Summer Early Learning Programs Should Plan Ahead for Safety and Communication with Parents

As the weather warms up, children will likely be spending more time outside. Early learning programs should start preparing now for the summer months and be aware of safety regulations and how to respond to summer-related health hazards.

It’s also important for programs to communicate with families about updated rules, policies, or programming for the summer.

In the second of our summer series, Katie Riggs, an ELRC Region 5 quality coach, shares tips on how programs can ensure that summer is both fun and safe.

Safety and Professional Development

One way that teachers can get ready for the summer is through professional development or safety training. April and May are great times to start having conversations at staff meetings about summer programming, Riggs said. 

“Even the most seasoned educator needs reminders about heat advisories, deer ticks, sunscreen, bee stings, poison ivy, and all those summer hazards they haven’t thought about for nine months,” she said. 

She outlined the following summer healthy and safety tips that are often covered through professional development:

1. Heat Safety
   It is important to know the signs of a heat exhaustion and heat stroke and when it’s time to take children who have been spending time in the sun inside. Teachers should make sure that every student has a water bottle or access to water while outside.

2. Sun Safety
   Preventative measures should be taken to protect children from the sun. With written permission from parents, sunscreen should be applied before heading outside. Hats, sunglasses, and other protective clothing are recommended, and shade should be available.

3. State Department of Human Services (DHS) Regulations
   Teachers should know the DHS regulations for outdoor safety. For example, Riggs explained, in Pennsylvania teachers are not allowed to remove a tick. Reviewing these regulations with staff ensures that everyone is prepared.

4. Preparing Outdoor Play Spaces
   Early learning programs that have outdoor play spaces should check those spaces in the spring for safety to ensure that no items were buried in the snow during the winter that could harm children playing there in the warmer months. It’s important to make sure that all equipment is in good condition and there are no hazards.

5. First Aid, CPR, and Water Safety Training
   The summer months are a great time for professional development courses on key safety topics. Water safety training is especially important for programs that utilize water play or have a wading pool or sprinkler.

Trying Together, ELRC Region 5’s quality partner, is hosting UnConference: Out-of-School Time in early June. This UnConference, which includes an optional First Aid/CPR add-on component, is perfect for summer staff.

For more information about summertime safety, see the PA Key’s Summertime Play article published last summer. 

Communicating with Families

It is important to communicate with families about what your program will look like in the summer. This can include everything from scheduling changes and activities to additional items needed from parents. For example, if you incorporate water play, parents would need to bring swim shoes, bathing suits, and sunscreen.

Riggs said that it is important to notify families about any policies involved with water play or outdoor time as well as any protocols in place to protect children - such as not taking them outside during extreme temperatures.

Also, programs might have an opportunity during the summer months to get families to take part in a child’s program.

“If families have more flexibility in their work during the summer, it might provide more opportunities for family engagement,” Riggs said. 

She suggested that programs extend invitations to families to come read to children or participate in some other way, such as an after-school activity or field trip.