KidCheck secure children's check-in shares Back-to-School Safety Tips

Back-to-school is the ideal time to review your organization’s safety policies, health and wellness guidelines, emergency response procedures, and bullying prevention strategies. By focusing on child safety, you create a positive first impression for visiting families, offer peace of mind to regular attendees, and help prevent predators from gaining easy access to kids and youth.

To start the school year off right, here are some safety tips.

 

 

 

 

Health & Wellness

  • Reinforce and communicate health and wellness guidelines to families.
  • Stock and label the locations of first aid kits in classrooms. Create a supply of paper towels, sanitizing supplies, and general necessities.
  • Establish a process for managing allergies and medical information and a response plan for handling emergencies.
  • Pay attention to students’ mental health. Provide resources and support for those who are struggling with anxiety, stress, or other mental health issues.

Technology Safety

 Communicate your social media guidelines to attending families, staff, and volunteers.

  • Ensure families are aware of your smartphone and social posting policies when participating in child or youth programs.
  • Encourage families to research apps and online programs that help parents control and monitor internet usage and device management.
  • Prompt families to open the lines of communication by letting their children know they can share with their parents if they encounter offensive material, a strange interaction, or peer bullying.

Emergency Response

  • Conduct regular fire, lockdown, and evacuation drills with local first response teams, staff, and volunteers. Ensure everyone knows their role during an emergency.
  • Update all emergency contact information and ensure the list is current and accessible.
  • Hang laminated emergency contact information or KidCheck’s emergency flipbook in visible locations.
  • Ensure families, staff, and volunteers know or have access to your safety policies, emergency procedures, and evacuation plans.
  • Get to know your local first response resources. Police, fire, and EMS are great resources for identifying potential risks, hazards, and threats. Consider allowing them to train in your facility.
  • Document and store incident photos in a digital format.
  • Always use a secure check-in and check-out

Facility or Classroom

Clear out excess clutter from classrooms, hallways, and exit routes to reduce congestion and promote easy movement.

  • Make sure exits are clearly marked and unobstructed.
  • Maintain proper staff-to-child ratios and manage capacity effectively.
  • Follow the rule of two and ensure that a child is never alone with only one adult.

Visitor & Volunteer Management

  • Have a policy that clearly outlines visitor entry procedures. Make sure all visitors wear visible ID and sign in before entering the children’s areas.
  • Ensure that anyone who interacts with the children is thoroughly screened.
  • Never put a minor in charge of other minors! A fully screened, legal adult should be present during any activity.
  • Ramp up training and education to ensure everyone knows child safety policies and guidelines.
  • Conduct a background check  on everyone with direct access to kids and youth.
  • Familiarize yourself with the mandated reporting laws in your state.
  • Create policies that decrease isolation and increase accountability. Predators need isolation and privacy to offend.
  • Maintain detailed attendance records.

Bullying Prevention

  • Establish a speak-up culture and create a supportive environment.
  • Encourage kids to report bullying and address issues swiftly and effectively.
  • Teach acceptance. When kids understand what it means to be inclusive and celebrate each other’s differences, they are less likely to bully others.
  • Identify what bullying looks like in your organization and determine which behaviors are appropriate and inappropriate. This helps kids feel empowered to speak out against it.
  • Encourage kids to become effective bystanders and stand up for each other. This is a powerful way for kids to respond to and stop bullying.

Safety doesn’t happen by chance. No organization can do everything perfectly when it comes to safety. Still, whether you implement a single tip or several over the year, the goal is to improve safety policies and protections continuously.

Click here to learn more about the benefits of using secure mobile Express Check-In, children’s and youth check-in, and volunteer scheduling to help manage your events.

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Photo by Mel Poole on Unsplash