© 2007 by thomson delmar learning chapter 3: indoor safety

© 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

Chapter 3: Indoor Safety


Indoor Safety Policies

• Indoor early childhood education environments

• Indoor equipment safety

• Toy safety

• Interpersonal safety

• Poison control

• Fire and burn prevention


Indoor Safety Guidelines

• Examine for hazards– falls– choking– burns– drowning– poisoning


Reality Check—Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

• Safe practices can prevent more than half of the cases of SIDS– Put babies to sleep on their backs– Do not expose babies to secondhand

smoke– Remove all soft sleeping materials such as

pillows, foam pads, and the like– Do not let baby get overheated


Indoor Safety Guidelines (continued)

• Environmental hazards in child care– ventilation– pets or animals– cleaning supplies

• Safety devices


• Developmental level– infants

• relatively helpless choking– toddlers

• group with most potential for unsafe practices poisons

– preschoolers• greater physical and cognitive abilities falls

– school age• relatively safe indoors, but firearms may be risk




• Space– Recommended indoor space is 35 square

feet per child• does not include kitchen, bathroom, closets,

laundry facilities, or staff space• usually translates to 50 square feet when

furnishings are considered• adequate floor space essential for prevention

of injury



• Shared Space– Multiple-use facilities need thoughtful

anticipation for risk– Screening checklist

• remove• replace


Indoor Safety Equipment

• Equipment should be– sturdy– free of sharp points or corners, splinters,

protruding nails, or bolts – free of loose rusty parts, hazardous small

parts, or paint that contains lead– free of looped cords to prevent

strangulation– durable


Indoor Equipment Safety (continued)

– Easy to clean – Child sized, where appropriate– Equipment should allow flow of movement– Windows low enough for children to reach

should have barriers– Comply with standards

• cribs, high chairs, strollers, safety gates


Indoor Equipment Safety (continued)

• Preventing falls– checklist (Table 3-3)

• Indoor water safety– toilets– standing water– hot water heaters (less than 120°F)


Toy Safety

• Choking and suffocation hazards– toys, food, and small objects

• Examine for age appropriateness– developmental level, safety precautions– appropriate toys (Table 3-6)– separated by age group


Toy Safety (continued)

• Art supplies– Federal Arts Materials Act of 1990

• hazard free art materials label AP or CP

– common household products

• Toy safety checklist (Table 3-7)• Other factors

– cupping—small cuplike toy over mouth and nose can cause suffocation

– polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in toys • chemicals called phthalates that are toxic


Interpersonal Safety

• Injuries from biting, kicking, scratching, and fighting are common

• Exposure to violence– TV, on streets, in neighborhoods, and at home

• war and terrorism on nightly news

– High degree of exposure can cause post-traumatic stress disorder

• can cause a child to relive violence in play

– Teachers need to observe, communicate, and redirect


Interpersonal Safety (continued)

• Strategies to promote positive interaction – Be prepared to intervene– Understand behaviors– Know strategies for eliminating and preventing

violent behavior– Know how to use conflict resolution– Model emotions in acceptable ways– Label expressions of emotion so that children can

identify them


Reality Check—Kids and Guns

• Serious safety issue – 1.2 million children older than six have

access to guns in their homes• 60% of guns do not have trigger locks

– 1 in 5 high school students carry guns or other weapons to school

– Children exposed to violence may carry guns to feel safe


Reality Check—Kids and Guns (continued)

• Children’s curiosity– Encouraged by exposure via television/

movies– Toys are available to play with– Even if they have been cautioned not to

touch them, most children will anyway



• How does teacher help protect children from guns?– Family child caregivers ensure that any

firearm present is kept out of sight, locked away, and kept separate from ammunition

– They can provide alternate forms of handling conflict in prosocial ways by conflict resolution

– Not allow guns in child care environment• including substitute gun play with other items



– Educate parents about dangers of guns– Monitor programming of television, if used

in early education environments

• Strategies to promote positive interaction– Table 3-10


Poison Control

• Most common emergency involving children– Children under four are most likely to ingest

poison

• Examining the environment– First order of prevention is caregiver

vigilance in monitoring– Room-by-room inspection


Poison Control (continued)

• Understanding risk– ingestion swallowing– contact absorbed through skin– inhalation breathing fumes– animal, insect, or reptile bites– injection puncture wound


Poison Control (continued)

• Strategies for promoting poison control– Table 3-12

• Kidney beans, apple seeds, morning glory, and four-o’clock flower seeds are toxic

• Plants that pose risk– common indoor plant risk (Table 3-13)


Fire and Burn Prevention

• Injuries from fires and burns are the second leading cause of death in children in the United States– 35% of all burn injuries happen to children– Scalding is chief cause of burns to

preschool children– Playing with matches and lighters is #1

cause of fire deaths in young children


Fire and Burn Prevention (continued)

• Environmental hazards– scalding– electrical– contact– chemical



• Strategies for fire and burn prevention– Teach child fire and burn prevention

• Avoid matches and lighters• Regular fire drills• Stop, drop, and roll



– Safety devices should be present• fire extinguishers• smoke alarms

– Model safe behavior


Implications for Teachers

• Observation– accessories, behaviors, conditions– knowledge of hazards

• equipment, toys, art supplies, poisons• awareness of unsafe interpersonal behaviors


Implications for Teachers (continued)

• Supervision– Constant monitoring environment

• Safe practices, methods of prevention, promotion

• Check for compliance with licensing, fire safety guidelines

• Communication to all caregivers to ensure safe practices


Implications for Teachers (continued)

• Education– teachers and children

• For families

© 2007 by thomson delmar learning chapter 3: indoor safety

Documents

gunsserious safety iss

child careventilationpets

clean child

square feet

soft sleeping materials

hazardous small parts

free of loose rusty

small objectsexamine