Ratios & Supervision
You’re alone with 6 toddlers. A family arrives with another child. What do you do?
Cannot accept child; call admin/floaters to maintain ratio.
A child sneezes on a toy and puts it back. What should you do?
Remove and sanitize the toy before reuse.
A broken chair is still being used in the classroom. What must happen?
Remove from use immediately and report the hazard.
A parent verbally adds a new pick-up person. Can you release the child?
No — written authorization and ID are required.
The fire alarm sounds during circle time. What’s the first step?
Evacuate children immediately; grab attendance and emergency kit.
A teacher leaves another teacher alone with 5 infants for 3 minutes to grab supplies while the babies nap in their cribs. Allowed?
No. Children must have sight and sound supervision at all times. The ratio for infants, even while napping, is 1:4
A class of Prek students stop and choose books at the school library on their way back from washing their hands. They then sit down at the table for snack, is this allowed?
Handwashing with soap and water is always required before meals and snack.
Cleaning chemicals are stored in an unlocked cabinet. What’s the problem?
Hazardous materials must be locked and inaccessible.
A toddler falls asleep in a stroller instead of a cot. What’s the issue?
A: Unsafe sleep — children must use assigned cribs/cots.
You’re outside for a drill and realize one child is missing from attendance. What must you do?
Follow emergency procedures — notify admin and search safely, never re-enter alone.
Two teachers are chatting together while kids play across the yard. What’s wrong?
Staff must spread out and actively supervise all children.
Bleach water bottle is unlabeled in the room. Why is this a violation?
All cleaning solutions must be labeled and stored safely.
The classroom is 60°F. Is this okay?
No — DHS requires 68–82°F. Report the problem to a supervisor immediately.
A teacher leaves the nap room after laying kids down and relies on a baby monitor. Allowed?
No — nap requires direct sight and sound supervision.
A child is hurt on the playground. The parent says “don’t bother with a report.” What should you do?
Still complete an incident report — DHS requires documentation.
You are in a "Three-Year-Old" classroom with 14 children and two adults. However, one of the kids are 2 years and 9 months old. Is this allowed?
No, typically the ratio for a three-year-old class is 1:10. However, the ratio changes for the youngest child in the group. Since the child is 2, the ratio for the class is 1:6. The classroom needs an additional staff member to remain in ratio.
You find moldy spare clothes in a cubby. Parent says it’s just a stain. What do you do?
Remove clothing — unsafe items not permitted.
During outside play, staff leave the gate to the playground unlatched so families can come and go easily. Is this acceptable?
No — outdoor areas must be secure and hazard-free. Gates and doors must remain closed and latched to keep children safe.
A parent sends sunscreen but no medication/permission form is on file. Can staff apply it?
No — written authorization is required before applying sunscreen.
A staff member suspects child abuse but says, “I’ll tell the director later.” What’s wrong here?
All staff are mandated reporters — you must call ChildLine immediately.
You have a preschool classroom with 18 children (all 4 years old).
Ratio for 4-year-olds = 1:10.
It’s nap time — most children are lying down quietly.
The teacher takes 4 non-nappers to a table to do quiet play. Is this Allowed?
Nap-time ratios can be doubled (1:20) only if ALL children are lying down resting quietly.
By taking 4 children out for quiet play, they are no longer resting — therefore regular ratio (1:10) applies to them.
Table group: 4 children with 1 staff = ✅ in ratio.
Nap group: ❌ out of ratio (needs 2 staff, because awake children mean nap ratio exception no longer applies).
Conclusion: You are out of ratio. Both groups combined would require 2 staff in this situation.
Non-nappers can remain on their cots with a book, quiet/soft toy. This does not apply to infants in cribs.
A child takes a few bites of a snack and pushes the rest aside. Later, another child asks for more. What must you do with the untouched portion?
You must discard it — food that’s been served or returned from a table may not be reused.
You take 12 preschoolers (age 3–4) to the pool with 2 staff members. Are you in ratio while swimming?
No. Swimming ratio for preschoolers is 1:5.
12 children ÷ 5 = 3 staff required.
You only have 2 staff → out of ratio.
It’s 2:00 p.m. and your attendance sheet hasn’t been updated since the morning. DHS arrives for inspection. What’s the issue?
Attendance must be kept current throughout the day — not just at arrival and dismissal. Records must always reflect exactly which children are present.
How often must fire drills be conducted under DHS?
Monthly.