We would all love to spend our time with our kids but unfortunately thats not always feasible for everyone. Childcare is an option for many parents however we can all appreciate the worry of leaving your children with strangers for the first while.
The best way to levitate some of the parents worry is to have strict safety policies that all childcare providers follow and educate parents on these policies Having this in place for day to day activities and routines and also for emergencies will have everyone, both parents and the childcare providers, ready for any event and reduce potential accidents.
According to The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents ROSPA – On average 62 children under the age of five died as a result of an accident and over 76,000 under the age of 14 are admitted for treatment of which over 40% are under 5 years of age.
We have listed some of the top safety concerns and solutions to each;
Parents want to feel like they are leaving their children in a safe environment. An environment that will act fast and effectively if any injuries or emergencies occur. The single beat way to improve the safety procedures in a childcare facility is to put processes in place to prevent injury. Prevention is key to a safe environment.
All staff should undergo Paediatric First Aid training. Legislation requires that all registered childcare providers are trained in First Aid for children and are readily available to the children. Paediatric first aid is also a very informative and useful course to have if you are a parent of young children. All creches should have regular checks and drills to make sure all staff are up the date with training and following procedures. A refresher course in Paediatric First Aid training should be taken at least once a year so staff are confident in emergencies.
Please see our Paediatric First Aid training course here.
Accidental poisoning is the leading cause of illness and death in young children.
Understanding the legislation and importance around food hygiene, how to identify food safety hazards and understand proper waste management and cleaning procedures.
Please see our Food Safety training course here.
Failure to properly prepare for a Fire Emergency. Where do the children go? Who is responsible for leading them out and who is responsible for doing a head count etc..
Every child care facility should have a fire emergency procedure plan. This should cover fires starting from all areas of the facility and to have multiple fire exits routes in place and kept clear. Child care facilities should;
Please see our Fire Safety training course here.
Here at Elearn we have put together a childcare training package for your convenience. Our childcare package offers to those who work in the industry and to those who have young children at home. This package includes an introduction into the four core safety training modules that are required when working with and looking after young children.
This package includes the courses listed above and also Manual Handling for your staff to prevent staff injuries which is a safety concern for your employees and also leads to sick leave. For more information on our childcare package click here.
Decorating a Christmas tree, whether it be real or artificial, with lights is a time that all of us look forward to around Christmas time. But it is important to take steps to ensure your house and your family are safe while. Did you know that cooking was the source of hundreds of house fires in 2017, with most of these occurring during the Christmas period.
Christmas is a time where we all look forward to sitting in front of the fire with candles lit around the room looking very pretty and creating a lovely ambiance. However this time of year can also open our homes up to more fire hazards than usual.
Food is a major part of Christmas, from the morning fry to the Christmas Dinner and the leftover sandwiches, however please take care to cook and store food properly, the last thing you want over the holidays is a stomach bug or worse.
Do you know what to do in the event of an out of control fire? Do you’re kids know? Taking fire safety precautions for yourself and your kids is vital but don’t forget to also education them about the importance of fire safety so they are able to carry out their own fire safety practises. its a vital skill to teach your children.
This Halloween night is the perfect time to talk with your kids, especially if they are attending or involved with organising a bonfire.
Having a plan on place to put out a fire is vital, however also is showing your kids how to use the method you have selected. Most people will opt for a fire extinguisher, here are the simple steps you can go over with them;
Teaching your kids these basic steps may prevent a bad situation and may even save lives. If there is no fire extinguisher to hand, the following is a list of alternatives that are suitable to grab;
Although these are good to know alternatives to extinguish a fire, a conventional fire extinguisher is recommended to use where-ever possible.
Never put yourself in a position where if the fire spreads you have no route away from it. Ideally you should designate two ways away. Escape routes should be kept clear of all obstructions. Generally escape routes should be at least one meter wide which will ideally lead to an outside open space away from the building or the fire location. Security should never take precedence over safety.
When planning a fire, or not. All premises and events should have an escape plan that clearly identifies the action people should take in the event of a fire. This may include duties for an assigned fire officer to check areas are clear, close doors and assist others.
In the event that someone or your kids do catch on fire, its essential to teach them what to do in this event. Make sure they understand the ‘Stop, Drop and Roll’ procedure. Act it out with them and have them practise it a few times with you, the action should be quick and firm. Many fire related injuries could be avoided or greatly minimised if a child knows how to do this instead of the natural instinct of running.
