Safety Assessments In The Classroom Setting

In this essay, the safety assessments observed will be discussed and evaluated. The California Childcare Health Program (CCHP) Health and Safety Checklist was used to assess the safety of the classroom setting.

Emergency Prevention and Poisons

The first safety assessment was emergency prevention and poisons. One evaluation made was the emergency procedures posted for fires and tornadoes were not age friendly and posted too high for most of the children to read. Natural disasters can happen anywhere and can intimidate children, but helping children prepare for these situations can help them teach others and feel prepared when a natural disaster may occur. Cleaning supplies were kept in the classroom and placed in a cupboard above the sink where the children wash their hands. Risk for accidental poisoning was observed here because of potential spills, leaks, and ability of children to climb onto the counters or chairs and reach this cupboard. According to Hockenberry and Wilson (2015), “toddlers are at the highest risk for accidental poisoning due to their curiosity”. Typically children after the age of one explore objects by tasting them; this was prevalent during the observation with many children putting toys in their mouth, licking the toys, or licking liquids spilled on the table during lunch time. To aid in prevention of accidental poisoning, the Pittsburg Poison Center created the famous “Mr. Yuk” sticker to educate children and adults about poison prevention and promote poison center awareness.

Food Preparation and Eating

Using the CCHP Health and Safety checklist to evaluate food preparation and sanitation, an area of improvement is the length of time the food is sitting out before the children eat it. Before the children ate lunch, the food was covered but sitting in the classroom for thirty minutes prior to eating and sat out for sixty minutes total. The food sitting out included taco meat, milk, string cheese, and carrots. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that perishable foods should not sit out at room temperature, if less than ninety degrees, for more than two hours. The leftover food was taken back to the kitchen to be refrigerated after meal completion. The proper handling of perishable food was a positive safety assessment evaluation.

Indoor Toys and Equipment

The CCHP Health and Safety Checklist discusses proper indoor climbing equipment height and padded mats. In the classroom, there was not designated climbing equipment. Area rugs instead of padded mats were used throughout the classroom. Rugs pose a tripping hazard for children and do not protect children from falls. The children were climbing on shelves, chairs, and television stands that were located in the classroom. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) supplied a toy list for developing large and small muscles of preschoolers that schools and daycares can utilize to expand development throughout the classroom. Some of the toys recommended include: large and small balls for kicking, throwing, catching, and rolling, pop-up tunnels to crawl through, wagons and wheelbarrows, plastic bats and balls, plastic bowling pins, and a work bench with plastic tools. The National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education addresses that providing an indoor place for gross motor activities for children when whether does not permit is important to promote adequate development (2018).