Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
But I think as a veteran provider, it's our responsibility to get as many details as we can before passing judgment.
Saying it wouldn't have happened at your center isn't at all helpful as I bet MV thought the same thing. I think that's a pretty bold statement to make and one that "says" to those it has or almost has happened to that they are somehow less than or not good providers. I think those kinds of statements can be very hurtful.
I think as veteran providers our first instinct is should be to help and support newish providers before we pass down judgment or opinions.
We've all been new at this. We've all learned things the hard way. Some lessons harder than others and some A LOT more important than others but we were still all NEW and unexperienced at one point.
Also, if you click on OPs profile you can see she has NOT logged in since 7/27...5 hours after she posted so again, we don't know if she read or didn't read anything beyond that.
Yep, it's a bold statement, and I stand by it. I have alarmed doors.I have a keypad entry. I have motion detectors on windows with sills below 3 feet. I have a secured latch on my gate that can only be opened from the outside, by an adult. My play yard is fully fenced and inspected daily. I even have a mirror mounted behind my shed so I can see back there at all times. I paid a lot of money for security upgrades. We are in a city center, so we take safety seriously. A child getting out a door would be on a ciry street, where there are buses, traffic from a major high school, a Ford dealership, a grocery store, a city park..... so yes, VERY serious business securing the facility properly.
Most importantly, my husband and I provide direct supervision. There are always two of us, 100 percent of the time. Sure, I prepare the lunches, we take bathroom breaks, he empties the trash. But nobody leaves a direct supervisory role without the other being aware and all children are accounted for and are within direct eyesight. We are the operators, the owners, the everything, so of course we protect our livelihood by making sure we follow ALL rules concerning direct supervision.
Am I saying all this to make some providers who had a close call feel bad? No. Am I saying this because I'm smug I've never "lost" a child? No. Hardly. I say these things in hopes it reaches someone who googles "safety precautions for daycare centers ". I didn't set out to hurt the OP's feelings. I cared about the safety of the child, not about my popularity here.