Safety Practices and Polices

Running Head: Application Week 1                                                                                          1

Week 1 Application

Andrea Tubbs-Lampkin

 December 7, 2014

Walden University EDU 1005

Instructor Roberta Marshall

Week 1 Application                                                                                                                2

Section 1: Safety Practices and Policies

The reason for this blog is to identify five potentially hazardous situations/safety threats common to my age group of children, which are preschool age. My goal is to provide information and resources that will prevent these threats and situations. I plan are to inform parents and make them aware of things that are harmful and dangerous to their children, so they can establish a safe environment for their children at home.  Poison control, toy safety, drowning precautions, fire and burn prevention and firearm safety are threats I have chosen to discus in my blog. The first threat I chose poison control. According to Safety, Nutrition, Health in Early Education there are several ways children can be poisoned, “ingestion, contact, inhalation, bites (animal, insect or reptile), and injection” (Robertson, 2013, p. 120).  Parents and childcare providers should put child safety locks on all cabinets/doors and all cleaning solutions, medication or hazardous items out of reach of children. It is important for parents to know when a child has been poisoned or the symptoms. In every home there should be a first aid kit, contact numbers posted of poison control, emergency services, doctor, allergies and medical history.

Toy safety is the second threat I chose, when purchasing toys for preschoolers they must be age appropriate for them. Once the child has becomes preschool age they should no longer be putting things in their mouth, so the risk of them choking is lessened. Toys that are broken, fall apart, or damaged should not be in care of children they are unsafe. In the past there has been many recalls on toys that parents are not aware of, it is important to check all toys. Sometimes parents may think a toy is harmless but it could be appropriate for an older

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child and unsafe for preschoolers. For example, some toys may have sharp points or toxic paint on them.  

            The third threat I chose is, drowning precautions, which occurs frequently in the home especially when children are left unsupervised. A preschool age child drowning occurs either in a swimming pool or tubs. Parents and caregivers should never leave children unattended around a swimming pool or in the bathtub. I believe it is important for children to learn how to swim early so they are educated and too curious about water; even though they can still drown.  Homes with pools should be secure from preschool age children, all doors leading to outdoor/indoor swimming pools should have a child safety lock or alarms. Children should wear life jackets, and childcare providers and parents should have training in CPR.

            The fourth threat I chose is, fire and burn prevention. No matter how many times we tell our preschoolers not to touch something, their curiosity out weights their fears. We must educate preschoolers on fire and burn safety. Childcare providers and parents should have fire drills regularly, an exit plan, explain to them what happens if they touch something hot or put items in an electrical outlet. Childcare centers and homes should have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. In homes and childcare centers, all electrical outlets should be covered, fireplaces should have a gate around it and children must be supervised at all times.

            The final threat is firearm safety. This particular subject is very important to me because so many children who die from accidentally shooting themselves with a gun. It is so important for parents to teach preschool age children about the risk of guns. Parents should teach children not to explore, touch any firearm and they are not toys. If there is a gun in the home it should be kept in a secure and safe place out of reach of children.

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My goal is to work with families, childcare providers and schools to educate their children on gun safety and the hazards of guns.

References

Roberston,C. (2013). Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education (5^th ed.). Belmont, CA:

Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.