Ga. Daycare Policy

Five potentially hazardous situations/safety threats common to the preschool age group are indoor falls, keeping toys picked up, using durable, balanced furniture that will not tip over easily, avoid highly waxed floors and stairways, and use infant and child equipment that is in good repair and inspected for safety.
Indoor falls may or may not be prevented but because preschoolers are unbalanced with their developments, teachers have to be watchful at all times, to help prevent a preschooler from falling unnecessary. Maybe mats could be used to help break falls. Even at home, parents should make sure they do what they can to help their preschoolers become balance and constantly monitor the babies and know that hazards are possible at anytime. The safety policy that applies to this treatment is supervising and staffing and if staffing and supervision is right then there will be enough teachers to watch the children at all times.
Keeping the toys picked up is another safety hazard situation. If teachers are not careful about cleaning up and observing the surroundings a preschooler may trip and fall and injury themselves. Other measures that teachers can take are to show the children how to pick the toys too by modeling that behavior daily. Families can also practice cleaning up with their children after they get through playing. And then they will do it at school also. Children’s activity is the policy that applies to this situation because children are suppose to play daily, therefore the toys will be out and about anyway.
The use of durable furniture that will not tip over is under the policy for equipment and it should be age appropriate. If the furniture is not durable or safe then it should not be allowed in a classroom for use by the children. A teacher should check and make sure that the furniture is free from hazards or bad situation and show a child the proper way to use the furniture in the beginning. As parents, they should make sure they do the same thing at home with the children. Show children how to properly use equipment so that the same may be done at school.
Avoiding highly waxed floors and stairways are a hazard to not only the children but the staff also. In order to keep from having children slip and fall, avoid slippery areas. Make sure as teachers the classroom floors are not a danger to children when playing or just walking. If it is too slippery for a teacher then it is too slippery for a child. Parents need to make sure they avoid having slippery floors at home which may cause a child to slip and fall and bump their head. To avoid injuries, avoid stairways and slippery floors when possible. If a child has to be carried at a point, because of the floor or stairs, do so. But find out how to avoid that happening again. Health, safety, and discipline would be the policy for this threat because it talks about the different risks and ways to avoid the dangerous situations that are a hazard to children.
Last is the use of infant and children equipment that is in good repair and inspected for safety because children do not know what is good or bad for them to play on, the teacher have to be the eyes in the classroom every day. They should inspect all the equipment before the children begin playing on it and they should monitor the equipment for safety as well while the children are playing. Parents are responsible for checking their children equipment before giving it to them or allowing them to play on it. This will help prevent an injury in the long run if they are proactive. The policy that applies to this situation is equipment because it tells teachers how to care for the equipment properly and how it is monitors it for safety.
These are some of the potential hazardous safety threat common to the preschool age group. As teachers and parents, we have to be responsible for the children safety and be aware of their surroundings at all times to keep them safe.