The List

No first aid kit accompanying children outdoors.

Not safe if there is a true medical emergency or if there is some reason the group is unable to re-enter the building.

The kids are outdoors for 4 or 5 hours most days.
8:30 to 10:15-10:30
11:30 to 12:30
1:00 to 2:15 or 2:30

Again after the afternoon snack time. I leave at 3:30, so I don't know how long they're outside then.

There is no sunscreen applied before or during outdoor play. When I brought this up, the staff went into the building and brought out a big bottle, lined up all the kids and rubbed it on them. I mentioned that we were not supposed to be doing that. That we were not to be rubbing lotion on children. None of them had any clue that it wasn't a good idea or WHY it wasn't a good idea.

This happened once.
The rest of the summer, there was no sunscreen in evidence.
I have asked about it.

Mostly they roll their eyes at me. No matter what my question is.

There is a lot of child on child contact. Children lie down together, lie on top of each other. They hide behind poorly placed furniture. I move things so I can see the kids, the kids don't appreciate it.

There have been several occasions I have told children they may not sit/lie on each other. They always respond that 'staff allows them to do it' or 'it's okay she's my sister/he's my brother.'

I let them know that *I* won't allow it, and their relationship isn't the point, the point is that they're all big kids and can sit on their own.

Children were allowed to have bare feet outdoors 'but only in the grass area' until I told other staff it was completely against our policies. I have found broken glass inside the back play area on five separate occasions this summer, too. In talking with other staff, I learned that they have also found some. That alone should be reason enough to keep shoes on, even if it weren't a rule we're supposed to follow.

Children were doing tumbling, both indoors and out. When I commented that they should not be doing so, I was told 'they only do safe ones'. I said that is subjective and that they should not be doing it at all. Ever.

They're still being allowed to do it. I go to them and stop them when I see it happening, but the kids don't like that a whole lot either.
"But other staff lets us do it/I take gymnastics."

I have observed children running up the slides, jumping off the play structure, climbing the fences, throwing rocks, sword fighting with sticks. When I have asked staff about play structure rules they just shrug and say that 'we have always let them do that'.

While working on a project outdoors with several kids,  I observed children smashing rocks with other rocks just a few feet away from staff. I made the kids stop. Explained why it's dangerous. Notified other staff that I'd done so. It has happened other times since then. I always go and stop them. Other people don't seem to notice when it's happening.

I have seen more than one HIPAA violation.

One was also a direct licensing violation, which I brought to the attention of staff. I don't know if they have changed their protocol, but if they haven't, they should.

There are smaller issues that, while not license or safety problems, still contribute to the general looseness of the program.

Threatening children with reading, for example. "If you don't quiet down RIGHT NOW I am going to MAKE YOU READ."  Without offering them alternate activities.

Having one set of rules that all staff agree to enforce without playing favorites and without change would be a lot of help, I think.

Having staff put their phones away when arriving for a shift and telling them not to get them out until their break would be helpful, too.

Having planned activities for each staff to be responsible for would be good as well. There isn't as much interaction with kids as there should be.

Upholding the very sensible 'no toys from home' rule would save a lot of arguments, lost toys and upset kids. It's been a personal rule of mine for so long that I don't even know if it's one of our rules. Is it?

I simply don't allow it unless it's for a show and tell kind of thing.

Some of these things can and probably will be resolved with some more experience for the staff. Most of them are very young and haven't been doing the job for very long. That's understandable.

But the large issues, the physical intimidation of children, the HIPAA violations, the discussion of personal child issues in front of other children and safety issues are things that need to be a focus of some serious training.

Those simply should never happen.