Child Care providers have the responsibility of keeping children safe while in their care, and there are extra precautions that need to be taken during the summer months. As summer temperatures continue to rise, so do the number of preventable summer tragedies. It’s the conversation no one wants to have, but is so very necessary. Day camps and child care programs tend to frequent pools, off-site field trips and splash days during the summer months.

Water Safety

Outings where a child care takes a group of children to a body of water calls for heightened diligence – including splash days. Even when a pool is staffed by a lifeguard the child care provider must still remain aware. No matter the size of the body of water, there are steps to take to ensure preschool and school-age children are safe around water:

  1. Never leave a child unattended around water. Always have at least one person in the water with children. Don’t forget to station ‘watchers’ outside of the pool as well.
  2. Have a process to check on children every 10-15 minutes. Keep an accurate list of the names of children in the pool and roll call or head count often. Make them get out, and sit on the edge during this process.
  3. Keep ratios low. Ratios are there for a reason. Know the proper limit based on age, and stick to it. 
  4. Empty all containers and pools immediately after use. Water buckets and tubs are popular, as are wading pools for splash days. Children can drown in even one inch of water.
  5. Be mindful of feet when using hoses and sprinklers to prevent slipping injuries.
  6. Review expectations with children and staff before you get to the splash day activity. Free the space of distractions. Cell phones, lesson planning discussion or even conversations with a fellow staff can pull your attention away from children during splash day. Stay focused on the children while they are engaged in water play and/or swimming.

Vehicle Safety

With summer, special trips and outings are something staff and children look forward to, but with hot summer temperatures, extra care is needed.

  1. Have a protocol for loading and unloading. Roll-call before leading children on to and away from the vehicle and head count each child.
  2. Check and recheck every seat on the vehicle when exiting. This includes checking under the seats for children that might be hiding or sleeping. Calling out loud to check is not enough – be sure you physically see every empty seat.
  3. Invest in a device to help remind you to check the entire vehicle. If your bus has a safety buzzer mechanism, complete regular checks to ensure it is operating properly.

These tips will help summer be a safe and fun time for you and the children in your care.

For more tips on summer safety visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Safe Summer website.

Prerna Richards is the Vice President for the council’s Early Childhood Education division at Camp Fire First Texas. Her specialties include child care center development, educational curriculum consulting and professional development management. Prerna holds a Master of Business Administration from Texas Women’s University.