HEALTHY AND SAFETY ASSURED -USE CHECKLISTS
As hard as you try, there may be days when you don’t feel well, are extra tired or just having a bad day. Everyone has bad days. That may also be the day when the children are not feeling well and extra cranky, and of course your licensor comes to visit. However, it’s important to remember that most professionals or parents visiting your home can quickly tell the difference between a ‘bad day’ and a poorly run childcare business.
No matter how you feel, your priority is to the health and safety of the children you care for. You are expected to have a quality age-appropriate curriculum along with changing diapers and caring for children’s physical needs. This is a big responsibility requiring you to ‘wear many hats’ during the day.
How can you feel confident that you will have a safe and healthy environment even on ‘bad days’? A large part of feeling confidant comes from knowing your environment is safe and healthy. There is no question that balancing the needs of your family and your childcare business can be a challenge. The clutter of everyday life is certainly a part of most family childcare settings, however, we all know the difference between normal clutter and unsanitary conditions. Conducting daily routines that ensure the health and safety of the children allow you to feel confident. A daily routine allows you to:
• Ensure your environment is up to regulations
• Be prepared for unannounced visits
• Organize your day
• Be confident that you are keeping children safe
Using a daily, weekly and monthly checklist helps you have confidence that everything is up to regulations. If you are in the habit of everyday routinely doing your checklist, when you are not feeling well, carrying out this familiar daily routine will give you a safe way to make sure that you have not forgotten anything and can get through the day knowing that you have done everything to keep children safe.
A daily checklist conducted in the morning before children arrive could include some of the following:
ü Trash covered
ü All medicines and cleaning supplies put away
ü Entries and exits uncluttered
ü Safety gates in place
ü Clean food preparation area
ü Clean childcare area
ü Diapers and wipes available
ü Napping areas are free of hazards
ü Childcare records available in case of an unannounced visit
Have a regulatory checklist that you do on a regular basis with items like:
ü Evacuation plan posted
ü Records up to date
ü Register covers for all radiators and registers
ü Making sure bookcases and TV are secured to the wall
ü Refrigerator is cold enough
ü Water temperature is appropriate
Depending on your environment there are other maintenance things you may want to add to a daily or weekly checklist.
ü Outside play area is clean and inspected for any hazards
ü Walkways are clear of ice and snow
ü Porch railings are secure
ü No broken steps into you house
There may be many more things you would want to add to your checklist. Using routine checklists will give you the peace of mind that the children are safe in you childcare on good days and bad days.