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Policy 

HSOLC uses Active Supervision throughout our agency to provide children with a safe and supportive environment, prevent accidents and injuries, and ensure that caregivers are responsive to child needs. Oregon Rules for Certified Child Care Centers and Head Start Performance Standards require that programs ensure that children are supervised at all times.

Active Supervision requires focused attention and intentional observations at all times.

Teaching staff will enforce a system of health and safety practices that ensure children are kept safe at all times. Staff will maintain safety practices for infants, toddlers, and preschool children, in classrooms, outdoors, field trips, and buses. Redundancy will be built into safety practices to ensure children are supervised at all times.

Procedure 

  1. Head Start staff will maintain adult child ratios in accordance with licensing rules at all times. Classroom teaching staff must know which adults are counted in ratio and ensure that children are not left with adults not authorized to care for them. Children must never be left unsupervised by volunteers. Substitutes must meet the qualifications/requirements of the person for whom they are subbing to ensure ratios are maintained.
    1. Children who are removed from the classroom for a short period of time to receive services (e.g., special education, speech) must be signed in and out of the classroom. Personnel providing services to a child under an IFSP and mental health providers delivering services to a child with the parent’s consent may be alone with the child while services are provided.
  2. Classroom staff will ensure that children have the full attention of the required number of staff at all times who must:
    1. Be aware of what each child is doing.
    2. Know and take into account the age of each child, the child’s individual behaviors, interests, and abilities, the layout of indoor and outdoor space, and any potential hazards or risks from activities children are engaged in.
    3. Be in close proximity to children to assist and respond when needed.
    4. Be within sight and sound of children at all times including toileting.
    5. Not participate in personal activities that could interfere with supervision, such as visitors, phone calls, or electronic device use; and
    6. Must position themselves following the zoning plan and/or arrange indoor and outdoor equipment to allow supervision of children while playing on all equipment.
    7. Provide sufficient light in any room where children are napping or resting so that staff can clearly see each child’s face from any point in the room.
  3. Regional teams will support classroom staff with developing site specific active/zoning supervision plans each fall and will update and/or review plans semi-annually and as needed. Classroom plans should include
    1. Classroom staffing matrix and zoning maps for the classroom and the playground. Zoning maps should identify blind spots and teams should discuss how they communicate.
  4. The current number of children present will be visually posted near the classroom door and updated as the number of children changes.
  5. Whenever classroom staff enter spaces with children, they must:
    1. Sign in
    2. Count children, comparing children present to children signed in. In the case of a discrepancy, staff must check in with the adults present and confirm all children are accounted for.
  6. When moving all of the children from one space to another (e.g., from classroom to playground), staff must take the following steps:
    1. Confirm the number of children present with the children signed in (name to face) before exiting.
    2. Complete a final visual and physical sweep of the space.
    3. Re-confirm the number of children present with the children signed in on arrival in the new space.
  7. All Head Start staff will receive an introduction to Active Supervision practices during the on boarding of new employees. Training will also be given to all employed teachers annually.
  8. Regional staff will share active supervision plans with families at Orientation and will give families information on how they can support active supervision during pick up and drop off.
  9. Regional Managers and support staff (ARM, ECEC, or FSC) will monitor active supervision implementation through classroom visits and observations.
    1. Additionally, supervisors will complete classroom monitoring monthly using the Regional Manager monitoring and Active Supervision Tool in Child Plus. Supervisors will discuss observation with Head Teacher and other relevant staff.
      1. An action plan will be made for any item scored as a “concern” and corrected as soon as possible and no later than 30 days.
  10. In the event that a child is left unsupervised:
    1. Classroom staff will conduct a thorough search of locked school buildings.
    2. Site supervisor/Regional Manager and the child’s parents will be notified immediately as soon as child is located.
    3. Head Start/EHS Director and Operations Director or their designee will be notified as soon as safely possible and no later than one hour.
    4. Office of Head Start and Child Care Licensing Division (CCLD) will be notified in accordance with Head Start and state licensing rules.

This policy complies with Head Start Performance Standard 45CFR Section 1302.47(b)(5)(iii), 1302.90(c)(1)(v), and 1302.102(d)(1)(ii).

This policy complies with Oregon Certified Child Care Licensing rule 414-305-0500, Supervision of Children.

Policy Council approved: August 2024, August 2026

REVIEWED: August 2026

REVISED: August 2026