After reading Ey Wade’s book, The Perfect Solution a book about a childhood abduction that took place at a daycare center after his mom dropped him for for the day. I wanted to share with my readers some safety tips that I felt every parent should consider when choosing a daycare provider for your child. As a parent, you turn your child over to their caregiver each day as you go off to work. Do you feel safe leaving your child with the daycare that you are currently using?
Disclosure: This post is for informational purposes only.
As a mom, I always tried to make sure that my kids were safe and it never occurred to me that kids could be potentially abducted from daycare or at school. In fact, I have noticed that my older children’s school are paying attention and creating a safe environment at school (some schools and daycares are better at this than others). Before you choose a daycare for you child, you should make sure that they have a policy in place to make sure your child is safe. For example, does the daycare or school have the following:
- Locked doors – There should be one or two main entrances to the school or daycare for visitors and guests to enter into. The door can be locked using a code so that parents can get in and out to get their children. The code should be changed on a regular basis to prevent other’s from knowing it.
- Door Bell or Intercom – If the daycare or school keeps their doors locked, the door bell or intercom system will allow a visitor to alert someone in the office that they are there.
- Visitor Sign in Sheet– Log all of the visitors who come in and out of the building, including volunteers.
- Have Name Tags for Teachers – Teachers should wear name tags so that parents can easily recognize that they are on the staff. All staff should have a back ground check on file and should be trained in CPR.
- Sign Out Sheet for Other People Picking Up Your Child – If you know that someone else is going to pick up your child on a given day, you should send a note and call the daycare to alert the office manager. This will allow you to personally give the daycare permission for your child to go home with someone else. It not only protects your child but it also protects the staff and daycare owner.
- Cameras – Check to see if the center has cameras installed. If they do, make sure that someone actively monitors the cameras throughout the day. Be sure to ask if the daycare center has access so that you can log into your child’s classroom randomly to check on your child.
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What do you look for when you are searching for a daycare provider for your family?
Comments
12 responses to “6 Tips to Finding a Secure Daycare for Your Child”
Hi Christy,
Informative post indeed 🙂
I think every parent should ensure that their kids are safe in daycare because such no one’s really responsible for them and would take care as we would, no matter how careful they say they are.
I think the need for cameras, and the sign out sheets are vital, along with all that you mentioned. Yes, if you find these basics missing, either ensure they are added to the daycare or put your child in a one that caters for these. Safety always comes first.
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
I agree with your Harlena, maybe this post will reach daycare owners and they will implement these ideas. Of course, parents can demand it. Camera systems are getting cheaper to install and it is something that would benefit the daycare for years to come.
This is a great post! All parents should be informed and stay informed when it come to daycare and choices. We as parents, need to keep our kids safe.
I agree, thank you for visiting Shakilah.
Good list! I used to have to use day care when my two oldest children were little. I hated leaving them but knowing they were safe made such a big difference in my day. I felt less guilty as well. A lot of places don’t think about these things, but they should be required.
I agree I wish these were all required in every state, I realize that it would be expensive to buy camera equipment up front but it would be useful if there was every an incident, for example, abuse, worker not doing what they said, accident investigations, and the owner can use it to monitor their employees, plus it offers insurance discounts because it can be use to prevent theft too.
We had some nightmare caregivers. For us a daycare center turned out to be the solution. It’s so hard to put your children in someone else’s care.
I have too over the years. I found daycare centers were the best for my family too.
This is such a wonderful post! Thanks for all the tips! Every parent needs to read this post!
Someday when I have kids I hope I am as good of a mother that you seem to be!
Wish I had found this post when it first went up, but what concerns me is what happens if there’s a fire or something else that the daycare has to be evacuated for. What good does all the technology to keep people out do when the kids themselves need to be taken outside? That’s one of the reasons evacuation and fire drills concern me.
I have seen daycare workers who have carried a clip board with them at all times so that way they can easily tell if there is a child missing or not. Not only is it a great way to keep up with a children during a fire drill but it can be used on field trips, recess/outdoor time, and any time they move classrooms.