safety concept: St. Leonhard Day-care Centre
Introduction
The St. Leonhard Day-care Centre for children has been in existence as an association since 1889. The association focusses on promoting the specialist professional care of children (aged between around 3 months and 14 years) of working parents and single parents from different cultures. In our mission statement, we attach great importance to childcare work, the pursuit of autonomy and self-realisation, viewing each person holistically and supporting them with the development of a self-determined and distinctive personality. The basis for this is our pedagogical concept (as of September 2018) and our pedagogical principles.
The institution attaches great importance to the safety of the children and adults in its care. The time spent indoors and outdoors involves a conscious and ongoing examination of the dangers and risks. The children must be able to take certain risks in order to learn the appropriate skills. Their development depends on assimilating a wide range of experiences. Awareness of these aspects in everyday life plays a significant role in hazard prevention. Safety must be assured at all times: the safety of the people, the building and the materials in use.
Goal
This safety concept is designed to be used on a daily basis as an internal manual for implementing all safety regulations. Children should learn from an early age to behave in a manner appropriate to danger, i.e. to recognise and understand where danger lurks and how they can and should protect themselves from it. It is the task of the carer to ensure that the children remain as safe as possible at all times.
Preventive safety measures
- All employees – including trainees and temporary staff – are familiar with the safety concept at the St. Leonhard Day-care Centre
- The day-care management and the supervisors of the respective groups are responsible for the implementation of and compliance with the safety regulations
- All employees are required to remain vigilant at all times
- Safety training for all employees will take place once a year
- New employees will be trained in the safety concept by the day-care centre management
- When a new child is admitted, the parents are informed about the existing safety concept
Employees and children are required to comply with the safety regulations.
- Cleaning materials and medicines are to be stored out of the reach of children, where possible in lockable cabinets
- Employees and children are to wear non-slip slippers (preferably with rubber soles) or rubberised slipper socks
- The entrance and exit doors can only be opened by using the opener switches (above the doors); the doors in the internal garden area remain open for the children
- All sockets are to be secured with childproof socket covers
- Pointed or sharp objects such as knives, scissors (except rounded children’s scissors), etc. are to be kept out of the reach of children
- The windows are to be tilted only and not opened fully; windows are only fully opened to air the rooms and only when no children are present
- The windows of rooms used by the baby/toddler group are to be fitted with window locks; the keys are to be kept in a secure location
- The children are never to be left unattended or unsecured while in high-chairs or on nappy-changing tables
- Any small, swallowable objects are to be stored safely away from children
- Dummy holder chains, hair clips, necklaces, scarves, neckerchiefs, etc. are removed before nap time and stored safely
- The emergency first-aid kits of the groups (see checklists in the main first-aid kit) are to be kept in the designated first-aid cabinets
- Children are not allowed any access to the day-care centre kitchen
From the moment they enter kindergarten, children may use the inner courtyard of the St. Leonhard Day-care Centre without being accompanied by the care personnel. Children under the age of 4 are accompanied by a caregiver. If the parents/legal guardians provide a signed declaration of consent, children aged 3 years and older may stay in the inner courtyard of the St. Leonhard Day-care Centre unaccompanied by a carer. Babies/toddlers are never to be left unattended on the terrace. The day-care management will carry out a safety check on our climbing frame twice a year
- The mixed age-group children may never use the swimming pool (inner courtyard) unattended
- The day-care centre has a sufficient supply of water wings (for children weighing 15–30 kg/from 2–6 years)
- The water in the large swimming pool is changed at least twice a week
- Only a small ‘paddling pool’ is available for the baby/toddler group, no water wings are required
- Babies/toddlers are never left unattended in the paddling pool
- The water in the paddling pool is changed daily
- Toys are continuously checked for safety and, if necessary, disposed of and replaced
- Emergency first-aid kits, day-care mobile phone and certain child-related emergency medication must be taken along on walks or excursions / Scooters and other vehicles may not be taken along on walks
- The children are regularly counted during walks/excursions
- When using public transport, the carers are responsible for maintaining an overview at all times
- Children under 4 years of age must be held by the hand when crossing the road. The carer remains with the group of children at all times while crossing the road
- The brakes are to be applied on prams/pushchairs when they are stationary
- Children in prams/pushchairs are always buckled in
- The carers are aware of their function as role models and teach the children how to behave in road traffic
- Outdoor and indoor swimming pools may only be visited with 1-to-1 supervision; the supervisor must have completed the lifeguard course (level 1) (confirmation is placed in the personnel file)
- In summer temperatures, the children must be provided with sun hats and sun cream (SPF 30)
- Unsweetened drinks must always be provided in summer temperatures
- In case of sunstroke, the child should be brought into the shade; if possible cold compresses should be applied to the forehead and neck (medical help will be organised if necessary)
- The baby/toddler group is to use separate, age-appropriate sun cream with a high sun protection factor (50)
- Before forest and nature excursions, all children should be sprayed with insect repellent. After forest and nature excursions, all children must be examined for ticks and other disease-carrying organisms (leeches, etc.) immediately at the day-care centre
- A pair of tick tweezers must be provided in the emergency first-aid kit; the staff should be instructed in their use
In the event of an accident, parents/legal guardians and the day-care centre management are to be informed immediately. In the event of severe accidents, the Board and the Basel Department of Education must also be informed immediately.
