Working with children is rewarding and challenging. Recently, child care has become even more challenging with rising reports of alleged child abuse and neglect in child-care situations. Although the number of reports is small, parents have become increasingly concerned about the potential for child abuse in child-care settings. As a result, providers must take special precautions to ensure children's safety and to protect themselves from false accusations. Here are some things caregivers can do to create an environment in which both children and caregivers are protected.

Staff Behavior

• Avoid being alone with one child. At least two adults should always be present. This practice limits the risk for actual abuse and for allegations. It also helps in case of an injury or other emergency.
  

• Never hit or strike a child, even in so-called "play."

• Do not use physical punishment of any kind.

• Hugs are okay if they are appropriate and if both people are comfortable with them. Take your cues from the child's body language or simply ask, "Is it okay if I hug you?" If you don't feel comfortable with a hug from a child, tell her in a gentle way. Then suggest an alternative, such as holding her hand orputting her hand on your shoulder or arm.

• Be aware of children's personal boundaries and respect them. For example, some people like being close and getting and giving hugs. Others don't like a lot of close contact with other people. The amount of space between people that is comfortable is different for everyone. Sometimes we forget that children have those preferences, too.

Center Policies

• Maintain appropriate child-to-staff ratios and small group sizes. Check the suggested guidelines in Sue Bredecamp's Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8. Or call the National Association for the Education of Young Children at 1-800-424-2460 to get a list of their publications.

• Encourage parents to drop in whenever they can.

• Make sure that all areas children use are in view at times. Children sometimes assault other children.

• Write policies that protect staff from the risk of being falsely accused. Examples of risk include leaving a staff member alone with the first or last child at the beginning or end of the program day. Such policies also protect children from possible abuse.

• Provide on going training for staff to learn current information on the care, development, and guidance of children. Such training should include instruction on child-abuse issues.

• Check references before hiring anyone volunteers and paid staff. Check for any past concerns regarding guidance techniques. And look for alleged or confirmed allegations of child abuse or neglect.

• Require that staff have at least minimal experience and education about child development.

Special Considerations for Older Youth

Some of the guidelines suggested above present a challenge if you are working with older children. You would never allow young children on a field trip to go to a rest room by themselves. The same should hold true for older children. On field trips,children of all ages should go in groups of two or more to the bathroom, preferably with a staff member. This practice ensures everyone's safety.

As children get older, they need privacy for such things as reading or writing. This can be a problem if the quiet area is hidden from view. Structure your surroundings so staff can see children at all times but children feel some sense of privacy. The bathroom is an exception to this rule. You may want to have a policy that only one child uses the bathroom at a time. If your on-site bathroom is in another building, you may want to take trips to the bathroom with two or more children and a staff member who waits outside.

Ask youth to give feedback about the program and any safety concerns they have. You can include youth in planning your program and environment. It's good for children to learn to take precautions. You can help them learn to plan ahead and think about their safety.

Special Considerations for Infants and Toddlers

Infants and toddlers also present special challenges. For a number of reasons, infants and toddlers are at especially high risk for abuse or neglect. One reason is their inability to tell anyone about it. Providers should be especially sensitive to the needs of infants and toddlers. Write policies that safe guard children and care givers alike.

• Train staff to understand the developmental norms of infants and toddlers. Infants are very demanding and need a lot of personal attention. Staff members caring for them may become stressed. It helps when they know what behavior is typical for children.

• Toddlers can also be very demanding and stubborn. When staff are given developmentally appropriate guidance strategies, caring for toddlers becomes much more positive.

• Don't put staff at risk of being accused of abuse. Don't leave staff members in situations where abuse could occur. The area where infants and toddlers are cared for should be open. Children and staff should be able to see each other at all times. Structure rooms so there are no hidden areas. Staff should be able to call for help quickly and easily if necessary.

• Caring for infants and toddlers is extremely tiring and stressful. Follow staffing regulations strictly and give plenty of breaks and relief.

Reviewing Policies

Extra precautions and careful planning can make child care more rewarding and reduce the potential for problems. Take the time now to review your program's policies, hiring procedures, and play areas in light of what you have just read. It will be time well spent.

Policies and guidelines for all staff should protect staff and children from situations where children's safety is compromised in any way. When considering, writing, or revising policies, keep the safety of both children and adults in mind. Educating staff about child-abuse prevention and intervention is a critical part of creating a safe environment for adults and children. Thoughtful precautionary measures can help care givers avoid the damaging and costly problems associated with child abuse and neglect. Your center can be a "safety zone" where children are protected from these threats to their well-being!

To learn more about child abuse and prevention, contact the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse at 312-663-3520. Or call the child-abuse prevention agency in your community.

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