lower attendance rate. The sickness could even spread to you or members of your staff.
While disinfectant sprays can take care of surfaces like tables, it can be tedious to clean off every single toy in your center. To make things more proficient and to avoid the noxious scent that aerosols emit, you can instead invest in a sanitizing cabinet from ZONO Technologies. Using a natural oxidizing gas like ozone to clean anything put inside of it, their cabinets kill 99.9% of bacteria in less than 40 minutes.
Child-Proofing
Kids are naturally curious little creatures, especially when they are under the age of five. This is because they are still figuring out the world around them, meaning any new area is viable to be explored. They don’t think of how dangerous it is to climb or descend things and will just be on the move without warning.
Daycares don’t just mean you have curious kids either- it means you have toddlers who are finally learning to walk. Even if the adage mentions having eyes on the back of your head does not mean you really do, especially if there are a dozen children going off in different directions. Even if you or a staff member has a keen eye, one of the kids could still get into something dangerous or trip.
Even if you cannot avoid every single situation, you can still do your part to lower the risks. Proper child-proofing gear, such as stair gates and locks, will keep the children out of rooms or cabinets that might not be safe for them to explore. A lot of these options run cheap, so you won’t have to overspend on simple safety measures.
Certify Your Employees
Depending on the size of your daycare center, you are going to have a number of individuals on your staff. They will help you keep an eye on each child and help them whenever you are busy. While anyone can easily bandage a scrape or soothe a crying child, not everyone can help out when a more serious emergency takes place.
Since children are known to stick anything into their mouths, they could accidentally swallow something that acts as a choking hazard. If not taken care of instantly, that child’s life is in danger.
This makes it essential for you and your entire team to be certified in CPR and to keep up with your status regularly. You all will be able to take action without panicking whenever the problem occurs, and you will also be better suited for the techniques used on children who are choking versus adults.
This should be a requirement you have set before you hire any future staff member. Along with this, make sure that you are correctly background-checking all candidates so you can be sure they can be trusted around your young charges.
Have Emergency Plans Set
Choking is not the only problem that can happen at your daycare. In fact, there are issues that are more widespread across the building, such as a fire, a storm, or possibly even someone coming in without permission. This is scary for everyone involved, especially the children.
So that no one gets lost and you all are able to communicate effectively, you need to lay out a plan of where everyone needs to be during a dangerous situation. You can have staff assigned to specific children so that everyone can be accounted for. It will also keep the little ones from getting lost. Furthermore, it is important that you practice drills every so often so that the kids can keep practicing.
Update Your Guidelines
Even if you take on these measures and your staff is fully aware of them, the parents need to be, as well. They should be fully aware of what is happening with their children, especially when they are under someone else’s supervision. Being communicative with them will make them appreciate you even more.
Other items that should be listed on your website or in a guidebook include attendance, emergency contact listings, and what type of equipment you use at your daycare. For instance, let them know that you are using disinfectants like ZONO Technologies at the facility with more of an explanation on how it keeps your area clean.
ZONO Technologies and their cabinets not only make cleaning faster but do it more cost-effectively. Each cycle only uses three cents of power and less than an ounce of water. This is why they have been trusted in many other education facilities, ranging from nurseries to high schools.
Their methodology is so trusted that it is employed by NASA to keep the suits at Johnson SpaceCenter clean. ZONO Technologies also partners with leading sustainability groups like Green Business Bureau and Caronfund.org. Their research continues to update almost 15 years after starting so that they can stay a leader in safety. You can learn more about how ozone helps keep facilities clean by visiting the ZONO Technologies website.
Daycares are places where people take their children to ensure that they are secure while away at work or running errands. By employing the right regulations and safety standards, you can keep them from being distracted by thoughts of concern, along with making playtime for your charges a better and healthier experience.
