What should I look for in a safe after-school program?

What should I look for in a safe after-school program?

Michael Dorn and Sonayia Shepherd (School Safety Analysts) gives expert video advice on: What are the characteristics of a safe school?; How can I tell if my child's school is safe?; What should I do if my child's school does not have a safety plan? and more...

Like any program involving children, a safe after-school program involves attentive, careful, structured supervision of children. Just like a K-12 school you're looking at a program for your child. Ask yourself if when you tour the facility, are children being supervised? Are children left alone or out of sight of staff unreasonably? Ask yourself if this is a place where the level of supervision is structured. Are there obvious hazards are there things that might fall on a child that are up high on a shelf, that type of thing. If you see those very obvious indicators such as a child left alone or something that may fall on somebody, there's a good chance that there are other safety concerns that may not be so easy to spot and obvious to you.