Chapter 2: Creating Safe Environments for Early Childhood Education

1. Chapter 2: Creating Safe Environments for Early Childhood Education © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

2. 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 © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

3. 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? © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

4. Safety Policies (continued) • Three components of a clearly written safety policy: • process/action • includes guidelines • responsible caregiver © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

5. 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 © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

6. 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 © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

7. 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 © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

8. 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) © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

9. 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 © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

10. 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 © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

11. Structuring Safe Environments (continued) • Maslow’s hierarchy of needs • food, shelter, clothing • safety and security • love, friendship • self-esteem • self-actualization © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

12. 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 © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

13. 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 © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

14. 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 © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

15. 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? © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

16. Injury Prevention Management • Injury Triad Accessory How? Child at-risk Behavior Why? Condition Where?/When? © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

17. Accessory • Physical and environmental hazards • Lack of safety devices © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

18. Behavior • By child • developmental level • emotions • stress • imitation © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

19. Behavior • By adult • inattention • lack of knowledge • lack of communication • lack of safety precautions • emotions • stress © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

20. Condition • Where • place • indoors/outdoors • When • time of day • tired, hungry, in a hurry © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

21. 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 © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

22. 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 © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

23. 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 © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

24. 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 © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

25. 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

26. 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 © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

27. 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 © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

28. Implications for Teachers • Role modeling • safe practices • Education • teachers • children • Working with Families • support and provide information © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning

29. Implications for Teachers (continued) • Observation • accessories • behaviors • conditions • Supervision © 2007 by Thomson Delmar Learning