One of the basic tenants of operating a preschool is safety and security. It is impossible for children to thrive in an environment where they are not safe. As a parent, the safety mechanisms of your preschools should give you complete confidence that you are leaving your child in a place where they are secure.
At Dogwood Lane Children’s Academy, we take pride in the safety and security protocols we have in place. Here are a few:
Doors Locked
We have a policy that our doors are locked during open hours. Visitors are required to ring a door bell and verify their reason for admittance prior to entering the building.
Parents, however, have keypad coded access while their child is in the building.
Recorded Camera System
In addition to locked doors with keypad access, we also have a camera system that covers all child-occupied areas of the building, as well as the access areas such as hallways, entrances, etc.
The camera system is recorded in the event any activity needs to be reviewed for adjustment in protocols.
Intercom
A safety feature that most public schools have, but many private preschools fail to integrate is an intercom system to communicate threats.
In the unlikely event of a breach of our perimeter security protocols, the best way to restore security is to communicate the threat quickly and efficiently to everyone in the building. The intercom system allows us to accomplish that capability.
Lockdown Procedures
In the event that an intruder gains access to our facility, we have lockdown and shelter in place procedures prepared. Additionally, we rehearse these procedures with our staff through drills and procedure reviews.
Additional Safety and Security Benefits
There are a few additional safety benefits to enrolling your child at Dogwood Lane Children’s Academy. We are located next door to the Carolina FBI Headquarters. In the event there were an emergency or security situation, law enforcement could be onsite within seconds.
Additionally, our facility is hidden in a beautiful business park, so there is limited general public passing by. Instead of being prominently located on a busy road as most preschools in our area, we are tucked away in a bit of seclusion.
Our staff offices are next to the front entrances so there is almost always a staff person or security personnel by the front door.
At Dogwood Lane, we consider safety and security to be a basic fundamental right of every child in our care. We want to make sure parents have the peace of mind knowing we go above and beyond in protection and prevention.