American Public Health Association/American Academy of Pediatrics Injury Prevention Standards

Injury prevention is an integral part of quality child-care programs. National standards relating to injury prevention have been published by the APHA and the AAP. The majority of these standards are preventive in nature and stress injury prevention in the development of policies and procedures and in the implementation of daily practices in child-care programs. Although it may not be possible to prevent all injuries in child-care settings, it is important for care givers, parents, and health professionals to identify potential hazards in the child-care environment. Once these hazards are identified, preventive corrective actions directed toward both environmental modifications and individual behaviors can be promoted to keep the incidence of injuries as low as possible.