Breanne is in the housekeeping area playing with Maliha. Dion is comforting Zander, who is crying. MaKayla is under a table in the library area listening to a CD. Caleb and Aiden are running in circles, while Sam is building with blocks beside Jamie.

Sofia says she is hungry, and Jane wants to go to the bathroom. Where is Kevin? How do you keep track of all of these children?

The Daily Challenge

Keeping children safe is a goal of every early care and education program. It is a challenge to encourage child choice and hands-on learning while keeping everyone safe and knowing where all children are at all times.

A child may become separated from the group for a variety of reasons. He may see or hear something that intrigues him and then follow it, not considering safety or what the adult supervising him thinks. When parents come at pick-up time, their children may see them, get excited, and run to them, regardless of how far away the parents may be.

A child engaged in play may not notice the group moving from one space to another, like from the playground to inside. The typical short attention span may result in a child leaving the group to seek more stimulation if activities are boring.

It is important to realize that most children are not purposefully escaping. However, some children may intentionally escape the room or playground, seeking an adult reaction.

While a child can become separated from the group at any time, there are times of increased escape risk, requiring closer adult supervision. Arrival and departure times, transition between activities, field trips, and emergency situations are all high risk supervision times.

Know the Children

Each age presents different supervision challenges. Being familiar with typical child development and anticipating children’s behavior is key to effective supervision. Anticipating how children at different ages might act when they want to go somewhere will help you be better prepared.

Toddlers seeking independence and lacking the verbal skills to express where they want to go may use their feet to show you. Preschoolers often can reach door handles and gate latches and use their fine motor skills to operate them.

Knowing individual children and their patterns also aids in supervision. If a child is easily distracted by interesting sights and sounds, like fire engines, you know to “tune in” when exciting things are going on near the group. If a child frequently tries to follow his father each morning, you know to comfort him and help him engage in activity to minimize his desire to leave the group.

A child who likes to play in protected areas, like under tables or in playground tunnels, may be easily forgotten unless you know to look specifically for him or her. Think about each of the children in your group and consider what makes them at the greatest risk of escaping.

Plan Ahead

Advanced planning can increase the safety of children, reduce the number of crises, and minimize the need for caregivers to make decisions in the middle of chaos. Emergency procedures practiced by all adults and children should reduce the risk of losing track of children during real emergencies.

Have communication systems (cell phones, radios, etc.) available for staff at all times, including while on the playground and during transportation. Follow procedures about daily check-in and pick-up; make sure children are released only to authorized adults. In addition, required physical head counts of children throughout each day are helpful.

Ensure that environmental conditions are appropriate to allow continual and effective supervision with fewer incidents. Indoor furniture that is low allows a visual sweep of the entire space.

Installing security systems not only prevents children from slipping out unnoticed, but also provides an alert to adults entering the area. If a security system is not feasible, consider installing chimes on doors.

Outdoor play areas should be securely fenced to prevent children from wandering; fencing also prevents unauthorized visitors or stray animals from entering the grounds. Gates should have secure latches (not locks, which can pose dangers in emergency situations) that are easily accessible by adults, but preferably mounted out of children’s reach.

Missing Child: What to Do

If you have adequate staffing and necessary security measures in place, then most likely a missing child is safe and simply playing in an area out of your sight or playing a hiding game. The priority is to locate the child, attend to any emotional or physical injury, and still maintain the supervision of the other children in the group at the same time.

Begin by calling the child’s name in a friendly voice while looking in the likely places. Keep an eye on the total group. If you see the missing child, encourage him to return while moving slowly toward him. Avoid yelling or chasing because this may cause him to move farther away from you, possibly into danger.

If the child is not immediately located, remain calm and seek assistance by using your program’s communication system. Request additional adult help to supervise the group or locate the missing child since you cannot do both at once.

The parents, guardians, and police should be contacted to assist. Determining that the child is truly missing and that these authorities must be informed may seem like a difficult decision that could have challenging consequences for you as the provider and for your center, but it must be made, and made quickly.

Imagine the worst case scenario, where a child has been abducted or is lying injured somewhere. In those cases, a delay of even 2-3 minutes could be harmful to the child. Although parents may be alarmed and express anger toward the caregiver, you can explain the situation and the reason they were contacted.

Ultimately they will appreciate your quick action and concern for their child’s safety. Delaying your actions to avoid parents’ anger may put the child in more danger. Once the child has been found, remember to let all those assisting know.

Supervising young children means knowing where children are at all times while keeping them safe and happily engaged in developmentally appropriate activities. While appropriate supervision to keep track of all children is a challenge, understanding typical development and the patterns of individual children, having procedures in place for emergencies and daily operations, and developing keen supervision skills that use all of your senses will contribute toward a safe and secure environment for the children in your care.

Connie Jo Smith, EdD
Assistant Professor, Consumer and Family Sciences Department, Western Kentucky University

Internet Resources

Healthy Kids, www.healthykids.us/chapters/supervision_pf.htm

Keeping Your Child Safe in Today’s World, Child Care Aware Daily Parent, www.childcareaware.org/en/subscriptions/dailyparent/volume.php?id=22