Active Supervision for Child Safety
Explore ways to use active supervision with a systematic approach. Learn how to put this approach to work to create a safe, positive learning environment for all children.
Explore ways to use active supervision with a systematic approach. Learn how to put this approach to work to create a safe, positive learning environment for all children.
Review this series of questions to assess how well your management systems ensure active supervision and child safety.
All Head Start educators are responsible for making sure that no child is left unsupervised. Active supervision is a strategy that works. It can be used in classrooms, family child care, playgrounds, and buses. It can also be shared with families as a tool to use at home. This fact sheet explains what active supervision is and how to use it in your program.
Children learn best when they are in safe, well-supervised environments. Head Start staff can reduce the possibility of a child getting hurt when they closely observe children and respond when needed. When programs think systematically about child supervision they create safe, positive learning environments for all children.
Constant and active supervision should be maintained when any child is in or around water. During swimming and/or bathing where an infant or toddler is present, the ratio should always be one adult to one infant/toddler. During wading and/or water play activities, the supervising adult should be within an arm’s length providing “touch supervision.” Programs should ensure that all pools have drain covers that are used in compliance with the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act.
In center-based programs, caregivers/teachers should directly supervise children under age 6 by sight and sound at all times. In family child care settings, caregivers should directly supervise children by sight or sound. When children are sleeping, caregivers may supervise by sound with frequent visual checks.
Head Start transportation teams have an important job. Each day, safe and reliable transportation services can be a child’s first interaction with Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Not only do transportation teams have to ensure that buses are safe and routes run on time, they also must supervise children. This webinar may help transportation teams identify strategies for meeting some of the many challenges they experience every day.
Share this webinar with managers to help them become better systems thinkers, deepen their understanding of how systems support safety, and use the Active Supervision Toolkit to support agency wide safety practices.
Learn more about using active supervision and attention management strategies on Head Start buses.
Review the questions and answers below to find information related to active supervision in early care and education settings.