1. Safety is the number one priority of early childhood education classrooms. As an age group, toddlers are particularly challenging in this respect. They have the physical and cognitive resources to explore and test the environment, but if the environment is not free of hazards and if constant monitoring is not in place, the potential for dangerous situations is great. In this video, one early childhood center ensures a safe environment for its toddlers through a variety of safety policies and procedures. What are some ways that the childhood center keeps the children in their care safe? How will you use this information in planning your own early childhood environment?
2. In the video, the caregiver discusses how the environment is adapted to accommodate students with disabilities. Environmental adaptations are changes that make the environment fit the child better and will vary according to the children in the classroom. What are some specific considerations that this program has made to better accommodate all children?
the video
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>> [inaudible]
>> There are many issues we have to be aware of in the classroom to ensure that children are safe.
>> The child ratio in the classroom is ten to one. For some safety measure we have, first we have the environment of the classroom, the size also, [inaudible] 25 square feet per child.
>> Classrooms are set up in such a way that children are able to move from one area to another without bumping into furniture and getting into accidents. But it’s also necessary to have them like that so the teachers can keep an eye on the children without having to be close to them all the time. All the furniture on the floor is at a certain level so that the teacher can see children in whatever area they may be. We do ensure that all the furniture have round edges to avoid, you know, accidents. The facility manager would see that any heavy furniture is attached to the floor so that they cannot topple over. Furnitures have to be at a certain height so that children are comfortable when they sit at the table. So the chairs have to be of their size, and also the tables have to be the heights. There are additional practices in place for children who may have special needs. In the classroom if a child needed to use a wheelchair or crutches, the furniture is set in such a way that the child would be able to move around comfortably. When we buy furniture, we do keep in mind that some children may need the furniture to be adjusted, and therefore, you know, most of the tables that we use, the legs are adjustable, so in case of a child with a special need, that would be available for the child. Another important thing to watch for is that carpet’s properly laid down so that children do not trip over them. And so we will have the facility manager, you know, cover the edges with tape, you know, to make sure that they’re securely fastened to the floor. Windows are a potential hazard in children’s safety, and we do have windows, but they’re not at children’s level. We have chosen not to use the shades, simply because we are fearful of children getting caught, you know, in the strings or, and getting hurt again, or getting, having choking hazards or whatever it may be. For cabinets that are in the children’s reach, we have safety locks for them. So the teacher keeps a safety lock that’s child-proof so the child can’t open it, and the adults can. There is a personal locker for every teacher, so they can store their personal belongings. And that stays locked, so no adult possession is found knocking around where children can have access to them. Teachers also have to ensure that materials in the environment are safe, that if the children were to put something in their mouth, they’re not likely to swallow it, or they were not able to swallow it, that there are no edges on the toys that could scratch them. Broken toys have to be discarded; dirty toys have to be washed and sanitized.
>> We use bleach. We make the bleach every day. We use hot water and put the bleach on it, and we put it in at high-cabinet level in a lock. We use it before the children come to the classroom, we clean the table. You know, so before they eat, we clean it. When we’re done, we put it back in the locker, in the cabinet, and lock it. And when they’re finished to eat, we do the same thing. And before we leave the classroom, when all the children left, we clean the area again, the surface, and then we put the item in the locker again. We have a children, she has asthma, and use inhaler. I put the inhaler in locked cabinet so it can be safe and out of reach of the children.
>> Well, we have to ensure that children cannot get out of the building when they come in, and we try to keep our front doors locked. And in most cases, the exit doors cannot open from outside, only from inside, so only an adult can do it, and it’s not at the child’s level.
>> Sometime we have some children, when they come the first week, they try to leave the classroom, so we have the buzzer. So if the child try to leave, and then the buzzer, the alarm set off.
>> In the classrooms we also have gates, so that the child cannot get out of the classroom without the teacher knowing. Of course we observe state policies with exit doors’ staying clear at all times and having no hazardous materials around, making sure we have smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. We do have fire extinguishers in every classroom. We do fire drills every month. It’s supposed to be every other month, but we do every month. Here at the program we have various systems that we apply to help the child stay safe — in the classrooms, in the bathrooms, in the activity area where the children can gather to play, wherever they are, safety is the first priority.
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