How to ensure your preschool classroom is safe
A critical responsibility of early childhood teachers is ensuring a safe environment for the children in their care. It is important that you're able to identify risk areas and take measures to avoid injuries in child care settings. Having classroom rules in place and adhering to them, organizing your classroom effectively and supervising children closely will reduce the risk of injuries.
Classroom rules help guide children in understanding and practicing appropriate classroom behavior with their peers and teachers. As we've mentioned in the past, children begin to develop their sense of right and wrong in preschool, making it the ideal time to establish classroom rules. Certain behaviors that should never be tolerated include biting, hitting, running inside, and any dangerous behaviors that may hurt themselves or another child. Focus on teaching children to express their emotions using words, rather than resorting to these problematic behaviors.
Creating your classroom with safety as a top priority can also reduce the risk of injuries. Make sure there is no furniture blocking the flow of traffic. It is also advisable to have furniture that is soft and has rounded or padded corners. In addition, make sure that all classroom toys are safe.
Finally, it is crucial that child care providers supervise children at all times. Take attendance every morning and a head count every hour. In addition, make sure that all of your teachers are CPR certified and that there is a first aid kit in every classroom.
ProSolutions Training offers online child care courses, including "Essentials of Indoor Safety." In that course, you'll learn how to access important regulations and codes affecting safety in your center. You will also learn how to educate parents about indoor safety.
