Strategies for Creating a Safe and Healthy Environment in Early Childhood Education

This document discusses the strategies and practices for creating a safe and healthy environment in early childhood education. It emphasizes the importance of keeping dangerous objects out of reach, promoting hygiene habits, practicing emergency plans, and developing skills and strategies for teachers. The document also highlights the role of teachers in helping individual students, promoting healthy behaviors, and creating a well-resourced and well-maintained classroom environment.

Running head: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Early Childhood Education
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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The preschool teachers have an important role to play in order to keep the children within
a very safe and healthy environment. In order to do that the teachers or early childhood care
professionals have to take many strategies that will be helping them to make a very stable
environment for the children. There are some steps that must be taken by the teachers in order to
create a safe environment. The first step is to keep dangerous objects out of the reach of children.
The teachers have to keep in their mind that they are taking care of children who do not have a
proper understanding of things that are good or bad for them. Thus it is the responsibility of the
teachers to make sure that they are keeping the classroom environment safe and healthy. As per
the opinion of Nikolopoulou & Gialamas (2015), it is important for keeping many objects like
scissors, gum, color pens and other such elements within the classroom environment as it helps
the teacher to decorate the classroom environment. The early childhood teachers have to keep
these objects with them so that they can teach the children in a colorful and innovative way.
However Hay & Reissenberger (2016) has argued that there is also a major threat that the
children might face from these small objects, there is the risk if the children taking up these
objects and swallowing them unknowingly.
The teachers have to make sure that they are keeping all the sharp objects out of the reach
of the children. The knives and scissors or any other sharp objects ht might be needed in the art
and craft classes have to be kept out of the reach of the children. It is the duty of the teachers to
make sure that they are taking these art and craft sessions with proper care so that the children do
not run the risk of suffering any kinds of injuries (Kermani & Aldemir, 2015). The early
childhood teachers must be developing proper time management skills so that they can devote
time in taking care of the safety levels of the products that they will be adding in their classroom

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set up. Before adding them in their classroom shelves they have to make sure that the safety
levels of the products are properly measured before they are kept in the classes. The children
must get proper training from their teachers' regarding the ways in which they have to handle
these products.
The other important habit that must be followed by the early childhood teacher is the
hygiene factors, In other words, the the teacher has to make sure that he or she is washing their
hands on a regular basis. This is a very basic habit. However, preschoolers are often not very
accustomed to these healthy habits. Thus it is the duty of the teachers to make sure that they are
being capable of setting a good example by initialing healthy habits within their children. The
teachers must teach their students' right at a very age to wash their hands before any of their
mealtimes and during the bathroom breaks. This will be helping the students to learn about safe
and healthy habits right from an early age (McCoy et al., 2017).
Practicing emergency plans is of utmost importance. This is because the emergency plans
help in developing a sense of emergency among the students. It is the responsibility of the
teachers to make sure that they are teaching their students to be responsible at every single
moment. This will help the children to have the idea of a safety alert system within their minds.
Apart from this, the students will be able to develop a self-defense system and will know the
difference between the right and the wrong (Phillips et al., (2016).
There are some skills and strategies needed by the early childhood teachers in order to
induce a safe, healthy and nutritious environment for the students. A teacher must be patient. The
teacher has to keep in mind that if she loses her calm it will be very bad for the children. Thus it

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is of utmost importance for the teacher to be able to induce a peaceful and good healthy
environment within her classroom.
A good and engaging personality is another important trait that must be present within the early
childhood classroom teachers. The students will always look up to their teachers for getting the
right kind of inspiration and the lessons. However, it is for this reason that early childhood
teachers must use innovative teaching styles that will be helping them to develop a good
personality. The teachers must be soft-spoken and must know how to behave properly with their
students.
The preschool teachers have to be of a very energetic nature. They have to make sure
that they are being able to hold the attention of the children. In other words, the teachers have to
use all the new and the dynamic innovative ideas of teaching that will be helping them to keep up
the attention of their students. It is the duty of the teachers to involve each and every student
within the classroom activities.
The teachers must be flexible in nature. In other words, they will have to make sure that
they are answering to all the doubts and queries that are raised by any of their students. The
preschool students are of a very inquisitive nature and they always want to ask several questions
to their teachers. It is the duty of the teachers to make sure that they are responding to all the
answers without getting angry. They have to make sure that all they are of a very approachable
nature and are really to take up any kinds of challenges that might their way.
The preschool teachers have to take many strategies that will be helping them to create
a safe, healthy and good environment within the classroom. The teachers will have to make

