How Can We Keep Children Safe?

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We watched in horror as a child was pulled around like a ragdoll by a gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo. The world was shocked. Some were shocked because the child was in the gorilla exhibit, some were shocked because they felt that the child was not being supervised by their parents, some were shocked because the zoo killed the gorilla, some were even shocked because the child did not sustain any life threatening injuries.

After the shock comes the blame. I will let others place blame. This is not to say that I don’t have an opinion. I would just rather examine ways to prevent this and other situations from occurring where children can be injured.

There was a situation last week were a school age child was left at the zoo by his school. These situations have occurred far too often and as a result, we need to better educate parents and teachers to protect the children that are in their care. How can and should we do things better to keep our children safe? If you can ask anyone, they would say that they want to keep children safe but what will they do to keep them safe? The saying is true that “it takes a whole village to raise a child.” We as a society have strayed away from the idea of watching out for our children.

Communication

Positive communication is needed rather than acts of judgement to keep our children safe. When you see a child in a potentially dangerous situation, say something.  We all have a responsibility to help in situations when needed.

Unattended Children

Children should not be left alone in a car or public area for any reason because it leaves them in a vulnerable state. If you see a child wandering unattended, contact the police and stay with the child in one area until the police arrive. You want to stay in the same area to make it easier for the child to be located. Remember that it is harder to find a moving object. Stay in a safe place unless the police have you change locations. If the parents or caregiver show up to retrieve the child, release them and inform the police. The reason that you want to follow-up with the police is because this could be an isolated incident or it could be a pattern and the child could be in danger due to lack of supervision. Let to authorities make the final decision.

Watch Children

Parents and caregivers have to keep their eyes out for children at all times. If you have a child that you are responsible for, make sure that you watch them and communicate with them at all times. This sounds simple but it really does work. Younger children should be placed in strollers or wagons to contain them.  Older children should never be in charge of younger children in crowded areas. An older child watching a younger child is not a good idea especially if the younger child has not developed their listening skills. Recognizing your child’s perpensity for certain behavior will be the best way to keep them safe.

Listening Skills

If you have a child that does not listen, do not take them to areas where there are large crowds, as they increase the probability that they could get lost. Children that have not developed proper listening skills should be taken to places with small crowds. This will reduce the chances of them becoming overstimulated and potentially wandering off.  You will know that the child has developed their listening skills when you can ask them to follow directions without repeating yourself multiple times. There are certain situations where you will have to ask children more than once, like to pick up their toys or to stop running inside. There are other things that you should be able to say once and the child will listen. These things are: do not touch that, stay with me, and hold my hand. These and others are instructions that can be told to a child with developed listening skills once.  Let’s all do our part to keep the jewels of the earth safe and happy.

Teamwork

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What are the components of a team? A functioning team is a group of individuals that work together towards a common goal with collective objectives. However, a group of individuals working together does not always equate to a team. A group using a constructive process will be more efficient and productive as a team. When team members actively contribute to the overall group process they are able to provide support, encouragement, and feedback on the effectiveness of the individual and group efforts.

Teams are the essential part of accomplishing goals and objectives that require specific tasks to be completed. Team members have to work together to meet both their individual and team needs. Working together, team members are able to brainstorm and generate creative solutions to complete the objectives. The level to which individuals are willing to communicate and cooperate together will determine the overall success of the team. As a team, individuals have to understand that planning, decisions and actions are better performed   together.

Teams over the years have become more vital within organizations because team members working together have the ability to generate greater productivity. It is important for organizations to foster an atmosphere where team members strive to improve the quality within the organization. This process will also need to incorporate the various skill levels of the team members and apply their strengths to specific tasks. This process has to be established within the group.  

Organizations have to recognize that teams outperform individuals, because today’s tasks require a variety of skill sets and levels of experience to be completed. Ultimately, ideas can be generated through various eyes and mindsets to formulate the best practices for the team to implement. When teams experience communication difficulties, the productivity of the team declines. This obstacle should be resolved quickly for the team to be successful. A productive team will incorporate conflict resolution through their group dynamics and methodologies.

