Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/ask-dr.-sue-reducing-the-risk-of-injury-in-child-care/5013864/
Injury prevention is a major theme in the soon-to-be-published second edition of Caring for Our Children: Health and Safety Performance Standards for Out-of-Home Child Care. Both facility maintenance and staff performance contribute to safe and healthy child care. Research findings tell us what commonly causes injury of young children and gives caregivers opportunities for prevention by practicing and teaching safety. Significant risks can be reduced, supervision planned, and safety taught.Injury Risks
What are the most significant risks? Except for those states where home swimming pools are common, motor vehicles still cause more child deaths and disability than any other product or medical problem after the newborn period. Both as pedestrians and passengers, children are no match for the speed and mass of cars and trucks. They need restraints to hold them securely and safely in place when they ride, and they need separation from motor vehicles where they walk and play.
Once children arrive at the child care facility, the most common and most significant injuries occur in active play areas. Although playgrounds are the focus of most of these injuries, the same types of gross motor challenges occur when children play indoors on equipment that encourages large muscle activity. Not surprisingly, ...