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Action 7: Prepare for Changes that Affect Safety

Children thrive in environments that provide predictable routines. These routines include transitions like changes in caregivers, activities, and locations. Transitions are a time when there is a greater need for child supervision. Consistent communication by all members of a teaching team during transitions and whenever there are changes in children, staff, or the environment is a key injury prevention strategy.

For example, consider common transitions in your everyday daily routine, such as:

  • Arrivals and dismissals
  • Times when children and staff move from one location to another inside the facility, as well as go outside and come back inside
  • Times when children move from one setting to another during early morning or late afternoon hours
  • Staff breaks
  • Field trips

Programs also should prepare unexpected changes and how to manage the increased safety risks. For example:

  • A child may be feeling unwell, or their family structure or living situation may change.
  • A staff member may feel unwell or have concerns about a personal issue.
  • The children need to use a different classroom or bathroom.

Prepare for Changes that Affect Safety

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Action 7. Prepare for Changes that Affect Safety

There are many transitions throughout the day in early childhood programs. Transitions can be challenging for young children and adults. For example, some children may need extra support to stop an activity they are enjoying, and staff may have additional tasks to manage.

Transitions are time when there is an even greater need for child supervision to ensure children's safety and well-being. Practice active supervision as you prepare for a transition while you move from one place to another and when you begin a new activity. This ensures that your approach to supervision is resilient when there is a change to your routine or environment.

Some tips for safe transitions include: make sure that all caregivers, including substitutes and volunteers, know which children may need extra attention. Use multiple strategies, or redundant systems, to account for every child. Have more than one person scan and count the children, and do a sweep of the area before you leave. Scan and count the children while you are on the move and repeat after you get to your destination. 

Schedules and routines create predictability and stability that make it easier for everyone to manage transitions, but sometimes there are unexpected changes to the daily schedules and routines. This may include a different time in the day to use the playground, or it may mean a different caregiver who doesn't know the skills, needs, and temperaments of the children.

Use these tips to help adults prepare for changes: review the daily schedule and limit the number of transitions as much as possible. Share information about which children may need additional support. To ensure you have the right children in your group before and after transitions, match the child to their name, also known as name to face recognition.

Consistent caregivers know their children well. When you know each child's developmental level and behavior, you can anticipate their reactions and help them make safe choices during transitions. If your program is planning to introduce a new caregiver, schedule a visit so they can meet staff and children.

Share information about children's interests and needs. Provide name tags and photos of the children and staff, and plan for extra supervision if possible. If a child is tired, feeling unwell, or going through a change at home, they may need extra support and supervision. A daily health check and frequent communication with families will help you identify changes that may affect a child's health and safety.

Planning for changes also means planning for unexpected events. Emergency drills will help you prepare for these events. Being prepared for an emergency will make it easier for you to stay calm, actively supervise, and prevent injuries. Changes can be challenging for children and adults in early childhood settings.

Using strategies to manage unexpected events and to keep children safe is an important part of a culture of safety.

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Implementation Tips

  • Maintain consistent routines. Young children need predictable routines to feel safe and secure. Schedules and routines create predictability and stability that make it easier for everyone to manage transitions.
  • Create, practice, review, and revise plans for everyday transitions. Programs should create a plan to manage all daily transitions. Make sure staff understand their role in accounting for every child. Adapt plans if needed to ensure they are effective.
  • Implement active supervision as you prepare for a transition, while you move from one place to another, and before you begin a new activity. Always use multiple (i.e., redundant) strategies to account for every child, especially during transitions. For example, have more than one person scan and count the children and do a sweep of the area before you leave. Count the children while you are on the move and repeat after you get to your destination.
  • Check for safety hazards before moving children to a new environment. Do a safety check whenever you move children to a new environment, such as a local playground or field trip location, or during neighborhood walks. A safety checklist is a good way to make sure that the environment is safe, especially when children must move to an unfamiliar place unexpectedly.
  • Anticipate changes that may affect children’s safety. Children often need time and support to get to know new people. Use a staff huddle — a brief, focused meeting — to share information with new staff and plan for the day’s activities. This helps reduce safety risks by making sure that everyone is aware of and can respond to children’s individual needs.
  • Notice changes in children’s behavior. Use a daily health check and feedback from families to recognize when a child may be sleepy, feeling ill, or experiencing a side effect from a new medication. Building responsive relationships and maintaining ongoing communication with families will also help you know when a child is experiencing a change at home, such as a new baby or a move, which may affect their behavior and need for support.
  • Promote staff wellness and open communication. When staff feel well, they are better able to keep children safe. Create a program-wide culture of wellness that encourages communication about wellness so staff know that they can ask for help when they need support. This reduces the risk of injury for children and adults.

Resources to learn more:

Tips for Keeping Children Safe: A Developmental Guide
Daily Transitions
Emergency Preparedness Manual for Early Childhood Programs

Read more:

,  Safety Practices