Please keep yourself and your kids safe particularly this Halloween!
In a world where children are “growing up digital,” it’s important to help them learn healthy concepts of digital use and citizenship. Parents play an important role in teaching these skills of childrens safety.
Media should work for you and within your family values and parenting style. When used thoughtfully and appropriately, media can enhance daily life. But when used inappropriately or without thought, media can displace many important activities such as face-to-face interaction, family-time, outdoor-play, exercise, unplugged downtime and sleep.
The same parenting guidelines apply in both real and virtual environments. Set limits; kids need and expect them. Know your children’s friends, both online and off. Know what platforms, software, and apps your children are using, what sites they are visiting on the web, and what they are doing online.
Media use, like all other activities, should have reasonable limits. Unstructured and offline play stimulates creativity. Make unplugged playtime a daily priority, especially for very young children.
Co-view, co-play and co-engage with your children when they are using screens—it encourages social interactions, bonding, and learning. Play a video game with your kids. It’s a good way to demonstrate good sportsmanship and gaming etiquette. Watch a show with them; you will have the opportunity to introduce and share your own life experiences and perspectives—and guidance. Don’t just monitor them online—interact with them, so you can understand what they are doing and be a part of it.
Teach and model kindness and good manners online. Because children are great mimics, limit your own media use. In fact, you’ll be more available for and connected with your children if you’re interacting, hugging and playing with them rather than simply staring at a screen.
Very young children learn best through two-way communication. Engaging in back-and-forth “talk time” is critical for language development. Conversations can be face-to-face or, if necessary, by video chat with a traveling parent or far-away grandparent. Research has shown that it’s that “back-and-forth conversation” that improves language skills—much more so than “passive” listening or one-way interaction with a screen.
Avoid digital media for toddlers younger than 18 to 24 months other than video chatting. For children 18 to 24 months, watch digital media with them because they learn from watching and talking with you. Limit screen use for preschool children, ages 2 to 5, to just 1 hour a day of high-quality programing. Co-viewing is best when possible and for young children. They learn best when they are re-taught in the real world what they just learned through a screen. So, if Ernie just taught the letter D, you can reiterate this later when you are having dinner or spending time with your child.
Keep family mealtimes, other family and social gatherings, and children’s bedrooms screen free. Turn off televisions that you aren’t watching, because background TV can get in the way of face-to-face time with kids. Recharge devices overnight—outside your child’s bedroom to help him or her avoid the temptation to use them when they should be sleeping. These changes encourage more family time, healthier eating habits, and better sleep.
Media can be very effective in keeping kids calm and quiet, but it should not be the only way they learn to calm down. Children need to be taught how to identify and handle strong emotions, come up with activities to manage boredom, or calm down through breathing, talking about ways to solve the problem, and finding other strategies for channelling emotions.
More than 80,000 apps are labelled as educational, but little research has demonstrated their actual quality. Products pitched as “interactive” should require more than “pushing and swiping.” Look to organisations like Common Sense Media for reviews about age-appropriate apps, games and programs to guide you in making the best choices for your children.
Online relationships are part of typical adolescent development. Social media can support teens as they explore and discover more about themselves and their place in the grown-up world. Just be sure your teen is behaving appropriately in both the real and online worlds. Many teens need to be reminded that a platform’s privacy settings do not make things actually “private” and that images, thoughts, and behaviours teens share online will instantly become a part of their digital footprint indefinitely. Keep lines of communication open and let them know you’re there if they have questions or concerns.
Teens need to know that once content is shared with others, they will not be able to delete or remove it completely, and includes texting of inappropriate pictures. They may also not know about or choose not to use privacy settings, and they need to be warned that sex offenders often use social networking, chat rooms, e-mail, and online gaming to contact and exploit children.
Kids will make mistakes using media. Try to handle errors with empathy and turn a mistake into a teachable moment. But some indiscretions, such as sexting, bullying, or posting self-harm images, may be a red flag that hints at trouble ahead. Parents must observe carefully their children’s behaviours and, if needed, enlist supportive professional help, including the family pediatrician.
Media and digital devices are an integral part of our world today. The benefits of these devices, if used moderately and appropriately, can be great. But, research has shown that face-to-face time with family, friends, and teachers plays a pivotal and even more important role in promoting children’s learning and healthy development. Keep the face-to-face up front, and don’t let it get lost behind a stream of media and tech.
