Taking care of the children is the utmost priority of any childcare service provider. If you’ve seen a childcare setting, you know how the staff gives everything your child needs to stay fit, healthy, and safe. These facilities offer a safe environment for kids to grow and build their academic skills. Any healthcare provider—whether they are offering home-based on center-based childcare service—needs to follow the state’s safety protocols for ensuring kids’ protection.

Full guideline on Health and Safety in Child Care

National Center for Biotechnology Information found that children in daycare facilities are more likely to experience gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases than those getting full-time care at home. The worst part is that the infection spreads to the staff at the childcare and parents, which leads to many sick-day leaves and unproductivity.

Parents are super concerned about leaving their children in the daycare facility, especially if it’s a toddler. We understand that it isn’t possible for working parents to juggle household chores and office work. Leaving their children at the neighbor’s or relative’s isn’t a viable option either, as you can’t do that every day. That’s where the childcare facility comes into the picture. But, the question is “what safety measures do the childcare service providers take to ensure 100% safety of your kids”? It isn’t only about baby-proofing the facility to prevent physical injuries. But you need to know what these people feed your children and whether your child is getting healthy meals or not.

State Regulations for Children’s Safety

The health and safety regulations vary by state, but each state serves the same purpose—the protection of your child. A childcare service provider is supposed to stay up-to-date with the latest changes in the childcare policies implemented by the state. They must be aware of the latest research so that they follow the best safety practices.

Some childcare facilities offer a handbook to the parents to inform them about the safety protocols the company follows. It shows the latest rules followed by the childcare staff, the meals served to the children, and other safety measures the service providers will follow to guarantee 100% protection to your kids.

Cleaned and Sanitized Surfaces

Cleanliness is the primary concern of parents who are getting children into a daycare facility. It has become more important since the pandemic. The childcare service providers have also started paying special attention to hygiene since the COVID pandemic. They put in extra effort into cleaning the surfaces so that no germs and contaminants are left behind after the cleaning.

It’s important for parents to visit the childcare center to see how the staff maintains cleanliness, whether the surfaces are sanitized and if the ground and other areas are disinfected regularly. Kids are more likely to catch a viral infection, not only because they have weak immunity, but they touch the contaminated surfaces more frequently than adults. Plus, kids have the habit of picking things from the floor and putting them straight into the mouth. The only way to prevent contagious diseases is by sanitizing the area thoroughly and as often as possible.

Certain surfaces, such as your food tables, chairs, food preparation surfaces, and floors should be cleaned after every use. The corners of the doors and windows must also be cleaned every day.

Childproofing the Indoor Areas

Just like how parents baby proof their homes before the baby is born, the daycare service providers have to childproof their facilities. They need to ensure that harmful chemicals and any substance that poses health risks are away from your child. For example, a sanitizer consists of many harsh chemicals. These must be used carefully so that the kids never reach them. Sanitizers, cleaning detergents, and any item that comprises chemicals must be stored in locked containers after use.

Put them safely in a place that’s inaccessible to your kids. In addition to the harmful chemicals, the childcare service providers must cover the electrical outlets, hide wirings, and take care of other hazardous elements. Most daycare centers have no staircase or anything that the child can climb. Besides that, these professionals take every measure to ensure that the children are protected from chemicals and any substance that might expose them to a safety hazard.

Safe Meal Preparation

A toddler needs a healthy and fresh meal to stay healthy. Since they are served the meals several times a day, it goes without saying that the childcare service provider should know what to serve and when is the best time to feed your children. They must store and serve the food at the right temperature to preserve its freshness.

An important part of meal preparation is to take care of allergies. Since a childcare provider is serving multiple children at the same time, it’s normal for the staff to forget about the individual allergies of each kid.

What if they serve the wrong food to your child? What if they feed them something they are allergic to? The childcare service provider must be trained to serve your kids the right food. They take note of the allergies of each child and prepare the food accordingly. They are also trained to take immediate action if the child experiences a reaction to food.

Keeping the Daycare Center Secure

Parents are allowed to enter the childcare center during operating hours without having to apply for advanced notice. At the same time, unauthorized access is strictly prohibited during operating hours. This is done to ensure children’s protection from intruders.

Most daycare facilities have installed advanced security systems to ensure every person entering the facility is authorized. The staff allows people to enter the daycare after visual identification. Alternatively, you are asked to enter the verification code to enter the main door. Daycare centers have CCTV cameras and other advanced equipment that check who enters the facility. Usually, only parents are given access to the daycare center, and that too, after visual inspection.

For more information about the child’s safety at daycare, visit https://thechampionsacademy.ca/. They are the leading daycare and OSC service provider in Edmonton.