CPR and Choking Emergencies

Emergencies can happen when we least expect them. Being trained in CPR and Choking emergencies is required for childcare providers. Parents of children should be advised to attend these trainings also. In the event of an emergency such as a child that has stopped breathing or is choking the childcare provider should act immediately, remain calm, stay with the child, and assess the situation (Robertson, 2010, p. 179).

Scenario One: A Child is Choking

The preschoolers from” Busy Bee Preschool” were on a field trip to the local fruit market when a three-year old was noticed by the educator holding their throat. The educator immediately went to the child to assess the situation.  Upon assessing the child the educator noticed that the child was holding cherries in her hand. The educator informed her assistant to dial 911, contact the child’s parent and removing the choking hazard procedures from the first aid kit. The educator remained calm and relied on her training and completed the following steps:

1.       Checked the scene for safety.

2.       Assessed that the child was unable to speak.

3.       Gave 5 back blows.

4.       Gave 5 abdominal thrust.

The educator repeated the steps until the cherry was dislodged ("CONSCIOUS CHOKING," n.d.). The assistant oversaw the care of the other children while the educator stayed with the child until emergency personal and the child’s parent arrived on the scene. Upon returning to the preschool the educator completed an incident report.

Scenario Two: A Child is Unresponsive

The preschoolers at the Co-Op Preschool are enjoying recess time when the assistant notices a child laying on the ground near the slide. The assistant went to the child and noticed that the child was unresponsive. One of the child’s peers informed the assistant that the child had fallen off the slide. The assistant immediately called out for the educator in charge. The educator upon arrival of the scene assessed the situation, advised her assistant to call 911 and contact the parents. The educator then completed the following steps.

1.       Stayed with the child and remained calm.

2.       Advised the 911 operator of the situation.

3.       Told the operator that the child was unconscious, unresponsive, the child was on his back, and the child had not taken a breath in the last 10 seconds.

4.       Completed a finger sweep to insure there was not a blockage of the airway.

5.       The educator then held the nose shut and gave two rescue breaths to the child.

6.       Advise the operator that the chest rose with the rescue breaths.

7.       Noticing that there was a rise in the chest and the return of a pulse the educator knew that chest compressions were not necessary and continued with the 2 short breaths until emergency personal arrived on the scene ("CPR for Child 8 years and under," 2001-2006).

After the incident was over the educator completed an incident report.

Training and refresher trainings are the only way to help insure providers and parents are prepared for emergency situations. Providers that have an emergency preparedness plan in place informs all that are involved with the care of children know the steps to follow if an emergency should arrive. If an incident should occur the provider needs to review the plan in order to make adjustments to better prepare or eliminate the chance of future emergencies. Whether on a field trip or at the facility a first aid kit kept in an obvious place.  The kit should contain essential first aid items, emergency procedures, and important contact information.

References:

Global Crisis Solution Center. (2001-2006). Retrieved from http://globalcrisis.info/cpr.html#child

Red Cross. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.redcross.org/www-files/Documents/pdf/Preparedness/ConsciousChokingPoster_EN.pdf

Robertson, C. (2010). A Holistic Environmental Approach to Safety, Nutrition,and Health in Quality Early Childhood Education Environments. In Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education (4th ed., ). Belmont, CA: .

Emergency Preparedness: Natural and Human-Generated Disasters

A disaster whether it be natural, ecological or terrorist attack can happen anywhere.  When working with children providers need to be prepared for a disaster.  In the area I reside we are at risk for all three types of disasters.

Any facility that provides services to children need to have an emergency plan in place (Robertson, 2010). The plan should be reviewed yearly in order to insure that providers have knowledge of the plan and in order to make revisions to the plan if the need arises.  The plan should be made familiar to all employees and the local authorities as well as the parents. Providing the parent with the emergency plan provides them with where their children can be located if a disaster should occur. Fire drills, tornado drills, and other emergency procedures should be practiced on a regular basis.

The area I reside is surrounded by many acres of natural forests. During the dry season’s careless campers and the burning of household garbage, fires start. The facility should be equipped with a functioning fire extinguisher and a first aid kit.  Child care providers should make the local disaster team aware of their location so that they can contact the provider if they are at risk.  If there is not a disaster team in place, the provider should make the local police and fire departments aware of their location. If a fire should occur in the facility or surrounding area the provider should call 911, assess which direction the fire is heading, and follow the fire evacuation route that is in place (Robertson, 2010). As a provider you need to remain calm in order remove the children to a safer places.

