Daycare safety checklist: 20 things to check before you enrol

A good daycare safety checklist covers five things: the people, the building, pickup, emergencies and everyday hygiene. Check all five in person before you enrol. Glossy brochures and a friendly owner are not enough.

Take the 20 points below on your visit. For the wider picture beyond safety, start with our complete guide to choosing a daycare.

The people

Staff matter most. A safe building with careless adults is not a safe daycare.

1. Background checks for every adult. Ask whether all staff have police verification. That includes teachers, helpers, cooks, drivers and guards. A good answer: "Yes, for everyone, before they start. We keep the records on file."
2. A written child protection policy. Ask to see it. It should say how staff behave with children, who changes nappies and how concerns are reported.
3. Child protection awareness. Ask how staff are trained on it. Under India's POCSO Act, 2012, anyone who knows of or suspects a sexual offence against a child must report it to the police. The person in charge of an institution can be punished for not reporting. A centre should know this and have a clear reporting process.
4. Two-adult rules. Ask whether a child is ever alone with one adult behind a closed door. Careful centres keep doors open, or use glass panels, where children are changed.
5. Enough adults per child. Count the adults and children in each room yourself. Our teacher-to-child ratio guide explains what to look for by age.
6. Low staff turnover. Ask how long the lead teachers have worked there. Familiar adults notice when something is off with a child.

The building

1. Secure entry. The main door should be locked or guarded. Strangers should not be able to walk in. Notice whether anyone asks who you are.
2. Safe stairs, windows and balconies. Look for gates on stairs, grilles or locks on windows and high railings on balconies or terraces.
3. Covered sockets and hidden wires. Get down to your child's eye level. Check for open sockets, loose wires, sharp corners and heavy furniture that could tip.
4. Medicines and cleaners out of reach. These should be in locked or high cupboards. Not on a shelf in the bathroom.
5. Fire safety. Look for working extinguishers, a clear exit route and a second way out. Ask when they last ran a fire drill with the children.
6. Safe outdoor play area. Check the boundary wall or fence, the play equipment and the surface beneath it. Ask how often equipment is checked.

Pickup and drop

1. Authorised pickup list. Only named adults should be able to collect your child. Ask what happens if someone new turns up. A good answer: "We call you first and check their ID."
2. Sign-in and sign-out. There should be a record of when each child arrives and leaves, and who brought or collected them.
3. Transport checks. If the centre runs a van, ask whether a female attendant travels on it. Ask about seat belts and the driver's verification.

Emergencies and health

1. First aid training and a kit. Ask who is trained in paediatric first aid and when. Ask to see the kit, and check that it is stocked.
2. A clear sick and incident policy. Ask what happens if your child falls, gets a fever or has an allergic reaction. They should call you, write it down and share an incident report.
3. Allergy and medicine records. Ask how they record allergies and how staff know which child has one. Ask who gives medicines and whether they need your written consent.

Everyday hygiene

1. Clean nappy and toilet areas. Look for a separate changing area, handwashing right after, and child-sized toilets that are actually clean.
2. Safe food and water. Ask where food is cooked, who cooks it and how drinking water is purified. Look into the kitchen if you can.

What about CCTV?

CCTV can help, but it is not on this list as a must. Cameras record what happens. They don't prevent it. Good staff, good policies and alert adults do that. Read what CCTV in a daycare can and can't tell you before you treat it as a deciding factor.

How to use this checklist

You won't get perfect answers to all 20. What matters is how the centre responds.

If a point worries you, check our list of daycare red flags for what to do next. Visit twice if you can, once at drop-off time and once mid-day. A trial day shows you more than any tour.

Kribble's team will physically visit and check every centre before it is listed. You'll be able to see safety details alongside fees and photos, but still visit yourself.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most important thing on a daycare safety checklist?

The people. Background checks, a written child protection policy and enough adults per child matter more than any camera or gadget.

Should daycare staff have police verification?

It is a sensible thing to ask for, for every adult who works there. That includes helpers, cooks, guards and drivers, not just teachers. Ask whether the centre keeps the records on file.

What does POCSO mean for a daycare?

The POCSO Act, 2012 is India's law on sexual offences against children. It requires anyone who knows of or suspects such an offence to report it to the police. A daycare should have a clear reporting process and staff who know it.

Is a daycare with CCTV safer?

Not automatically. CCTV records what happens but doesn't stop it. Staff quality, supervision and policies matter more, so treat CCTV as one point among many.