🟨 Quality Area 2 - Children's Health & Safety
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      3. 🟨 Quality Area 2 - Children's Health & Safety

      📒👟 No Shoe Policy (QA2) (video needed)

      National Quality Standard (NQS) - Quality Area 2: Children's Health and Safety

      Purpose:

      Woodlands is committed to promoting children’s health, wellbeing, and safety at all times. Woodlands is aware that members of our nursery room are learning to move, crawl, walk and therefore will spend a great deal of time moving around on the floor. Woodlands understands that infants/crawlers and young toddlers are much more susceptible to illnesses at a young age due to lower immune resistance. Woodlands has implemented a ‘no shoe’ policy in the nursery room to ensure that steps are taken to reduce the amount of exposure to germs and bacteria providing young children the opportunity to explore their environment safely.

      To help us do this we have guidelines that will:

      • Prevent contaminated items from being walked into rooms and on to floors where children lay, crawl or play- this includes staff, children, parents, and visitors.
      • Limit children’s exposure to dangerous germs/bacteria and substances on the floor.
      • Prevent injury to the children from visitors or staff treading on fingers or toes.
      • Maintain health, hygiene, cleanliness, and sterility.

       

      Procedure: 
      • Staff will remove outdoor shoes before entering the nursery room. These will be left on the shoe rack. This applies to shoes that have been worn outdoors, in the play areas of other groups of children, and in toilet and nappy changing areas. All these locations are potential sources of contamination.
      • Staff will replace outdoor shoes with slippers, socks or disposable shoe cover which will be available within the centre.
      • Staff must be aware of the risk of cross contamination. Slippers which are worn in the nursery room must be removed if a staff member is leaving the room to i.e go on break, use the rest rooms or shift to another play area within the centre.
      • Upon exiting the room, and re-entry, disposable shoe covers will require replacement eg; shoe covers are for one entry use only and these will be stored out of reach of children
      • Parents that are dropping off/collecting children from the nursery room will be asked to remove outdoor shoes before entering the room. Disposable shoe covers will be available upon arrival.
      • Visitors to the setting who are visiting the nursery room will be asked to remove their shoes or use the shoe covers provided before entering the room.
      • Upon enrolment orientation all families will be notified and provided with information regarding the centres ‘no shoe policy’ in the nursery room.
      • Upon employment orientation all team members will be notified and provided with information regarding the centres ‘no shoe policy in the nursery room.
      • The responsible team will ensure ‘no shoe policy’ is adhered to by all visitors, students, employees, parents, and the community.
      📅 Policy Reviewed/Modification Dates ✍️ Modifications & Updates
      January 2025
      • Revised and reformatted the policy to enhance clarity and accessibility
      • Incorporated a feedback and collaboration form to encourage community input

      Feedback & Collaboration