When it comes to commercial security, business owners handle many items of value, from jewelry to computer equipment to large quantities of cash. Parents and childcare operators know, however, that there is no item as precious as a child — particularly when you’re providing care for someone else’s child.
This is why daycare security measures are so important. Very often, kids spend many hours of the day, every single day, at their daycare facilities. Because of this, it’s important that every facility takes the utmost care to keep every child safe the entire time they’re at daycare.
Does Your Facility Have These Daycare Security Measures?
Part of making your daycare safe is making it smart. That means integrating things like your lights, thermostats, video cameras, and door locks into your security system. This will make them more simple to control, as well as allow facility managers to monitor them from anywhere.
As part of your daycare security measures, here are the items to consider integrating into your commercial security system:
Automatic Lights. Of course, you want your facility to be well-lit and welcoming when parents begin arriving first thing in the morning to drop their children off. Rather than having staff scurrying around, flipping light switches, why not install a smart lighting system that automatically turns on whenever the security system is disarmed at the start of each day? To save electricity and hassle at the close of business, program the lights to dim or turn off when the security system is armed. As an alternative, you could set the lighting system up on a timer.
Smart Thermostat. You might not think of a thermostat as an important part of your daycare security measures, but it’s essential to effectively control the temperature in order to keep the children comfortable while they’re there, as well as cut down on electricity use when the facility is closed. Set the heating or air conditioner to come on and turn off automatically at certain times of the day. If an unexpected cold snap hits overnight, it’s no problem: warm the building up remotely by accessing the thermostat via your smartphone or device.
Automated Door Locks. One of the most essential daycare security measures, door locks are important to keep unwanted or suspicious individuals out, while ensuring that each and every child is kept inside, safe and sound. Secure your door locks with individual passcodes for each staff member, which will help you keep a record of who comes and goes at what time. Passcode-activated door locks will prevent even the most capable child from being able to open a door and wander off, in addition to keeping strangers from gaining entry.
Entry and Exit Sensors. As people come and go throughout the day, having monitored alarms on all entry and exit doors will help ensure the safety of the children. No one will be able to quietly slip in or out of any door or window, as an audible alarm will sound as soon as any door or window is opened. For a facility with a large number of entry and exit points, it brings peace of mind to know that should an alarm sound, the keypad will immediately display which door or window was opened.
Video Monitoring. When it comes to effective daycare security measures, video monitoring works on multiple levels. First, it helps staff keep track of everything going on around the facility, whether it’s a live feed that shows employees which parent is pressing the buzzer and requesting entry at the front door or providing video footage of an injury or incident that occurred hours earlier.
Video monitoring also acts as a deterrent for any kind of criminal activity. All video cameras should be placed in conspicuous locations both inside and outside the facility. They should be positioned to provide thorough coverage of all areas, but it’s especially important to have a clear view of all activity in busy or high-traffic parts of the facility.
Finally, it can give parents huge peace of mind when they can access a live video stream of their child’s daycare facility in order to check in and make sure their little one is doing OK. Access to this kind of video stream is a great advertising point for your facility.
Keeping track of dozens of active children is a tough job. While daycare security measures won’t make that job easier, they can make kids safer and help everyone — both staff and parents — rest a little easier.
At ProTech Security, we have a strong history of experience, innovation, and customer service. The ProTech Security Advantage is more than 30 years of service in Northeast Ohio and a strong commitment to providing quality, cost-effective protection for homes, businesses, educational institutions and government facilities. To see what ProTech Security can do for you, contact us today.
