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Burton Road Child Care & Early Learning Centre's August Newsletter

August 2024

Greetings

Hello everyone, welcome to our August newsletter! As always, we provide an overview of what is happening within our childcare community. This month, we will focus on understanding the importance of safety in childcare settings.

Topic of the month - Understanding the Importance of Safety in Childcare Settings

Childcare centres play an important role in the development and well-being of children, providing a safe and nurturing environment for learning and growth. However, ensuring safety within these facilities is paramount, as children are particularly vulnerable and require vigilant supervision and care. 

Understanding the Importance of Safety in Childcare

Safety in childcare centres encompasses a broad range of practices to prevent accidents, injuries, and illnesses on children in case of a childcare provider. The responsibility of ensuring safety falls on childcare workers, who are entrusted with the care of children. Early childhood educators and childcare professionals are bound by Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) in a number of key safety practices.

1. First Aid Preparedness

One of the most critical aspects of safety in childcare centres is having a well-trained staff capable of responding to medical emergencies. All childcare workers need to complete a first aid course that equips them with the basic first aid skills to manage various health emergencies, including allergic reactions and injuries. 

Childcare centres also should maintain fully stocked first aid kits, regularly inspecting these supplies and restocking if needed. Having first aid kits in every room or floor and availability of portable first aid kits ensures and helps staff become prepared and respond promptly to any incident.

2. Creating a Safe Physical Environment

A clutter-free and well-organised environment is essential in preventing accidents. Childcare centres should implement strict policies regarding cleanliness and organisation. Toys, books, and equipment should be stored properly to avoid tripping hazards. Regular cleaning and sanitation of surfaces help reduce the spread of infectious diseases, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

3. Supervision and Staff-to-Child Ratios

Constant supervision is vital in childcare settings. Staff must be vigilant, especially during outdoor play when children are more active and prone to accidents. Maintaining appropriate staff-to-child ratios is crucial for ensuring that every child receives adequate attention and supervision.

4. Emergency Planning

Childcare centres must have comprehensive emergency plans in place to address potential crises, such as fires, natural disasters, or medical emergencies. Regular drills should be conducted to ensure that both staff and children are familiar with evacuation routes and routines.

5. Health and hygiene habits

Promoting good health and hygiene habits is essential in preventing illness in childcare centres. Staff should encourage children to wash their hands frequently, especially before meals and after using the toilet.

 

Centres should also ensure that all kitchen utensils and surfaces are cleaned and disinfected regularly to prevent foodborne illnesses. Educators should be trained to recognise signs of illness in children and follow protocols for managing sick children, including notifying parents and isolating affected children from others.

6. Safety Equipment and Childproofing

Childcare centres should be equipped with safety features to minimise the risk. This includes childproofing by securing heavy furniture to walls to prevent tipping, covering electrical outlets and using safety gates to restrict access to hazardous areas. 

This also includes ensuring outdoor play areas are well-maintained, with appropriate surfacing to cushion falls. Regular inspections should be conducted to identify and rectify any potential hazards, such as broken equipment or sharp objects. 

The Takeaway

Safety practices in childcare centres are not merely regulatory requirements; they are fundamental to the well-being of children. By prioritising first aid preparedness, creating safe environments, planning emergencies and addressing safety concerns proactively, childcare centres can provide a nurturing and secure space for children to learn and grow. 

As the childcare sector continues to face challenges, investing in safety practices not only protects children but also builds trust with families, ensuring they feel confident and secure in the care their children receive from childcare providers.

Childcare Development

0-12 month development

Babies use ‘helpless’ infant period to learn powerful foundation models, just like ChatGPT

Author: Trinity College Dublin

Ever wonder what a baby’s brain does during those first few helpless months? Neuroscientists have recently discovered babies’ brains are busy developing those foundational models that help them make sense of the world as they age. And while AI such as ChatGPT needs a large volume of data and energy to process and create these foundational models which babies seem to do effortlessly in their ‘helpless’ stage.

Read more about the computing power of a baby’s brain here.

1-2 year development

When Can Babies Sleep with a Blanket?

Author: Emily Senger 

Do you have a 1-year old that’s feeling a bit chilly this winter? Making sure they’re warm and toasty despite the cool season may mean time for a blanket during sleepytime. However, most 1 to 2 year olds aren’t able yet to pull their blankets close to warm them up or even manage to stay under it during their whole sleep. A sleep physician recommends using sleep sacks, if not a lightweight blanket. 

Find more information about blankets and sleepsacks for your sleepy bug right here.

2-3 year development

10 Tips to Shape Healthy Eating Behaviours for Toddlers

Author: Lydia Denworth

When your toddler starts their solid food journey, it’s an important time when you can train their palate and shape their eating patterns to prevent problems in the future. From modelling the right behaviour when it comes to eating and food selection to taking off the pressure and mixing food and play, there are ways parents can make their toddler’s solid food journey a smoother, healthier and adventurous experience.

Read more about these tips on shaping healthy eating behaviours for toddlers here.

3-4 year development

Avoid saying ‘be careful’: New study reveals why it’s important to allow kids to take risks

Author: The Conversation

Parents, out of regard and love, will always remind their children to ‘be careful’ especially when the children are unleashed onto an outdoor play setting. However, child experts have found out it might be counter-intuitive and hamper a child’s development when overdone. Risk-taking and having accountability over actions and its consequences is a valuable life skill children need to learn early on.

Learn why you should be careful about saying ‘be careful’ to your child here.

4-5 year development

Why won’t my kids listen to me? A psychologist explains

Author: Cher McGillivray

Have you found yourself repeating yourself to your child multiple times before they even get up to do what you asked them to do? A psychologist explains that most children from ages 2-7 may have a harder time being a good listener as they are still in a self-centred stage of development.

However, there are ways to make a child listen to you and acknowledge what you’ve said. 

Read more about tips on how to make your child listen more effectively to you here.

Craft Corner

Exploding Chalk Recipe: A Chalk and Vinegar Experiment

Add a little bit of colour and pzazz to the sidewalk with this simple chemistry experiment. Combining cornstarch, food colouring, and vinegar, make an exploding colour bomb that’ll render your sidewalk in colourful hues. Kids can mix the bases and shake the bags but adding vinegar and baking soda may need adult supervision.

Find out more about this exploding chalk experiment here.

2 Simple Science Experiments: Exploding Milk and Exploding Pepper

Unable to do the exploding chalk experiment due to lack of sidewalk space that’s safe enough for the kids? Here are 2 simple science experiments that’ll let them see exploding milk and pepper at a smaller scale but with the same amazing effect! 

Read the instructions on how to do these simple exploding experiments here.

DIY Balance Scales for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Teach the concept of comparison by weight by doing this DIY Balance Scales for toddlers. Using a normal coat hanger, paper cups, and a string, create a DIY balance scale that’ll let kids figure out which of two objects is heavier. Let them scale, compare, and record their findings.

Find more about how to construct a DIY balance scale here.

How Much Weight Can Aluminium Foil Boats Float?

This STEM activity will boost their numeracy skills and observation skills. It will have children figure out just how much aluminium foil boats can carry and how construction can affect it. 

See teaching points you can use with this aluminium foil boat activity here.

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