Below is additional ways to motivate your staff and build a better team.

Motivating Your Employees

People Skills

The Signs of Child Abuse and Neglect

All forms of abuse and neglect are wrong. I have described a few signs of child abuse and neglect to look for when working with children.

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Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is a non-accidental injury to a child that may include, but is not limited to, burning, beating, kicking and punching.

  • There may be physical evidence of bruises or broken bones
  • Internal injuries that may not be apparent.
  • Bruises more numerous than expected from explanation of incident, bruising behind the ears, crescent-shaped bruising caused by pinching, or bruises that resemble distinctive objects. (e.g. belt buckle).
  • Welts or loop marks in various stages of healing.
  • Bald spots or missing clumps of hair.
  • Unexplained fractures, skin lacerations, bite marks, puncture wounds, or abrasions.
  • Swollen lips or chipped teeth.
  • Linear/parallel marks on cheeks and/or temple.
  • Other unexplained injuries

Sexual Abuse

Any intentional touching/contact that can be reasonably construed as being for the purpose of sexual arousal, gratification, or any other improper purpose.

Neglect

Physical Neglect – Negligent treatment, including but not limited to failure to provide or attempt to provide the child with food, clothing, or shelter necessary to sustain the life or health of the child, excluding those situations solely attributable to poverty.

Failure to Protect – Knowingly allowing another person to abuse and/or neglect the child without taking appropriate measures to stop the abuse and/or neglect. They do nothing to prevent it from recurring when the person has knowledge or should have had knowledge of the abuse and/or neglect.

Improper Supervision – Placing the child in, or failing to remove the child from, a situation that a reasonable person would realize requires judgment or actions beyond the child’s level of maturity, physical condition, or mental abilities and results in harm or threatened harm to the child.

Abandonment – The person responsible for the child’s health and welfare leaves a child with an agency, person, or other entity such as a hospital or mental health facility and they do not return.

Medical Neglect – Failure to seek, obtain, or follow through with medical care for the child, with the failure resulting in or presenting risk of death, disfigurement or bodily harm or with the failure resulting in an observable and material impairment to the growth, development, or functioning of the child.

Behavior Indicators

  • Withdrawn and/or aggressive-behavior extremes
  • Uncomfortable/skittish with physical contact
  • Expresses fear to go home
  • Lacks impulse control such as inappropriate outburst

Recognize that there could be numerous reasons for a child’s behavior but if you are concerned make the call!!

Child Abuse and Neglect

Child Abuse and Neglect

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Mandated Reporters

A mandated reporter is anyone that works with children in any capacity. Mandated reporters are required to report all forms of suspected child abuse and neglect. They are required to make an immediate verbal report (within 24 hours) when suspecting child abuse and neglect and a subsequent written report. The report has to be made to the local state department that investigates child abuse and neglect.

There are civil and criminal penalties if a mandated reporter does not make a report. Likewise, there is immunity from civil and criminal penalties for anyone making a report in good faith. Good faith means that you are making the report because you believe a child is actually being abused or neglected and not because of any other reasons. As a mandated reporter, you are not expected to investigate the situation.

Reporting Obligations

Mandated reporters should notify the head of their organization when making a report. If that is part of their reporting policies. However, reporting the suspected allegations of child abuse or neglect to the head of the organization does not fulfill the reporting requirement. Mandated reporters cannot be dismissed or otherwise penalized for making a report required by the Child Protection Law or for cooperating during the investigation.

What am I reporting?

Suspicions (You don’t have to have all the evidence ahead of time.)

Your observations

Comments made by the parents or children

When and if a child discloses information related to child abuse or neglect try to avoid showing any signs of shock or disapproval. If there is a need to ask a question for clarity make sure that it is an “open-ended” question, such as “How did you get that bruise?”, instead of “Who did that to you?” You do not want to ask leading questions.

Determining when to report situations of suspected child abuse or neglect can be difficult.

