InTouch & Informed Blog

Daycare Safety - National Child Care Safety Study Reveals Truth

Ask any parent what their top concern is for enrolling their children in daycare and they’ll answer “health and safety.”  In the United States today, over 13 million children under age six are being cared for during the day by someone other than their parents.  So it would seem that the health and safety concerns in licensed daycare facilities are being actively monitored and controlled.

But How Safe is Daycare Really?

• Approximately 31,000 children under age 4 are treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for injuries at child care settings on average.
  
• At least 56 children have died in child care settings since 1990.

While many child care settings provide safe environments for young children, the harsh reality is that thousands of children in child care settings are injured seriously enough to need treatment in U.S. hospital emergency rooms each year. Tragically, some of these children die from their injuries.

In response to the overwhelming daycare injury statistics, a monumental study was recently conducted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The national study was developed to identify potential safety hazards in 220 licensed child care settings across the country.

Eight product areas were investigated for potential safety hazards: cribs, soft bedding, playground surfacing, playground surfacing maintenance, child safety gates, window blind cords, drawstrings in children's clothing, and recalled children's products.

Four types of licensed child care settings were visited:  federal child care centers, non-profit centers, in-home settings, and for-profit centers.

The Findings:  Overall, two-thirds of the child care settings exhibited at least one of the safety hazards targeted in the study.

Where Daycare Dangers Lurk:

• CRIBS:  8% of the child care settings had cribs that did not meet current safety standards.
  Older cribs can present many dangers to children, including strangulation and suffocation.
  
• SOFT BEDDING:  19% of the child care settings had cribs containing soft bedding.
  Soft bedding may present a suffocation hazard for infants.
  
• PLAYGROUND SURFACING:  24% of the child care settings did not have safe playground surfacing.
  
  
• PLAYGROUND MAINTENANCE:  27% of the child care settings did not keep the playground surfacing well-maintained.
  Young children can be seriously hurt from falls on playgrounds.
  
• CHILD SAFETY GATES:  13% of the child care settings did not use child safety gates where necessary.
  Child safety gates can protect children from hazards, especially falls down stairs.
  
• WINDOW BLIND CORDS: 26% of the child care settings had loops on the window blind cords.
  About one child a month strangles in the loops of window blind cords.
  
• CLOTHING WITH DRAWSTRINGS:  38% of the child care settings had children wearing clothing with drawstrings at the neck.
  Drawstrings on clothing can catch on objects and strangle a child.
  
• RECALLED PRODUCTS:  5% of the child care settings had products that had been recalled by CPSC.
  Using recalled nursery products and toys can be a hazard to young children.

Child Care Safety Checklist for Parents and Child Care Providers

Nothing is more important than the safety of America's children. But the fact remains, more young children die from injuries than from any disease. And because so many children are in child care at some point in their life, it is essential that these settings be as safe as they can be.  Here are some basic guidelines for a safe and healthy child care environment:

Check building and playground safety.

• Are poison control phone numbers and ambulance phone numbers clearly posted?
• Does the playground have impact-absorbing surfaces, such as wood chips, under the swings and slides?
• Are young children able to get to high places?
• Are the children protected from strangers?
• Are fire drills held at least every month?
• Are there smoke alarms throughout the building?
• Does the center use space heaters? If so, are they being used properly?
• Are safety gates used in areas for small children?
• Are electric outlets covered?
• Are sharp corners of furniture covered?
• Are the toys kept clean? Washable toys should be washed every day with a disinfectant cleaner, such as Lysol or a solution of water and bleach.
• Does the day care staff regularly clean all surfaces with disinfectant?

Tags: child care safety, daycare safety