Chapter Sixteen
Promoting Safe Practices through
Effective Classroom Management
16-1
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
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Design a Classroom Routine
16-2
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Use safety practices.
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Gather information at enrollment.
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Provide a family orientation.
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Creating Secure Arrival and Departure
Routines
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16-3
Have clear and organized routines during arrival and
departure times.
Know each child’s plan.
Implement safety routines such as signing in and
signing out.
Monitor attendance.
Manage variations in the arrival and departure
routines.
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Supporting Safety during Arrival and
Departure
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16-4
Teachers should be present to greet children or say good-bye.
Plan child-directed activities.
Be accessible to visit with families.
Expect children to be dropped off inside the building.
Children may not be dropped of or picked up when the program
is conducting an emergency evacuation or lock down.
Children may not be released to go home with other children
without written consent.
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Guidelines for Transporting Children
Younger than 5 years
16-5

Use appropriately installed child safety restraint
systems.
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Children are more safe on buses than any other form
of transportation.

The use of vans is highly discouraged.
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Establishing Schedules and Transitions
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Review the environment for safety daily.
Have a predictable schedule.
Create smooth transitions.
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16-6
Provide large blocks of play time and fewer transitions.
Provide small groups of children 5-minute warnings.
Direct small groups of children to clean up ahead of the
transition.
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
What if…
You notice the children in your class have a
habit of running around when cleanup time is
announced?
How would you try to improve the situation?
16-7
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Supervising by Sight and Sound
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16-8
Infants and toddlers must be supervised by sight and
sound at all times.
Preschoolers may be out of sound supervision for
short periods of time.
Kindergartners, in a safe environment, may be out of
sight and sound supervision for short periods of time
if they are checked regularly.
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Positioning to See All Children
16-9

Stand or sit where the majority of children are easily
in view.
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Be in a position to see the door.
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Scan the environment regularly.

Walk around the room and change position.
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Children’s Reassurance Needs
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16-10
Infants benefit from being able to see and hear the teacher, and
know that the teacher will attend to their needs.
Toddlers need reassurance that the teacher is nearby as a
physical and emotional safety-need.
Preschool children like to know that the teacher is available to
listen to their ideas and concerns and to respond when they have
a need.
School-aged children like to know what the rules are, and who to
go to if they need help.
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Keeping Focused and Alert
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16-11
Avoid talking to other teachers or on the telephone.
Avoid day-dreaming.
Avoid cleaning or performing tasks that interrupt appropriate
supervision.
Avoid being overly involved in children’s play so that group
supervision is forgotten.
Balance interaction with individual children with full classroom
oversight.
Have plans for overseeing special activities.
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Supervising Outdoor Activities
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16-12
Provide appropriate equipment and supplies.
Plan and implement appropriate activities.
Use the outdoor classroom to support skill
development.
Encourage children to be highly active at least part
of the time.
Supervise children for safety at all times by keeping
children within sight and sound.
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Anticipating Potential Safety Concerns
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Substitute teachers
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Supervise visitors and volunteers
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Give them clear assignments
Never leave them alone with the children
Address family issues
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16-13
Conduct introductions
Adjust activity plan to more child-directed play
Custody problems
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
What if…
You are asked by a parent to record all the
times the ‘other’ parent is late picking up their
child?
How would you respond?
16-14
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Safety Needs of Infants
16-15

Check environment for safety every day

Label and store belongings appropriately
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Guide interaction with toys and others

Introduce them to safe sounds
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Safety Needs of Toddlers
16-16

Provide toileting supports (potty chairs, child-sized
toilets, child-accessible sinks)
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Offer finger food options that promote independence
but do not present choking hazards
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Firmly state what the child should or shouldn’t do
and why
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Safety Needs of Preschoolers
16-17

Encourage development of safe self-help skills
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Teach children the boundaries for activity and safety
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Recognize and reinforce safe behaviors

Supervise social interactions and intervene in
bullying situations
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Safety Needs of School-Age Children
16-18

Plan activities that provide appropriate challenge as
well as opportunities to learn about safety hazards
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Ensure children do not have access to dangerous
materials
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Help children build their leadership skills
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Focus on preventive safety themes
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Safety Needs of Children with Special
Needs
16-19
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Ensure children are supported by a health
management plan
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Remind children frequently of the rules
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Understand each child’s circumstances and plan
activities accordingly

Teach the child to explain their condition to others
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Managing Children’s Safety
16-20

Teach age-appropriate safety messages.

Implement appropriate safety routines.

Collaborate with families.
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Focus on Teaching Safety
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16-21
Include safety messages in all activities and daily
experiences.
Teach safety at times of injury.
Fit safety messages to children’s lives.
Manage children’s challenging behaviors through
appropriate guidance.
Use group problem-solving strategies for safety.
Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young
Children: Promoting Wellness, 1e
Sorte, Daeschel, Amador
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved.