Active Supervision

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Culture of Safety
School readiness begins with a culture of safety. Active Supervision ensures a balance of learning opportunities while at the same time focusing on injury prevention strategies. Why is this important? As you can see in the chart below, the leading cause of death in children ages 1-4 is Unintentional Injuries, and the leading cause of injuries is Falls. 

How can we prevent unintentional injuries and deaths?
"(Early/)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.
Using active supervision means that programs:

• Develop a systems approach for child supervision
• Provide staff development and resources to ensure program-wide implementation
• Use redundant strategies to ensure no child is left unattended"  ~Early Childhood Knowledge and Learning Center(ECKLC)

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ACTIVE SUPERVISION - A Systems Approach for Child Supervision
Watch this short video for a brief overview of the 6 Active Supervision strategies:

• Active Supervision Presentation

STRATEGIES IN PRACTICE
Watch these videos for more on setting up the environment, positioning staff and using different scan and count strategies:

• Designing Environments
• Positioning- Where do I Stand?
• What's the Count?

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NEXT STEPS

1. After reviewing the videos, tools, resources, and the Six Strategies to Keep Children Safe, work together with your teaching team to create an Active Supervision Implementation Plan. This completed plan should be kept in an easy-access location in your classroom, and all teachers and subs should be familiar with it. Remember to use and refer to your plan often throughout the year to help ensure children are kept safe.
2. Submit a copy to your Coordinator at your September recap meeting. 
3. Your Coordinator will complete an announced observation in November and an unannounced observation in February using the Active Supervision Monitoring Action Plan.
4. A discussion and feedback will occur at your recap following each observation.

Additional Tools and Resources from ECKLC

• Classroom Transitions
• Zoning to Maximize Learning
• Active Supervision Toolkit 
• Active Supervision Overview
• Active Supervision at a Glance
• Active Supervision Poster
  
• NMCAAHS.com Active Supervision Page
  

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HSPPS 1302.47 Safety Practices