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Daycare & School Water Safety Questions

Most of your child's water exposure now happens where you can't see it — water tables, sprinkler days, and pool field trips. Take these 20 questions to enrollment night, a tour, or a parent-teacher conference. Check off each one as you get a clear, specific answer.

WaterWiseKids.com — Free water safety education for families

💧 What Water Is On the Property?

  • What water is on site? Water tables, buckets, sinks, toilets, wading pools, sprinklers, a swimming pool.
  • Is there open water on or near the grounds? A retention pond, creek, drainage ditch, or fountain — and is it fenced?
  • How are water tables and buckets emptied and stored immediately after use, so nothing sits filled and unattended?
  • Can young children reach bathrooms unaccompanied? Toilets and sinks are real hazards for toddlers.
  • If there's a pool, what barriers exist? A four-sided fence, self-closing and self-latching gate, and door alarms.

👁️ Supervision & Ratios

  • Who is assigned to watch children during water play — by name or role, not "someone"?
  • Does that person have any other duty at the same time? The right answer is no.
  • What is the adult-to-child ratio during water activities specifically? Water play should tighten ratios, not match classroom ratios.
  • How are phones handled during water activities? Watching the water means eyes up, screens away.
  • How are children counted, and how often? A headcount at fixed intervals is the standard.

🚌 Before You Sign the Field Trip Slip

  • Where exactly is the group going — a lifeguarded pool, a water park, or open water like a lake or beach?
  • How many adults are supervising, and how many watch the water only? Chaperoning and water-watching are different jobs.
  • Will lifeguards be on duty, and how many? Lifeguards supplement your group's supervision — they don't replace it.
  • Are children swim-tested or wristbanded by ability before they enter the water?
  • Are Coast Guard-approved life jackets provided for non-swimmers? Never floaties or puddle jumpers as a substitute.

🚨 Training & Emergency Response

  • Which staff hold current CPR and first-aid certification, and when was it last renewed?
  • How many certified staff are on site at any given time, including early drop-off and aftercare?
  • Is there a written plan if a child is found in water? If it isn't written down, it isn't a plan.
  • Do you have a plan for a child who wanders or elopes? Critical if your child has any history of wandering.
  • How and how quickly are parents notified of any water-related incident or near-miss?

🚩 Answers That Should Worry You

  • "Someone's always watching" — no one person owns the job.
  • No written emergency water plan, or uncertainty about CPR certification.
  • Water activities staffed at the same ratio as classroom time.
  • A field trip slip with no detail on location, lifeguards, or life jackets.
  • Defensiveness when you ask. Quality programs welcome these questions.

Our Program's Details — Fill In & Keep

Program name: __________________
Director / contact: ______________
Water on site: __________________
Water-play ratio: ________________
CPR-certified staff on site: ________
Date I asked: ___________________
My child's swim ability (circle one):  Non-swimmer  ·  Beginner  ·  Floats & recovers  ·  Swims independently  —  tell the program, in writing
Remember: supervision is a layer you don't control once you leave. Swim skills are the only layer that travels with your child.

Created by WaterWiseKids.com — Free water safety education for families

Sources: CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics, Caring for Our Children (NRC), National Drowning Prevention Alliance, American Red Cross. This checklist is educational and does not replace active supervision or certified CPR/first-aid training.

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Give Your Child the Layer You Can't Delegate

You can ask every question on this list and still not control supervision once you drive away. Swim skills are the one layer of protection that travels with your child — to daycare, to a field trip, to a friend's backyard pool. Find a safety-first swim program near you.

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