The train tracks that run through the town can put a child care facility at risk for an ecological disaster (Robertson, 2010).  Train cars can carry potentially harmful chemicals that could harm children if the train should derail. The emergency plan for a chemical disaster has been provided to local schools and child care providers.  The facility should be equipped with a first aid kit and ample food and water. In the event that a chemical disaster the child care provider should remain in the facility, close all windows and doors, and wait for further instructions from the disaster team. Removing the children from the facility could potentially put them in harm of breathing in harmful chemicals or chemical burns on the skin.

With the aftermath of 9/11 a terrorist attack is a real threat in the United States.  Being located near a metropolitan area, nuclear facility, or a military base people need to have a terrorist attack plan in place. Camp Grayling, a military base is located fifteen miles away from the town I resided. Local schools and child care facilities need to have a lock down plan in affect if the need should ever arise.  This plan should be made readily available to all workers within the facility, but should not be publicly displayed within the facility.  The last thing you want is for the terrorist to know where the children are located. The plan should be practiced on a regular basis.

Disasters can strike anywhere at any time. Having a disaster plan in place, practiced, and available to the proper authorities can insure that as a provider you are insuring the safety of the children in your care.

Reference:

Robertson, C. (2010). A Holistic Environmental Approach to Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Quality Early Childhood Education Environments. In Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education (4th ed., ). Belmont, CA: . 

Safety Practices and Policies

Preschool aged children are adventurous, fearless, and distracted.  Providers of preschoolers need to beware of their surroundings and the safety concerns that pertain to the surroundings (Robertson, 2010). These safety concerns not only pertain to the preschool environment but also the home environment.

In the preschool environment often toys are broken which leads to sharp edges, small pieces, and sometimes go unnoticed.  These broken pieces and sharp edges create an unsafe environment for the children.  A lesson that providers need to model for their students in one which they are shown how to report a broken toy without fear of reprimand. Providers should complete a daily inspection of the toys in order to remove toys that have become a hazard to the children.  Providers should also express these practices to parents in order to insure that the home has toys that will not cause harm to their children.

The playground equipment needs to be checked for rust, sharp pieces, and other hazards that would harm a child. Any hazards should be visually marked so that both workers and children know that the area is unsafe.  A report of hazards should be placed on a maintenance repair form. A daily check sheet should be placed on the door that leads to the playground that allows workers to know that the playground has been checked for safety issues. Most preschool facilities have a visiting parent. Showing and allowing the parent to help complete this check list. This allows them to become more aware of the child’s outdoor environment in their neighborhoods.

Preschool aged children will want to walk out the door with their peers.  Doors should be securely locked and a waiting area for parents should be established.  Parents need to provide a constant to release form that allows providers to release the children to someone other than the parent.  Workers need to be trained in asking for identification when an unknown person picks up a child. Doors should remain securely locked during the day. This will insure that no unwanted or unknown persons have access to the children or the workers. Parents need to be aware that the facility is responsible for the safety of the children just like a parent is responsible for them when not at the preschool.

During the school hours all cleaning products, hand sanitizers, and eating utensils should be placed far out of the reach from the children. Preschoolers think everything is a toy and will play with it.  They like to mimic adults and try to clean and cook yet have no knowledge of the dangers. Chemicals need to be marked with proper symbols and place in a locked cabinet in order to prevent harm to the children. The use of hand sanitizer in the classroom has become overwhelming. Many of these products have smells that children think are food.  Hand sanitizer should only be used when the provider is present and then placed out of reach of the children.  Many parents purchase them and have them readily available.  Providers should advise parents to purchase hand sanitizers that are unscented and to keep them out of the hands of their children. When snack time is finished all utensils should be sanitized and if sharp need to be placed in locked drawers.

Often preschool aged children are transported to events.  The state mandates that children at preschool age need to be in a booster seat. Before planning field trip providers need to hold a parent meeting on the importance of transporting children safely. Showing parents the proper booster seat, buckling, and position will insure that the children will be transported safe on the field trip as well as on a daily basis with their parents.

Reference

Robertson, C. (2010). A Holistic Environmental Approach to Safety, Nutrition,and Health in Quality Early Childhood Education Environments. In Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education (4th ed., ). Belmont, CA: .