Preschool Health and Safety Policies

Consider this your one-stop-shop for all the preschool health and safety policies you’ll ever need.

FIRST AID KIT SUPPLIES

The Director will replenish the First Aid Kits yearly as needed.  If items need to be replenished before then, please tell Director.  Ice packs are located in freezer.  Your First Aid Kit contains:

NON-LATEX DISPOSABLE GLOVES

You should treat all body fluids and blood as if they were infectious and  wear disposable gloves anytime you might come in contact with bodily fluids (blood, urine, feces, saliva, vomit, pus, etc.) and during any cleaning activity if desired.  When removing gloves, peel them off of your hands and turn the gloves inside out, then throw them away into a lined garbage can.

HANDWASHING

The #1 preventative measure to avoid the spread of disease is proper handwashing.

To prevent the spread of germs, you should teach children how to wipe/blow their noses with Kleenex, cough into their elbows, and wash their hands.  Teach children how to wash hands with: one squirt of soap, vigorous and thorough hand rubbing for 20 seconds, rinse well and dry with a paper towel. 

Handwashing should occur:

CONTAGIOUS DISEASES

Review this article on the complete list of Contagious Diseases in Preschool.

ALLERGIES

Any allergies (food, pet, outdoor, or medications) are listed on each teacher’s Class Roster.  You should memorize your student’s allergies and understand each child’s process of allergic reaction as well as how to treat it. 

Your snack buckets will have an allergy list for that specific class, but it is your job to ensure that children with allergies are never served foods on that list.  If the snack provided is not suitable for children with allergies, or if you are unsure, then you should serve that child a different, allergy-free snack. 

For children who have a separate snack bucket, they are not allowed to eat any food outside of their snack bucket.

SUPERVISION

You should provide active supervision and appropriate custodial care: being present, invested and involved in constant and consistent observation/monitoring of children and meeting physical/emotional needs. 

You should supervise children by sight and sound in most instances; however, supervision by sound only is permissible for short intervals, such as when children are using the toilet, or when you are using the bathroom.  You should ensure that your classroom is setup in such a manner that there are no areas of the room where children can hide. 

Head counts should be done frequently, especially when exiting and entering the building.  Children may not be left alone with anyone other than another teacher or the Director.  Volunteers and parents may not be left in charge of children.

HEALTH AND SAFETY GENERAL POLICIES

OUTDOOR WALKS

Any outdoor play must be done within the gated area at the Schoolhouse.

ANIMALS

No animals allowed on school grounds or in classrooms.

TRANSPORTATION/PARKING

Due to the liability, we cannot transport anyone.  

CHILD PHOTO/VIDEO RELEASE

Every family has given a Photo/Video Release to the school, allowing their child to be photographed and/or videotaped during school or school activities.  You should not take any videos, but you may take photographs to use in your emails, art projects and portfolios.  No pictures should be ever posted on your social media accounts.

INJURIES

Reminders

• Wear gloves with any bodily fluids. Remove gloves by peeling off at wrist and turning inside out.
• Don’t administer ointment or medication without medication authorization form

Minor Injuries: Administer treatment; notify parents at pickup

Nose Bleeds

• DO: Lean child forward, pinch bridge of nose with clean dressing, press harder til bleeding stops
• EMERGENCY: Call 911 if bleeding doesn’t stop after 15 minutes

Minor Cuts/Scrapes

• DO: Wash with soap and water, dry, apply Band-Aid

Bites

• DO: Wash with soap and water; ice if bruising or swelling
• PARENTS: If broke skin, tell them to take child to Dr to see if child needs tetanus shot

Eye Injury (commonly sand)

• DO: Flush small objects out with water
• EMERGENCY: Call 911 if object punctures eye (leave object in eye)

Minor Fall/Bruise/Sprain

• DO: Ice the area

Mild Allergic Reaction

• SYMPTOMS: Stuffy nose, sneezing, itching of skin, raised red rash
• DO: Watch if reaction worsens

Bee Sting/Insect Bites

• DO: Wash with soap & water; (If bee sting, Use credit card in 1st Aid Kit to scrape stinger in same direction it went in); ice area; watch child for signs of allergic reaction

Major Injuries: Administer treatment; notify parents once child is stable via text or phone call; notify Director

Seizures (Call 911 if unsure why seizure occurred)

• SYMPTOMS: Lose muscle control, jerking movement of body, fall to ground, non-responsive
• DO: Move things away from child so they don’t get hurt

Major Bleeding (Call 911 if bleeding won’t stop)

• DO: Apply dressing from 1st Aid Kit, add direct pressure, top with more dressings if needed (don’t take off dressings.) Wrap with bandage on top of dressing; keep pressure until bleeding stops.)