  • “I don’t really have all the facts.”
  • “These are really nice people. They would never do anything to hurt their child.”
  • “They’ll know it was ME that reported them!”
  • “I’m going to get fired for this.”

 

Mandated Reporter should not:

Contact the parents for any reason

Interview the children

Withhold information during an investigation

Discuss the situation with co-workers or individuals

Confidentiality

Strict state and federal confidentiality laws govern social services investigations.  By law the identity of a reporting person is confidential. The alleged perpetrator may infer from the information in the report and make the assumption as to who made the complaint and confront them. This being said recognize that social services will not disclose the identity of a reporting person. However, the identity of the reporting person is subject to disclosure under the following conditions:  consent from the reporting person or through the judicial process (a court order).

We must make every effort to keep children safe.

Licensing Inspection Summary Sheet

Are you feeling anxious about your licensing inspection? I have outlined a few ways to organize the required policies, procedures, and postings, as well as, your children and staff files. Having your files organized will assist you in being prepared for your next inspection. This will help to reduce any form of anxiety that you might have. You can utilize a three-ring binder to store and organize all of the required polices and procedures outlined. I have also provided a link to my previous blog post were you can find additional licensing information. As I always say no one goes into Early Childhood Education because they like to complete paperwork. They enter the field because they have a love for children!! My goal is to help you to simplify the paperwork so that you can concentrate on your true passion and not have to worry so much about where your paper work is located. With the binder you will have everything you need for licensing in one place.   

The Required Posting

  • Current license and extension letter if expired R.8110(3)(a)
  • Rulebook and copy of variances if granted R.8110(3)(b)
  • Notice stating that the center requires a criminal history check (ICHAT) on the employees and whether the center requires a criminal history (ICHAT) on the volunteers R.8110(3)(c)
  • Emergency telephone numbers R.8164(3).
  • Current recall list R.8173 (2)
  • Typical daily schedule R. 8179(6)
  • Snack menu R.8330 (10)
  • Hand washing guidelines R.8134 (4)
  • 3 ring folderEmergency procedures R. 8161(1)(a-d)

Written Policies and Procedures

  • Staff screening policy R.8125 (3)(a)
  • Volunteer screening policy R.8125(3)(b)
  • On-going professional development R.8131(5)
  • Discipline policy R. 8140(4) (a-c)
  • Exclusion Policy R.8155(1)(5)
  • Pest management policy is required if applied R. 8380 (9)(a-d).

The Required Inspections

  • Environmental Health R. 8305(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)
  • Fire Inspections R.8510(4)
  • Furnace R.8510(6)
  • Hot Water Tank R. 8510(7)

One Time Inspections

  • Playground inspection R.8170(11)
  • Lead inspection R.8380(8)

 Staff Files

  • ICHAT R.8125(4)
  • DHHS R.8125 (7)
  • Abuse and neglect statement R.8125 (12)
  • Blood-borne pathogen R.8131(3)
  • Negative TB R.8128
  • New employee orientation R.8131(1)
  • The required 16 clock hours for two years R.8131(4) 

Children’s Files

  • Child information cards R.8143(1)
  • Good health statement for school age children R.8143(8)
  • Physical R.8143 (6)(a)(b)(c)
  • Immunization R. 8143 (3)(a) &(4)
  • Written food statement for children that bring their own food to the center R.8330(2).

Information Provided to the Parents

  • Parent handbook R.8146(1) (a-j)
  • Infant and toddler R. 8146(3)
  • Outdoor play area for school age children R.8170(19)
Information to Review
    • Daily attendance R.8143(10)
    • Fire and tornado drills R.8161(5) & (6)
    • Licensing notebook R. 8110(4)

Inform the Department

  • Within 5 days of the program director leaving R.8110(8)
  • Verbally inform the department within 24 hours R.8158(1)
  • Written notice within 72 hours of the verbal notice when R.8158(3)
If you utilize the suggestions that I have provided feel free to send me an email and let me know your thoughts.
  
Below is the link for additional licensing information.

Are You Ready for Your Licensing Inspection?