Safety Practices

All Head Start staff, from classroom teachers to bus drivers, are responsible for making sure no child is left unsupervised. Find out what active supervision is and how to use it across all program activities.

Plants are important to our health and well-being, and they can help children understand and respect the natural world. 

These resources will help early childhood programs learn more about emergency preparedness, response, and recovery.

During the first five years, children constantly acquire new skills and knowledge. Caregivers who know what children can do and how they can get hurt can protect them from injury.

Hazard mapping is a process that Head Start programs can use after an injury occurs. It helps for emergency preparedness planning related to natural disasters.

The toddler years are a time when children are building skills in all areas. They remember what they learn and share it with others. They understand things more deeply, make choices, and engage with others in new ways.

Infants depend on their families for food, warmth, and care, and for meeting such basic needs as eating, diapering, sleeping, bonding, and safety. But all babies are unique. Some infants may settle easily and be capable of quickly soothing themselves.

Mobile infants have more control of their head, torso, arms, and legs. They also begin to coordinate those movements. At this age, they sleep less and are more active during the day, eager to engage in everything around them.