Safe Environment Expectations of Preschool

I think you need to keep your child home. You dont seem ready to let him out in the world. it's not your job to manage how they operate. Kids get hurt at preschool! Dispite the best teachers and safest conditions.

This document has regulations for Florida. http://ccrain.fl-dcf.org/documents/2/470.pdf

I looked through it to look for answers to your questions.

Safety checks of outdoor toys? - P14 Full inspections monthly, with documentation.

Shady play during hot sunny days? - P9 & P44 Shade in outdoor play areas is required.

cooking niches safe from children? - there is no rule about cooking areas being off limits to children.

No long scissors lying around? - this is common sense

qualified substitutes? - the definition of 'qualified' will depend on the educational standards and the status of the preschool program.

No hot drinks around playing kids? - goes in the same category as scissors. No law against it, use sense.

I read some of your posts, and I'm a little confused about "drop-off." My son's preschool started at 9:00 am. That meant at 9:00 the door to the school opened, and the teacher's let the kids into the classroom. Prior to 9:00 am, the kids were the parents' responsibility. I'm guessing the situation at your school is different, because you seem to indicate that the teachers are, in fact, responsible for the kids during drop-off.

Also, it seemed like you were only ever talking about aggressive behavior during drop-off. I didn't read anything about the list from this post, so my question is, what safety concerns have you actually witnessed? It seems like you are just trying to make a list of things that any school should be thinking about, rather than addressing actual concerns about your child's school.

Kids are going to play, kids are going to argue, kids are going to get hurt. I wanted my so to go to preschool so that he could learn how to navigate this world - how to listen to an adult that wasn't Mommy or Daddy or Grandma or Grandpa, how to share toys, how to play with other kids, how to negotiate who goes first, etc. He already knew his colors and shapes and how to count to 10 (not the ABC's, we were still working on that). I wanted him to grow socially, and the only way to do that is to be around other kids more and to loosen the apron strings.

I may be way off base, but it really does sound like you might need to rethink your expectations.

Read your State's licensing standards, and it should be clearly outlined there. Texas' are on-line and very clear, including things like teachers not doing paperwork furing caregiving time, temps at which kids do not play outside, etc. That said, you seem very unhappy with your child's school, and should go ahead and move him. There is NOT going to be a major change at the school and probably not enough to please you.

In my opinion, some of your expectations of a preschool are realistic and others are unrealisitc. Since the beginning of time kids have squabbled, pushed and hit each other. While it needs to be watched and corrected, some things also have to be worked out between the kids too. Ever see a Christmas Story when he finally has enough and pummels the bully? He felt bad about it and scared of his impending punishment, BUT it also was effective. That's the extreme, but sometimes kids need to work things out among themselves too. If the teacher always hovers and intervenes (which is totally impossible with a group), the kids do not learn any conflict resolution skills. Yes, a child was pushed off a toy on the playground, and confidentiality rules will keep you from ever knowing what was said or done with the child and its parents. You likely do not have the entire story. Even if you did, a 4yr old cannot predict the danger of pushing the kid off the car toy...the action of pushing was intentional, but the consequencial injury was unintentional as impossible for the child to know. Maybe the school is really awful, in which case you shouldn't send your child another day. Maybe your expectations are too high in which case you should find another provider to meet the expectations or readjust your expectations.

The only way for any of to have an environment and caregivers that totally meet our desires for caregivers (other than staying home with our kids) is to hire a nanny and to homeschool.

If there is no shade outside, then the kids need a water station (manned of course, though I wonder if they will actually do that, the poor way they supervise) or a tent of some kind. The kids certainly need to have sunscreen put on them during the summer. The tent would need to be paid for though - they are expensive. Perhaps some moms could get together for a fundraiser. However, that mom shouldn't be YOU because you need to get your kid out of there.

They need a professional to come in and childproof the center, one who knows the laws and rules. If they don't have cooking niches safe from children, if they leave scissors laying out and drink coffee around the kids, then they are absolutely numbskulls and have no business running a daycare.

Sorry - this place sounds like a nightmare. You are nice to try to help them, but you just need to abandon this ship!

Dawn

whew weee - all this instead of asking "will you put a teacher outside during pickup/dropoff?"

