Safety Practices and Polices

          I will be focusing on the safety practices and policies on preschool age children.  As with any age group there are many hazardous situations and safety threats that are common to children and then there are ones that are specific to certain age groups.  Leaving cleaning products and medicine in reach of a child is dangerous; along with certain foods that a child could choke on, wall sockets and outlets, and scattered toys can be dangerous to a child.  If one was to stop and think there are many threats and dangerous situations in a home or facility that houses preschool age children for any length of time.

            The first hazard cleaning products can be very dangerous to children and even adults.  Preschoolers are in the preoperational stage, which means that there are some limitations in their thought process. (Robertson 2010, pg. 55)  In any home, child care center, and school there are many policies and rules about leaving cleaning products out and within reach of a child.  To help prevent cleaning products end up in the hands of a child, one must active role in helping ensure that cleaning products are properly labeled and stored in the proper place.  Medicine is another hazard that like cleaning products must be kept out of reach from children.  Cleaning products and some medicines have Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) that you can get.  Each of these sheets lists the potential hazards that can be had if that item is ingested or inhaled.

            Preschool age children can eat many different foods at this age, but a teacher, or care giver, and even a parent still needs to be careful when introducing a child to new foods.  A child can still choke on food if they do not chew it properly.  When buying and preparing food you must consider the children who will be eating the food, but no matter how careful you are the will is an occasional incident where a child will get choked on a piece of food.  In case of the occasional choking or scares the teacher, care giver, and parent should have CPR and First Aid training to help save a child or even another adult. 

            Wall outlets and sockets can be a very dangerous hazard to young children.  In any place where young children are, wall outlets and sockets should be properly covered and protected from young children sticking their fingers and objects into them.  Just about any store sells plastic safety covers that can help ensure the outlets and sockets are protected.  Toys that are left scattered can be a hazardous situation as well.  If toys are left scattered about a child or an adult can inadvertently trip and fall over them.  In places where children play, especially a child care center, there are rules and policies that should be followed.  Teachers and children can help one another follow the policies and keep everyone safe. 

            Whether you work at a school, child care center, or from home there are many policies that one must use and enforce in their place of business to protect the safety of the children and the employees.  Safety is very important when working with children and even adults; but more so with children because they are still growing and curious about the world and everything in it.  Families should practice the same safety measures as any place of business concerning children.  They can play a big part in teaching their children how to stay away from things that can potentially harm them until they are old enough to understand why. 

References

Robertson, C. (2010). Safety, nutrition and health in early education. Wadsworth Pub Co.