Asthma (Call 911 if breathing worsens)

• SYMPTOMS: Trouble breathing, coughing, tightness in chest, wheezing, fast breathing
• PREVENTION: Avoid triggers: cold air, smoke, excessive activity
• DO: Check child’s medication form, shake inhaler, remove cap, give child the # of puffs from form

Major Fall (Call 911 if fall is serious)

• DO: Don’t twist or turn head/neck; if needed, move child in-line

Broken Bones (Call 911 if abnormally bent)

• SYMPTOMS: Swelling, pain, not being able to move injured body part, joint turning blue
• DO: Cover wound with clean dressing if bleeding, put towel on injured body part, ice, don’t move injured part (splint if needed)

Emergency Injuries: Call 911, administer treatment, notify parents when child is getting proper care via phone call, notify Director, fill out incident report

Severe Allergic Reaction

• SYMPTOMS: Trouble breathing, swelling of tongue/face, fainting
• DO: Check child’s med. form, get epi pen, take off safety cap, press hard into side of thigh, hold 5 seconds. Dispose of epi pen safely and have child rub puncture site. Call 911.

Poisonous Insect Bite

• SYMPTOMS: Headache, fever, muscle cramps, severe pain at site, vomiting, breathing problems, seizures, unresponsiveness
• EMERGENCY: Call 911

Poisons

• DO: Wash skin or flush eye with water. Call Poison Control Center (800-222-1222) for directions.

ILLNESSES: 24-HR. SYMPTOM-FREE POLICY

Sick at school with any of the symptoms below? Separate child from group (still in classroom); notify parents to pick up child.

Children must have 24 hours without any of the symptoms below before returning to school:

• Watery diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Severe coughing
• Uncontrolled discharge from the nose
• Infected skin patches (crusty bright yellow, dry, or gummy areas of the skin, aka impetigo)
• Cries inconsolably or is unable to participate in class activities
• Hand Foot Mouth Disease (Even with a doctor’s note, children can only return when all blisters are gone and the Director clears them to return.)
• Fever of 100F or greater (can return after being fever free for 24 hrs. without medication)
• Strep throat or illnesses requiring antibiotics (can return 24 hrs. after first medicine dose)
• Conjunctivitis/Pink Eye (can return 24 hrs. after first eye drops)
• Lice or nits in the hair (can return after first hair treatment and removal of all nits)
• Skin rash accompanied by behavior change or previous fever

EMERGENCIES

How to Perform CPR (Symptoms: Non-Responsive, not breathing or only gasping)

1. Ensure scene is safe
2. Tap child and shout “Are you okay?”
3. Send someone to call 911 and come back
4. Observe: If child is not breathing or only gasping, continue:
5. Give 30 compressions hard and fast
6. Open airway, give 2 breaths
7. Continue CPR until help arrives

When to Call 911: When life-saving measures are needed

• Doesn’t respond to voice or touch
• Has severe bleeding
• Has severe allergic reaction
• Has problem breathing
• Has severe injury or burn
• Has received electric shock
• Suddenly can’t move part of body
• Has swallowed or been exposed to poison

If 911 is Called and Help is Sent:

Send your class to another teacher’s classroom and ask her to look out the window to open the door when help arrives. Tell paramedics if the child is allergic to any medicines (check Class Roster). If child is going to hospital, ask paramedics which hospital they are going to so you can notify parents.

Fire: Emergency Protocol

1. Grab a class roster, gather all children, and exit the building
2. Yell FIRE and bang on any doors as you exit the building
3. Evacuate students and staff to a safe location: ______________________
4. Take roll of your class and identify if any classes are missing
5. Call 911, then the Director
6. No one should re-enter the building until declared safe by fire service personnel
7. Fill out incident report

Lockdown Protocol: The Director will notify you which type of lock down to follow below.

Partial Lockdown

1. Verify that all exterior doors are in locked position (classroom/bathroom doors do not need to be locked)
2. Close curtains
3. Text Director notifying her that doors are locked and curtains are closed
4. Children/parents are allowed to come in/out when escorted by the Director after she ensures the grounds are safe

Full Lockdown

1. Verify that all exterior doors are in locked position (classroom/bathroom doors do not need to be locked)
2. Close curtains
3. Text Director notifying her that doors are locked and curtains are closed
4. Do not allow anyone to enter or leave the building

We hope these preschool health and safety policies were helpful. We had all of them printed in a handout and placed on the back of every preschool door so they were easy to reach.