Action 2. Actively Supervise
Narrator: A child should never be left alone or unsupervised in an early childhood program. When staff actively supervise, children are less likely to be injured. In fact, active supervision is the most effective way to prevent injuries in young children.
Active supervision transforms supervision from just seeing children to intentionally watching and interacting with them in a safe environment to prevent injuries and support growth, development, and learning. The good news is, you can learn the strategies for active supervision to keep children safe. Active supervision includes six strategies.
Set up the environment. Set up the environment so you can supervise children and are always able to see, hear, and reach them if necessary.
Position staff. Plan where you and other staff position yourselves to see and hear all children to ensure you can react quickly when necessary and be close to children who may need additional support.
Scan and count. Scan the entire environment and count children frequently, especially during transitions when moving from one location to another.
Listen. Listen closely to children to identify signs of potential danger. Specific sounds, or the absence of them, may be reason for concern.
Anticipate children's behavior. Use what you know about each child's temperament, developmental abilities, interests, and skills to predict what the child may do next.
Engage and redirect. Offer support by using what you know about each child's individual needs and development. Offer different levels of assistance or redirection depending on each child's needs.
In a culture of safety, all adults understand that children must always be supervised. Every person in the program can learn these six strategies and put them into action.
Active supervision requires cooperation and communication. Staff share information about where they're positioning themselves and which group of children they're supervising. For example, if you can't supervise all the children in your area because you are applying first aid to an injured child, ask another staff member to reposition themselves to supervise your group; or, if you have children who struggle with transitions, make a plan with other staff members to help those children during the transition.
It's important to remember that your own wellness can affect your ability to actively supervise. If you are unwell, distracted by an event outside of work, or feeling stress, you may need to take steps to manage your attention so you can focus on supervision.
You can do a mindfulness breathing activity, take a short break while other staff supervise, or ask for help. In a culture of safety, staff should feel comfortable speaking up when they need help with active supervision. We can all use active supervision to prevent injuries and promote a culture of safety.
A child should never be left alone or unsupervised in an early childhood program. Active supervision transforms supervision from just seeing children to intentionally watching and interacting with them in a safe environment to prevent injuries and support growth, development, and learning. This video presents the six strategies for active supervision to keep children safe.
