As a parent, it is only natural to worry. You will worry about every possible thing that might happen as well as things that will probably never happen. As much as you would like to be there one hundred percent of the time with your child it may not be possible. There are some steps that you can take to help your child remain a bit safer in a day care setting.
Picking Your Day Care
When you first decide that you are going to need a care than you should start looking ahead of time. Planning ahead will take some of the pressure off when it comes to finding a day care setting for your child and will give you more time to thoroughly investigate your options. There are certain safety issues you should take into consideration when choosing a day care. The same safety issues you consider at home for your child are not that different from what you should expect from a day care.
Fencing and Other Barriers
The ratio of adult to child may be low, but children are quick and a good day care center realizes this largely through experience. No matter how much you pay attention little ones tend to wander. Although a day care center that has a high adult to child ratio is probably a much safer place for your child.
A fenced in area where children can play outdoors will reduce the risk of your child wandering off. Not only is a fence important by the type of fence is also important a fence that little bodies cannot potentially squeeze through and get stuck in is a huge safety measure.
Many day care centers are divided up into age appropriate rooms; the barriers in and out of these rooms are an important safety measure. Many facilities use half doors, and baby gates to keep the children in one location where it is easier to account for them but where the rest of the center can easily see what is happening in the room.
Sanitary Measures
Where ever children congregate there is bound to be germs festering. As a parent there are some things you can do to lower the incidence of illness. Teach your child from an early age about good hygiene practices; bathe them as soon as they come home from day care. Teach them not to drink after other people and to cover up when they cough.
Take a good look around your care center and see if there is hand sanitizer in and around baby changing stations, and near where food is eaten.
Child Pick Up Policy
Just to be safe make sure that your day care center only allows your child to leave with the folks that you have listed, keep the list short to avoid any confusion. Ask that the care provider ID's everyone that comes to pick your child up, even if they have been there before.
It may sound a little drastic, but many day care centers have many people coming and going all day long, and it is easy to remember someone's face and associate it with the wrong situation. It is best to be extra careful than risking something will happen to your child.
Day care is often a necessary part of life for parents, taking a few extra precautions never hurt anyone. Better to be safe than sorry.