- Clean the wound under cold, running water and disinfect it
- Cover the wound with a plaster or small bandage
- Mosquito bites/bee stings should be cooled to reduce itching; apply Fenistil gel
- Open, bleeding wounds and/or bite wounds must be shown to the doctor (tetanus vaccination may be necessary)
Never remove large foreign bodies such as shards, nails, etc. from a wound. In such cases, always consult a doctor
In the course of the extension of the St. Leonhard Day-care Centre and the overall renovation, the fire protection guidelines and specifications have been fulfilled according to the latest standards. The Securiton fire protection system and smoke detectors have been approved and registered by the Basel fire department.
- The fire protection system is serviced every 2 years by Securiton / The smoke detectors are checked and registered annually by an electrician
- In the event of smoke or fire, an alarm is sent to the Basel fire brigade within 60 seconds (via the system alarm)
- In the event of a false alarm, the fire protection system must be reset immediately by an employee
- We carry out a fire drill (practice evacuation) once a year, the meeting point and escape routes are known to all employees
- There are 4 fire blankets (entrance to the upper cupboard in the old building/the kitchen/the Cloud group balcony room and the Rainbow group entrance in the new building)
- There are 6 fire extinguishers installed in the day care centre, which are regularly serviced by the manufacturer
- The protocol for the fire drill (practice evacuation) is stored in the safety folder under “Fire”
- Minor burns are to be cooled immediately with cold water
- In the event of more significant burns, contact the emergency department at the University Hospital Basel
- Burning wax candles is strictly forbidden at the St. Leonhard Day-care Centre
- If a person or their clothing is on fire, throw a fire blanket over the fire and call an ambulance immediately (fire department: 118/ambulance: 144)
All emergency telephone numbers are displayed prominently at the respective telephone stations of the groups.
- No poisonous plants are permitted at the St. Leonhard Day-care Centre
- Cleaning agents, detergents and soaps are to be kept out of the reach of children, if possible in locked cupboards
- The emergency first-aid kits are to be kept locked and stored out of the reach of children
- The general medicine cabinet is fitted with a child lock
- In the event of a suspected poisoning, call an ambulance immediately (tel: 144) and contact the Toxicological Institute (tel: 145)
- The children will not be allowed to collect mushrooms, berries or unknown plants during excursions
- If possible, the object should be removed from the mouth
- In acute cases, use the Heimlich manoeuvre (see also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdominal_thrusts)
- If the foreign body cannot be removed, call an ambulance immediately (tel: 144)
- Parents must be informed immediately of all dental accidents
- If a tooth is broken, place the broken-off fragment in milk or a salt water solution (if it can be found)
- The tooth must never be cleaned or touched at the root
In the event of an electrical accident, the power supply is to be cut off immediately (flip the toggle switch in the fuse box in the cellar). Never touch a person who is contact with a live electrical connection. If the victim loses consciousness, administer first aid and call an ambulance (tel: 144).
- Guide all children not affected by the accident away to safety immediately
- First aid must be given; if possible, move the child from the danger zone
- The most senior member of staff takes the lead, delegating tasks and responsibilities where possible
- The emergency services, the parents and the day-care centre management, the board and the Basel Department of Education must be alerted
- The responsible carer remains at the accident site until the paramedics arrive, follows the instructions of the paramedics and accompanies the child to the hospital until the parents arrive
- Return transport for the children not affected is to be coordinated by the responsible caregiver
- The responsible caregiver keeps the day-care centre management informed about the current situation and returns to the day care centre
- When a child is admitted to the day-care centre, all persons with parental authority are noted
- Additional persons who are authorised to collect the child are documented and are to be introduced to the caregivers
- The children will only be handed over to legal guardians and those persons authorised to collect them
- These persons must always be reported in advance by the parents at the day care centre
- In case of uncertainty on the part of the care personnel (regarding the person authorised to collect the child), the parents should be contacted as soon as possible and the day-care centre management contacted
All carers are subject to the Federal Law on Data Protection. Purpose and jurisdiction can be found at www.admin.ch.
Likewise, the children may only be photographed with the day-care centre camera for professional purposes (a photo permit must be explicitly signed by the parents). The children’s photos are to be deleted regularly.
Employees are not permitted to carry a private mobile phone around with them during working hours. Taking photographs of children using a private mobile phone is expressly prohibited; staff caught in violation of this rule will be summarily dismissed. The personnel regulations must be observed.