1. Early childhood programs keep children safe when their facilities, materials, and equipment are hazard-free and all staff use safety practices, such as active supervision. Prevention is often the best form of safety, and so taking the time to plan a hazard-free classroom environment can go a long way toward minimizing the chance of injuries. It is important to understand the impact of safety on healthy development. Describe the areas in an early childhood setting that must be safe for the well- being of children. (Page 395)

Foundations of a child’s well-being What proactive actions and responsive teaching strategies can be used to meet a child’s needs in each of the areas?
Physical safety- freedom from threat of harm
Emotional safety- freedom from fear and violence
Freedom to learn and thrive
• Basic Needs
The classroom as a refuge for children (Page 397)

2. Most child injuries are preventable. Unfortunately, injuries are the leading cause of death in children in Canada. The leading causes of unintentional injury vary by age and include drowning, poisoning, suffocation, fires, burns, falls, and motor vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian-related crashes. Most injuries are preventable by modifying the child’s environment (e.g., use of stair gates) and having parents engage in safety practices (e.g., keeping matches or lighters out of reach of children).

Effective injury prevention methods include the use of childproof caps on medications and household poisons, age-appropriate restraints in motor vehicles (i.e., car seats, booster seats, seat belts), bicycle helmets, and a four-sided fence with a locked gate around residential swimming pool.

a. What are unintentional injuries? (Page 398)
b. View Figure 13-1, what are the 10 leading causes of non-fatal injuries?
c. What is a risk factor? Describe a variety of risk factors.
Risk factor Description
Child age and developmental maturity
Child’s sex
Child’s individual behavior style
Location of child’s residence

3. Unintentional injuries are the single leading cause of death for British Columbia children and youth aged 1-24. On average, a British Columbia child or youth is hospitalized every 40 minutes due to an unintentional injury. Each year more than 260 children are killed and over 12,000 children are hospitalized as a result of unintentional injuries. Educators and staff are all responsible for the safety of children in a childcare setting. When educators are aware, involved, and proactive, they are instrumental in safeguarding a child’s well-being. (Page 404)
   Safe practices Describe how this practice impacts a child’s safety. Why is this practice important?
   Providing a safe facility- careful planning for children’s play spaces and child proofing can minimize the risk of injury.
   Developing safety policies and procedures- demonstrate an understanding of the role of the team in developing and promoting changes in service philosophy, policies, and procedures to improve the quality of service
   Hiring Safe Personnel-Work within the expectations and guidelines established in job descriptions, policies, procedures, and codes of conduct (Page 410)
   Providing Orientation- provide appropriate orientation, support, guidance, supervision, and interpretation of practice to students, volunteers, and new staff
   Monitoring for compliance with safety rules
   Building collaborations with others
   Obtaining Insurance and Legal Counsel
   Making a professional commitment to safety
   Implementing program safety practices
   Modeling safe behaviors- model good practice with colleagues, students, and volunteers
   Teaching safety skills
   Supervising children and taking action when needed
   Sharing safety messages with families
4. There are many factors involved in designing appropriate environments for children. The environment should:

• support the physical safety and emotional security of the child
• convey a sense of welcome and familiarity for the child and family
• provide space for children to ease gradually into the classroom
• address children’s age, developmental, and educational needs
• be culturally appropriate and developmentally accessible
• inspire exploration and discovery
• support teaching and learning

Rank the factors from most important to least important. Explain your thinking.

5. Analyze Figure 13-5 (Page 420) Classroom Space Use Plan, Figure 13-7 Safety Checklist for Children’s Environments (Page 425), Figure 13-8 Attributes of Safe Indoor Play Areas (page 426), Figure 13-9 Sample Schedule for Cleaning and Sanitizing Toys (Page 428), Figure 13-10 Toy Characteristics Checklist (Page 431), and Figure 13-5 (Page 439) Playground Maintenance Checklist.

a. When you begin working in a childcare setting, would you encourage your employer to use these checklists? Why? Or why not?

6. Effective childcare management strategies create an orderly learning environment and promote cognitive, social, and emotional and physical growth and development. Describe safe classroom routines below. (Page 444)