SAFETY

Five Potentially hazardous situations/safety threats common to the preschool age child:
· Sockets
· Cleaning agents/Common Hazardous Substances found in the home
· Stairs
· Traffic
· Proper Hand washing


SOCKETS:Uncovered sockets can and are very dangerous. Whenever, I think about a socket and a child, my mind always goes back to the movie; “The Women of Brewster Place.” There was a scene in that movie where the mother took her eyes off her daughter for just a few moments and that’s when the little girl grabbed the scissors, and the camera focused on the uncovered electrical socket, and you just knew what was going to happen. I was screaming (as if to warn her), then you saw the sparks and heard the sizzle sound and it was all over. You could actually feel the pain of her mother, as she held the limp body of her daughter and cried her eyes out. Although I was young, I remembered thinking; if only she had protectors on the sockets her daughter would be alive

First, all electrical outlets should be properly covered with outlet protectors. Next, an adult should explain or at least attempt to explain the hazardous of playing/touching the electrical outlets with the preschooler.
As most of us are aware in the childcare industry, these are not a suggestion, they are a requirement.

Both your local childcare licensing agency and the local fire department requires that all outlets are properly covered. However, you might be surprised how in more homes than you can image, safety protectors are not being used. Some parents will even go as far as to say; “if I tell him not to touch it, that’s what I mean.” And sure, this was how our parents raised us, but when you know better, you are supposed to do better.
These protective covers are very inexpensive and families of all economic categories can afford to equip their homes with them.

CLEANING AGENTS/COMMON HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES FOUND IN THE HOME:
Again, this is another extremely dangerous and potentially fatal. Children are curious by nature, and we as adults have a charge to keep them safe and free from harm to the best of our abilities. For instance, when we wash dishes, the children see the bubbles and (of course) all children love bubbles. Well, if not put away, or safely locked up, a child can consume these same playful bubbles, but with not so playful results.
It’s not just isolated to chemicals. There are other types of common hazardous substances found in the home. Our book lists some as; prescription and over the counter medications, baking oils and sprays, alcoholic beverages, hair products, etc.

It is a state requirement that in centers and childcare homes, ALL chemicals and toxic agents are to be locked away and put out of children’s reach. If they are in cabinets, the cabinets must have either locks or latches on them. All parents can take these same common sense approaches in the home as well.



STAIRS:
Stairs (for any age) especially children, can be hazardous. Children like to run and play on stairs, and unfortunately, they get this idea from us. How many times have we been in a hurry and ran up the stairs? Or, how often have we come flying down the stairs, bypassing the banister and sometimes even jumping over the bottom stair? “Little eyes are watching!” Sometimes, we set horrible examples for our children, unintentionally.

Although our state does not require a railing, it is “highly” suggested that one be installed. Our local fire Marshall, strongly suggested it so that when the children go up and down, they have something to help them balance with.
Again, common sense approaches. Take the time to properly teach your child how to walk up and down on the stairs.

TRAFFIC:
This is a no brainer. We don’t or shouldn’t need any rules put in place to tell us that children shouldn’t play in traffic. However, being raised in the city, this is something that we learned just as smoothly as speaking. I have noticed since moving to the south, that children here do not know how to cross the street. I have assumed the reason is because most of these children live in rural areas and have no need to know how to cross the street because they are driven wherever they need to go. But it makes sense to teach your child “all” the basic fundamentals even if you don’t foresee them being used very much.



PROPER HAND WASHING:
This has become an enormous problem, not just among the age that I have selected, but people of all ages. There was a recent report that stated people should not consume lemons from restaurants because the lemons contained more bacteria and germs than toilets. That is disgusting.
With the age that I have chosen, we teach our children how to cut the water on, how much soap to dispense, and how long to rub their hands together. There is really no point in cutting the water on, and dispensing the soap, if you are not going to rub long enough to get the soap off. So, for our little ones, it’s helpful if they have something to “do” while washing their hands. Singing a song, or counting is usually helpful, since at this age, children have no sense of time. One minute, two or three minutes means absolutely nothing to them. But if you have them sing a particular song, or count to a certain number, then you will know the job is being done correctly.As for parents, if they work with us, in teaching the children proper hand washing, you would be amazed at how many illnesses we could avoid. And if the parents help, with this lesson, they too will properly wash their hands, and what a wonderful world this would be!