Safety Measures in Our Childcare

At ABC Great Beginnings we strive to provide the safest environments possible so that your children have a secure environment in which to grow and learn. However, there are three areas that we want to highlight where we go above and beyond industry norms.

Licensing

Many “preschool” programs are not licensed by the State of Utah Bureau of Child Care Licensing. Utilizing a program that has a state license ensures that the program meets all health and safety requirements established by the Licensing Bureau and receive a minimum of two licensing inspections per year to make sure that requirements are being met and any violations are corrected.

State licensed programs are also required to have their employees undergo in depth background screenings looking for felony and misdemeanor convictions as well as findings of abuse (which do not always lead to conviction). If your children are attending a program that is not licensed by the State, then their teachers have not had the type of in depth background checks that our faculty has undergone.

In many instances licensing is optional however at ABC Great Beginnings we believe in the licensing process and require all of our programs to be licensed so your children can reap the benefits.

We take your children’s safety serious, contact us to find out more.

Transportation

Many early childhood programs use 15 passenger vans to transport children. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has been advising child care providers to discontinue the use of 15 passenger vans for almost a decade. The 15 passenger vans are more susceptible to roll-over crashes than any other type of vehicle (safercar.gov) and because they do not have a roll cage, those crashes result in death more often than other vehicle roll-over crashes.

The preferred method of transportation is smaller vans and small buses. At ABC Great Beginnings, your child’s safety is our number one priority. That is why we do not use 15 passenger vans at any of our locations. Buses are certainly more expensive than 15 passenger vans but we think your children are worth it.

Playground Safety

State licensing standards for child care centers already set a pretty high standard for playground safety. In fact, you can rest assured that a state-licensed child care center meets standards that are often higher than public parks and public schools. At ABC Great Beginnings, we go above and beyond by installing rubber mat surfacing at our centers when we remodel playgrounds. Unlike sand, gravel, and wood chips, rubber mats stay soft regardless of the weather conditions. They also do not present a choking hazard for young children and you won’t find children putting them in their eyes, nose, ears, or mouths. In addition, because they are made from recycled tires, they are the “greenest” option available.

This is a very expensive process so it can take 18-30 months before we can accomplish the remodel but we currently have the process completed in 7 of our centers.