Tuesday 15 September 2015

Safety this School Year



It’s that time of year again- when children are headed back to school. It’s a time of new beginnings, new friendships, new memories, and…new schedules.


As parents, we must coordinate new schedules around work and our daily lives with the start of the new school year. It’s extremely important to become organised to ensure the safety and flow of our work schedules as well as children’s schedules this coming year.

This time of year can be one of the most chaotic times for parents. Be sure to take the necessary steps to minimise the stress load. During higher times of stress, the risk for injury among families can become higher. Coordinate car pool schedules with neighbours and friends. Finding car-pool buddies and other parents you can coordinate your schedules with will eliminate a lot of headache down the road.

Ensuring Safety: Children

There are many places where our children have the risk of becoming injured. We can probably think of many of these places, but one of the most common places is outside during recess or after school activities. The risk of serious injury or danger is much higher in these places because of the dangers that come with playsets and outdoor equipment.

It’s vital, as parents, to be sure we visit and carefully inspect where our children will spend time outdoors this year. In fact, nearly 25 percent of child injury outdoors comes from the improper supervision from teachers and staff members. With a visual inspection during the first few weeks of school, as parents we can eliminate or reduce areas that we believe pose a risk to our children. Be sure to communicate with school personnel so they are aware of the dangerous and risky situations that could pose a threat to other students as well.

Ensuring Safety: Elders

One area which is often overlooked during the start of the school year is also the safety of our elders. With many of our parents in their retirement age, we will all face the decision of placing our parents into nursing homes if we feel the need for this type of supervision.

Just as we do for our children, it’s important to properly inspect where our elders will be staying as well. Just like with teachers, nursing home caregivers can also pose a threat of injury or risk for our elders. Ensuring their homes meet the standards and commonplace practises of other homes is vital. Nearly a quarter of parents do not re-visit their elder’s homes after placing them in homes. Nursing Home Safety is extremely important for all, and ensuring the health and well-being of our parents and grandparents this year should also make the top of the list.

Checklist

As we enter into a new school year, be sure to do the following:

* Inspect where your children will be spending a lot of time- areas include playgrounds, after school facilities, and transportation methods

* Be sure to coordinate schedules and times to arrange transportation with other parents. This will allow for more time and eliminate stressful situations

* If you have a teen, be sure they are aware of the dangers while travelling to school. Texting and driving should be eliminated, and parents need to ensure they talk with teens about the dangers.

* Check on your elders! They often go unnoticed and should not be forgotten. Their daily lives depend on caregivers, and it is our duty to ensure these caregivers meet our requirements for practising safe behaviours.

Comment below to let us know some of the safe behaviours you will be sure to practise this year!

**this is a collaborative post

26 comments:

  1. Some great tips there - my daughter isn't allowed to text on the way to and from school as she gets engrossed in her phone and I worry that puts her in danger x x

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    1. I admit I used to be guilty of that but not now that I am older (and wiser) that is a good tip not allowing her to use the phone at that time xx

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  2. A family safety check-up in September is a good idea, before the nights draw in and evenings get darker.

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    1. can't believe its getting dark by 8.30pm already! I like safety check, especially for older children

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  3. I am glad that my boys do not have a phone to be concentrating on that rather than the road. They have been walking for over a year now and are pretty street savvy

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    1. I have seen many teenager walk across the road engrossed in their phone and I think wow put it away and pay attention x

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  4. I love that most of our school run is really safe as we walk through a park and we only have to cross one road. That one road is mega busy and always worries me even with a crossing.

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    1. My sons school is just across the street but the road is busy at school times. He is only 5 so we still walk him there and back but when he is old enough to take himself over I will be worried sick! x

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  5. Some great points here.
    My Daughter has just started nursery so we are teaching safety on crossing the road.

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    1. awww I hope she is enjoying nursery.
      We are teaching Sophie the same just now

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  6. Great tips, I'm concentrating on making sure my son is good with road safety.

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  7. My brother just moved schools (they moved closed to us) so environment is new to him and he gets easily distracted so I'm always worried when he gets home from school.

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    1. A new environment can be unsettling. I hope he settles into it soon xx

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  8. I am really lucky that we live so close to the school and there is a Lollipop lady on the only road we have to cross. I do think our school is a bit health and safety mad as the kids are not allowed to use the plat equipment before school

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    1. I wish we had a Lollipop lady on our street at school times as the street turns into a free for all and a few people don't observe the 20mph speed limit!
      Strange they don't allow them to use the play equipment but there must be some reason for it.

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  9. We used to have to cross a busy main road on the way home from school - there was a underpass for the while but they filled it in and put in traffic lights across the road - not sure that was the best idea. x

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    1. I would say the underpass would have been the safest option! At least then you are away from the traffic x

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  10. Traffic is a nightmare around by our school mainly due to the careless parking! Great tips

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    1. Bad parking gets on my nerves. It doesn't take long to park correctly. The entrance road to the school is round the other side of the building but they all park on our street as its easier. Nightmare x

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  11. Thanks for sharing these tips, lots of useful advise in there. Mich x

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    1. No problem :) always good to have a plan in place x

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  12. My little one is still young so I always keep a very close eye as we head into and out of school, as it is a very busy area, with many drop-off areas and loads of busy traffic!xx

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    1. I wish there was a way to keep traffic away from the schools making it a little a safer x

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  13. Some great tips there Angela especially as we are new to the whole school routine. Thank you for sharing :)

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    1. No problem. As a parent I know we all worry about our kids safety so felt this had to be shared x

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