© 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

Chapter 2: Creating Safe Environments for Early

Childhood Education

© 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

Safety Policies

• Teachers are responsible for the safest possible environment

• Designing a safety policy– What needs to be done?

• Understand what safety hazards may be present in any early childhood education environment

• Know hazards addressed by local licensing/fire boards• Be aware of safety hazards in the specific care

environment• Know and address developmental abilities

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Safety Policies (continued)

• What process will be followed?

• Who is responsible for making sure that the process is followed?

• Are there any time parameters or limitations?

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Safety Policies (continued)

• Three components of a clearly written safety policy:– process/action– includes guidelines– responsible caregiver

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Safety Policies Should Cover

• Creating a safe environment

• Injury prevention management = forestalling or anticipating injury risk

• Developing a safety plan

• Methods and practices for teachers

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Structuring Safe Environments

• A teacher should– know applicable safety practices for early

childhood education environments– screen environment for hazards and

remove– use safety devices, where applicable– monitor for environmental hazards

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Structuring Safe Environments (continued)

• A teacher should– know developmental levels of children– promote safety through action, word, and

deed– model safety practices to children and

parents– be aware of conditions that contribute to

injury– closely observe children, especially during

at-risk conditions

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Structuring Safe Environments (continued)

• Type of environment– Early childhood education centers

• most are governed by licensing• some are multiuse facilities• some centers are not subject to rules and

regulations– Family early childhood education

environments—homes– In-home early childhood education

environments (nannies)

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Structuring Safe Environments (continued)

• The age of children in care– infants

• cephalocaudal and proximodistal development• gross and fine motor skills

– toddlers– preschoolers– school age– multiage groups

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Structuring Safe Environments (continued)

• The community surrounding early childhood education environments– liabilities

• safety hazards, conditions, and behaviors

• the child’s family environment– safe – at-risk

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Structuring Safe Environments (continued)

• Maslow’s hierarchy of needs– food, shelter, clothing– safety and security– love, friendship– self-esteem– self-actualization

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Reality Check—Child Custody and the Impact on Early Childhood

Education Environments

• Children may come to care with unresolved custody issues

• Defining type of custody

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Custody

• Custody orders give clear guidelines to caregiver as to who is allowed to pick up child– Authorization by custodial parent for

noncustodial parent to pick up child is possible with a signed document, not a phone call

– No authorization, noncustodial parent is not allowed to pick up child

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Custody (continued)

• Early childhood education environments or teachers should not act as a mediator in cases where custody is not formal

• A legal document should be provided by parent(s)

• Policy for this issue should be developed and followed

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ABCs of Childhood Injury

• What type of injury occurred?

• How did the injury happen?

• Why did the injury occur?

• Where did the injury occur?

• When did the injury happen?

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• Injury Triad

Accessory How?

Child at-risk

Injury Prevention Management

BehaviorWhy?

ConditionWhere?/When?

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Accessory

• Physical and environmental hazards

• Lack of safety devices

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Behavior

• By child– developmental level– emotions– stress– imitation

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Behavior

• By adult– inattention– lack of knowledge– lack of communication– lack of safety precautions– emotions– stress

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Condition

• Where– place– indoors/outdoors

• When– time of day– tired, hungry, in a hurry

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Constructing a Safety Plan for Early Childhood Education Environments

• Anticipation– room-by-room and outdoor inspection for

safety– from developmental level of children in

care– accessories, behaviors, and conditions

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Constructing a Safety Plan for Early Childhood Education Environments

(continued)

• Modification– removal of hazards and use of safety

devices– modify behavior using feedback, positive

reinforcement, diversion, role-playing through practice drills

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Constructing a Safety Plan for Early Childhood Education Environments

(continued)

• Monitoring– ongoing process– formalized

• Use checklists• Study injury reports• Observation is foremost activity in monitoring

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Reality Check—Bullying in the Early Childhood Education

Environment

• Bullying is considered a major public health and safety issue

• Bullying can be defined as ongoing physical or verbal abuse or persecution between two or more people where the power is unequal

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Reality Check—Bullying in the Early Childhood Education Environment

(continued)

• Bullying can begin as early as toddlerhood – Young children may push others, bite, grab toys

away, or make up rules so that they are in charge

• Parental involvement and warmth may not be present – Parents may not set limits or clear expectations for

behavior, and any behavior on the part of the child may appear to be acceptable to the parent

© 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

Reality Check—Bullying in the Early Childhood Education Environment

(continued)

• Children may also be overwhelmed in their lives by a loss or change

• Preschoolers who watch 3½ hours of television a day are 30% more likely to exhibit bullying behaviors than are children who watch no television

• Boys are far more likely to bully, and their victims are more likely to be boys than girls – Boys are likely to use both direct physical and

verbal bullying and an indirect, relational form of bullying

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Reality Check—Bullying in the Early Childhood Education Environment

(continued)

• Girls are less likely to engage in physical bullying and much more likely to engage in relational bullying toward another girl – like gossiping about her, slandering her, or

engaging in actions to exclude her from her social peer group

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Implications for Teachers

• Role modeling– safe practices

• Education– teachers– children

• Working with Families– support and provide information

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Implications for Teachers (continued)

• Observation– accessories– behaviors– conditions

• Supervision