Sounds complicated.

outlets covered

Bathrooms accessible to the children and safe , maybe even located where an adult can see the closed bathroom door, so they know when kids go in.

lots of access to drinking fountains or cups of water

shelves are anchored to the wall

Cords for blinds are away from children

Teachers have CPR and first aid training provided to them at no cost so they can stay current on these skills, ideally refreshing every year.

One staff should have accesss to all the children's emergency contact information.

They should practice firedrills with the children and have a written posted escape plan, ideally tornado drills or hurricane whatever disaster drills too.

Jilly, have you check to see if your state has any regulations for daycare owners??? There should be an agency that is coming in to do a yearly safetly check, ideally unannounced. Our Department of Publice Welfare and our Department of education are required to visit every facility and give them a "grade" and a list of what to work on to stay liscenced. Since there are so many safety concerns at this place, I think you need to call and ask for a spot inspection due to your concerns. I would think the number would be on the liscense that ought to be displayed somewhere on the premises, maybe in the directors office.or at the very least get out your phone book an start calling until you find the agency that allows this school to operate.

If they are a pre-school that is part of the school system they have standards they must meet. If they are not meeting those then the teachers need to be reported.

If this is child care that has a "pre-school" then they are regulated by the child care licensing agency of your state. If they are not following the state guidelines then they need to be reported so that their licensing agency can make some pop in visits for inspections and try to catch them.

If this is a church pre-school or a private one even they have some sort of board that oversees the academic qualifications and curriculum of the classes they offer under their umbrella.

So there is someone official over this pre-school in some sort of way somewhere. They need to be made aware of the infractions you have observed.

Even in public school a mom can be a substitute. All they have to do is go to an orientation through the public school. They offer them about twice a year. Then that person may be called any day to come substitute. They make the same money as a certified teacher too.

They do not have to have a degree in education or even a degree at all. They can substitute only so many days of the year though. If they had a degree in education they could substitute every day in one class or another in any one of the schools in that district.

Note:After reading your So What Happened: I think you should have put this information in your original post. A lot of what will need to happen is to find a person within the childcare/preschool who *wants* to spearhead these changes to keep the program improving. I was under the impression that you were at a preschool stateside.

HI Jilly,

I think you've received a lot of good advice here, and I'm just going to add my two cents:

If the culture of the preschool is one of carelessness and a lack of common sense awareness, a letter is not going to change anything. It may help you feel better, but those changes have to be implemented from the top down.

Many of the things you listed above (besides the subs) require a commitment to daily practice. When I worked at daycare, and when I had my own preschool, systems were created to ensure the safety of the children. (Designated places for adult hot drinks out of reach; automatic practice of putting scissors up unless they were being used at that time, etc.) We had to be thoughtful and flexible about things like hot weather play (ie-- have the children spend the mornings outside and the afternoons indoors where it was cooler). Lists were created to ensure safety checks/cleaning routines happened when they should. (Bleach water made daily; in toddler rooms, toys that had been licked/mouthed/etc. were set aside and then washed daily. Common area's cleansed with disinfectant between activities.)Toys were cleaned routinely and broken toys were mended or immediately discarded. Toxic plants were removed from both inside/outside environments. Teachers needed to position themselves around the playground so as to ensure sightlines (kids need to be within sight and sound of the teachers)-- this may often mean that the teachers can't chat with each other.

Sometimes, small and very occasional exceptions are appropriate, but these should be perceived as exceptions, not the norm. Teachers who fly solo in a classroom understand this...

What I discovered in my years of doing childcare work is simply that until the director/administration has a Wake Up and Smell the Coffee moment, any criticisms or corrections offered were usually ignored and the 'usual' way of things was tacitly approved. UNTIL there is an exodus of parents/families--or a real accident in which the director is called on the carpet in some way-- some directors are going to just keep doing what they do and allowing their staff to go forward, even in their bad habits. I've experienced this and it's horrible (which was why the teachers with any conscience left, by the way).

So do write the letter, and know that it may just be for your peace of mind, but unless there is a serious amount of reflection, it's much easier for a director/admin to dismiss it as "one upset parent" than to change a culture of carelessness/thoughtlessness which they have either fostered or allowed.