South Wake Preschool & Academy maintains stringent health and safety practices. Faculty undergoes a thorough screening and hiring process, including background reference checks. Faculty who are certified in First Aid, CPR, and blood borne Pathogens (infection control) are present in South Wake at all times.  The center management or designee completes comprehensive health and safety checklists and conducts routine fire and emergency drills on a regular basis. To ensure that families and children feel safe and comfortable at al times, families of enrolled children are welcome under an open-door policy to visit at any time during the day.

Medical Records

In order to ensure and protect the health of all children, and to satisfy child care regulations, South Wake needs current medical information on each child prior to enrollment. This information varies from state to state. Your center management will provide you with the specific information required. These records need to be updated annually.

Reportable Communicable Diseases

When South Wake Preschool & Academy is notified that a child enrolled, or an employee has a suspected reportable disease, it is our legal responsibility to notify the local Board of Health or Department of Public Health. Authorities may require further information, testing, or preventative measures.
South Wake will give serious consideration to all recommendations made by the public health agencies in order to ensure the health and safety of faculty members and the children and families we serve. We believe it is extremely important to notify families about exposure so their child(ren) can receive preventive treatment if available.

Infection Control

All teachers are trained with regard to proper hygiene practices, which include hand-washing procedures, general infection control, safe food handling, and diapering and toileting procedures. South Wake Preschool & Academy will ensure that certain equipment, items, and surfaces are sanitized using soap and water followed by disinfectant on a regular schedule. The disinfectant can be either a bleach solution or a registered commercial disinfectant. The following duties are performed on a regular basis:

• Cribs and infant toys are washed and sanitized with a bleach solution daily, or after they have been mouthed.
• Crib sheets, crib blankets, and machine-washable fabric toys are washed on a weekly basis or more often if needed.
• Blankets and washable toys that belong to children are sent home at the end of each week for washing.
• Diapering surfaces, mouthed toys or objects, bibs, thermometers, and mops used for cleaning bodily fluids are disinfected after each use.
• Toilets, toilet seats, flushing handles, containers & lids used to hold soiled papers, tables, and smooth nonporous floors are cleaned daily or whenever there is visible contamination.

  
Toilet Learning

The following guidelines will be followed:

• Children will be supervised during toilet learning, and shall be praised for their efforts and accomplishments.
• Toilet learning shall not be coerced. Individual developmental abilities of each child shall be considered. Children shall not be punished emotionally or physically for soiling, wetting, or not using the toilet.
• Families will provide sufficient extra clothing for their children. If an accident occurs, the child shall be changed into clean clothes. Any extra clothes of the child’s that are worn home should be replaced the next day.
• Families shall be kept advised of their child’s progress on a regular basis according to family wishes.
   

Infant Sleep Positions

The U.S. Public Health Department and the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends that infants be put to sleep on their backs to reduce the chance of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Therefore, all infants who sleep in a crib will be put to sleep on their backs unless otherwise requested by the family.