Course Project: Health and Safety

Ensuring the health and safety of the children in your center is one of your most important responsibilities as a director.

However, as outlined in Chapter 10 of your course text, managing health and safety at a child development center is a complex task and thus requires the participation and cooperation of not just the director, but all staff members at the center.

In this assignment, you will consider how you, as a director, might delegate the various tasks involved in health and safety management at your child development center.

To complete this assignment, create a chart in which you identify the specific responsibilities of each level of staff member (e.g., director, assistant director, lead teacher, assistant teacher, aide, and/or any other levels or types of staff you employ in your center) in ensuring the health and safety of the children in your center (including yourself).

What, specifically, will each staff member be required to know and do in order to manage the health and safety of the children in the center? Take into account the following aspects of health and safety management:

Meeting licensing regulations

Creating a "medical home" for every child

Arrival, departure, and transportation of children

Reporting possible child abuse

Accidents, injuries, and emergency procedures

Meeting children's physiological needs (activity, rest, diapering, toilet training)

Meeting needs of children with disabilities and chronic medical problems

Health education for children and families

Meeting children's mental health needs

Monitoring health and safety conditions

You may use the Health and Safety: Staff Responsibilities Chart found in this module's Learning Resources as a starting point, although you are free to add and/or alter the format as needed to meet the needs of your center.