Summer
Safety
Tips
Summer is a time for fun, adventure, and making memories, but it's also important to keep safety a priority.
Whether you're spending time outdoors, traveling, or enjoying the pool, taking a few simple precautions can help children stay safe and healthy all season long. Explore our summer safety tips to help your foster family enjoy a safe and memorable summer.
Water Safety
Water safety starts with preventing children from accessing pools, lakes, or other bodies of water without adult supervision. The best protection against drowning includes multiple layers of safety.
Designate a "Water Watcher"
Assign one responsible adult as the dedicated “water watcher,” whose sole job is to continuously monitor children in and around the water. Rotate this responsibility as needed so there is always someone actively focused on supervision.
Adult Supervision
Active adult supervision is essential whenever children are near water. Stay alert and keep children within sight and reach at all times, ensuring they are never left unattended.
Lifeguard on Duty
Whenever possible, choose swimming areas that have a lifeguard present. A supervised, designated swimming location adds an important layer of safety and can help reduce risk.
Car and Heat Safety
Children are especially vulnerable to heat-related illness, which can develop quickly in hot weather. Staying hydrated, taking breaks in cool or shaded areas, and close supervision are key to keeping them safe during high temperatures.
Higher Risk
Young children and infants are more vulnerable to heat-related illness because their bodies heat up faster than adults and they depend on caregivers to regulate their environment and hydration.
Fast Onset
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke can develop quickly in children, especially when they are active outdoors or not drinking enough fluids, making prevention and close monitoring essential.
Prevention
Prevention focuses on keeping children cool, hydrated, and in shaded or air-conditioned environments, and never leaving them in hot vehicles or poorly ventilated spaces.
Check your Car
Even on a mild 80°F day, a car's interior can reach over 120°F within minutes. Never leave a child alone in a parked vehicle, even briefly. Before locking your car always check the back seat. Place a reminder like a stuffed animal or your bag in the front seat so you never forget to check.
Signs of heat exhaustion to watch out for:
Heavy sweating and cool, pale, clammy skin!
Fast, weak pulse or nausea!
Muscle cramps or dizziness!
Fatigue or weakness, move to a cool place immediately and hydrate!
Fireworks
Fireworks can be exciting, but they pose serious safety risks, especially for children. Burns and injuries from fireworks send thousands of people to emergency rooms every year.
Adult Supervision
Never allow young children to handle or light fireworks. Avoid aiming or throwing fireworks at people, animals, vehicles, buildings, or any materials that could easily ignite.
Skipping Fireworks
Never allow young children to handle or light fireworks. Fireworks should only be used by responsible adults, and should never be aimed or thrown toward people, animals, vehicles, buildings, or anything flammable.
Safety First
Always follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions carefully. Keep a bucket of water, garden hose, or fire extinguisher nearby in case of an emergency.
Additional Resources
Dan Doofus Fools Around with Fireworks and Learns It’s No Holiday
Topics
Foster Care
Firework Safety
Summer Tips
