Mantener los entornos seguros y protegidos

(En inglés)

Action 3. Keep Environments Safe and Secure

Narrator: Children learn by exploring and experimenting with everything around them. Children depend on adults to set up safe and secure environments, so they can play, and learn, and grow without risk of injuries. 

What does a safe and secure environment look like? It is free from hazards, and includes toys, equipment, and furniture that matches the ages and developmental levels of the children and allows them to explore safely.

Hazards may involve equipment and furniture that could tip over or lead to falls or cuts; tools, appliances, and toys with small parts that could cause injuries or choking; cleaning supplies, art materials, and medications that could lead to poisoning; heat and cold that could lead to burns or frostbite; or animals and insects that could bite or sting. In a culture of safety, you identify hazards and remove them before injuries occur. 

You can prevent many injuries by taking precautions related to three factors: the child, the environment, and the adult. When you understand common injuries and young children's behavior, you can set up an environment that allows for a developmentally appropriate play and exploration, with appropriate adult supervision, so you can keep children safe.

For example, infants learn through exploring their environment and often put things in their mouths, so you can adjust the environment to make sure there are no toys with small parts or other choking hazards within reach. The adults continually scan the environment for hazards and stay close to young children.

Their proximity and supervision ensure that they can respond quickly if needed. So, how do you make sure your environment is safe and secure? Observe the environment from a child's perspective and look for things that could be a safety hazard. Think about children's abilities, how they interact with their environment, and how this may change as children acquire new skills.

For example, place toys on low shelves so young children do not have to climb furniture to reach them. Add safety latches to low cabinets to ensure children cannot access what's inside. Install covers on electrical outlets so children cannot put anything into them. Conduct frequent checks using safety checklists for indoor and outdoor environments.

Be sure the checklists are matched to the ages and developmental abilities of your children. Once a hazard has been identified, eliminate it immediately or report the problem so it can be fixed as soon as possible. If a hazard cannot be fixed or removed right away, do not allow children to access any unsafe areas until you have been informed the repairs are completed.

After you set up a safe environment and use a checklist to check for hazards, watch children interact with the environment to make sure it remains safe for exploration and learning. In a culture of safety, programs value conversations to discuss injuries, safety concerns, and near misses. These learning opportunities can help you figure out why a problem occurred in the first place and make a plan to prevent it from happening again.

We are all responsible for a culture of safety.