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sure that they are helping the individual students, promoting healthy and helpful behaviors and
others.
Helping individual students is one of the most useful strategies that must be used by the
teachers in the classroom. This is because of the fact that at times one of the students may feel
unhappy, sad and depressed. The teacher might not overlook such students. The preschool
teachers must always make sure that they are being able to take care of the interest of each and
every student. The teachers must be paying close attention to the behavior of the students who
might stay inactive during any ongoing classroom activities. The teachers must immediately
consult with the principal in order to get a hold of all the past family records and the health
records of those students. They must also seek help from the counselors in order to get help. The
teachers must make sure that they are involving the teachers in and each every decision.
Promoting a healthy classroom environment is one of the most important activities
that the teachers must undertake. The strategies that the preschool teachers can undertake are
conducting many workshops and seminars on healthy habits. This will be helping the teachers to
make all the students to take part in the same. The teachers can also conduct some of the exercise
sessions during the free time of the classes. This will be helping the students to get help from
their seats and take part in some of these activities. This will be helping the children to get good
this will be helping the children to get good exercise and stay healthy.
The teachers must conduct some parent teachers meeting along with some health
experts who will be helping the parents to know about the health conditions of their children and
how to take care of them. The best strategy that a teacher can take is to look after the children
through the collaborative and the joint efforts of the parents. Weekly and monthly sessions with

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the nutritionist must be arranged in the classes. This will help the teachers to induce the habit
of healthy eating. The teachers must make sure that they are helping the students to eat healthily
and get sufficient exercise. This will help them to have a sound and work towards gaining a good
academic career. A healthy body will always help the students to stay in a healthy and happy
mood. They will also be able to reach their academic goals properly (Sims et al., 2017).
The environment has to be set up properly as per the provisions and curriculum of a
healthy learning environment so that the students can get a friendly ambiance to work and play.
The children are often in the need of changing their interest. Thus it is the duty of the teachers to
make sure that they are capable of making the environment a colorful place. The well resourced
and well-maintained environment must be needed in order to keep the students healthy and
happy. The teachers must make sure that the classroom environment is being made innovative
and interesting so that the students can always keep up their interest. Arranging the space is
another important learning environment and curriculum provision that is needed for keeping the
environment happy and healthy.
This is because the preschool students usually want a good amount of space. As per the
curriculum of a safe and healthy learning environment, it is needed that the classroom space is
properly divided into pathways. The division of the classroom space into clear pathways will
always be very helpful for the students to stay focused. This will help them to make complete
utilization of the free space and carry on their day to day activity in an uninterrupted manner.
The preschool teachers must make sure that they are not conducting any classroom
activities at the edge or the farthest corners of the classes. This will be bad for the students as
they will all try to cluster around in the corners and the free space that is left behind in the middle

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will be just inviting aimless wandering (Hay & Reissenberger, 2016). Thus the teachers of the
preschool levels must make sure that they are being able to make the proper and the complete
utilization of the classroom spaces. The teachers must always make sure to provide a consistent
environment for the students. The teachers must make sure that the classroom is filled with an
abundance of equipment that the students might need while taking part in many different
classroom activities. In other words, the teachers must always be able to give a sense of
belongingness and comfort to all their students. This will be helpful for the students to develop a
kind of attachment with the classroom environment and the teachers as well. The students will be
able to develop a good association with each of their classmates and also their teachers.
The classroom provisions for creating a healthy and safe environment must be such that
will be helping the students to get a colorful, safe and free surrounding. The teachers must make
sure that they are being able to develop a proper interaction session with all their students by
using each of the objects that are kept in the surrounding. The children must be taken for outdoor
activities as well where the teachers can help them develop a good connection with the
environment. This will be helping the students to learn and also stay connected with nature.
Thus the preschool teachers have to make sure that they are using all the possible
strategies in order to develop a strong and healthy environment. They will have to interact with
each and every student and make them take part in the classroom activity. Both the indoor and
the outdoor activities have to be carried on so that the students can play and learn at the same
time within the healthy and safe learning environment.

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