Childcare is a trust-based industry. Parents are looking for cues to signal that your early education center is worthy of their trust. The right daycare security system shows parents that they can feel comfortable leaving their children in your care.
Here’s everything you need to know to build a daycare security system parents can trust in.
See how Solink can improve the surveillance system at your daycare.
Note that this article is about childcare and daycare facility security systems. There are many other systems available for streaming video to parents, such as ChildView, WatchMeGrow, and KidsVision Daycare Cameras.
Most daycare providers need some form of security system. However, the level of security will vary depending on the location, the local regulations, and the expectations of the parents in the area.
In the next section, we describe all of the different components of a daycare security system.
What are the components of a daycare security system?
Daycare security systems can range from simple automated locks to prevent wandering children from leaving the childcare center to full video surveillance systems.
Here are some of the common components of a daycare security system:
- Automatic locks
- Access control
- Fire alarms
- Security cameras
- Video remote monitoring
- Lockdown system
- Panic button
- Automatic lights
Automatic locks
The doors to the daycare center should automatically lock from the inside and outside so that wandering children cannot find their way outside. However, these doors could become a fire hazard and should be set to automatically unlock in emergencies.
Access control
While the automatic locks are designed to keep children safely inside the building, access control keeps unknown people out. Access control systems include keypads so only authorized persons, for example teachers, can enter the building freely.
Fire alarms
Fire alarms are a given for almost every commercial building. However, it is worth mentioning fire alarms here as they need to be integrated with security systems, such as automatic door locks, to maintain a fire-safe environment.
Security cameras
Security cameras are the next step in enhancing daycare surveillance systems. As with most locations, cameras enhance the security level of childcare centers. However, as we discuss more below, they offer a lot of additional value to childcare centers.
Visible security cameras show parents that you are a trustworthy and credible daycare provider. They also make it possible to follow up on any reported incidents to make sure they are resolved properly.
Video analytics
Video analytics capabilities provide great value to daycare security systems. Solink pairs video with other data integrations and brings powerful motion- and event-based search features. This can help you find the video you are looking for without wasting hours scanning video footage.
To see how Solink saves you time, sign up for a demo today.
Automatic lights
Automatic lights that turn on before staff are expected to arrive and shortly after they leave in the evening can help keep your teachers safe. Especially at smaller schools, there may only be a single person left to close down the daycare at the end of the day.
An automated lighting system will make that last staff member at night or first one in the morning feel a little safer while entering or leaving your school.
Lockdown system
Daycares and other education institutions have experienced some major violent events in recent years. Lockdown systems allow schools to lock down all doors and windows to protect staff and children during active shooter events.
Panic button
Similar to lockdown systems, panic buttons are there for rare but high-risk situations. In addition to violent events, panic buttons can be used for emergency health situations as well. For example, if a child has an undiagnosed allergy, panic buttons can be used to speed up an emergency response.
What features do you need in a daycare video surveillance system?
Daycare centers have unique security needs. Here are some of the features you should look for in a daycare video surveillance system:
- Schedule-based recording
- Easy-to-use interface
- Motion search
- Save and share
- Remote monitoring
- Video analytics and data integrations
- System health checks
- Confidentiality
Schedule-based recording
If your daycare center shares its space, for example it is in a church, then this is a must. Cameras can be set to record only during the working hours of the daycare. Alternatively, if you are located somewhere that recording children at play is illegal, then you can set your security cameras to only record at night. Schedule-based recording means that you only record the video you need to protect your business.
Easy-to-use interface
The last thing you need is a daycare surveillance system that is difficult to use or takes hours to learn how to operate. Your daycare security system should save you time everyday by making it easy to find what you are looking for.
A simple interface makes it easy to look up information or search through hours of video in minutes. Solink creates custom camera groups allowing you to organize and view multiple cameras on one page.
In addition, managing multiple locations is a breeze as you can view all the cameras in one daycare center at once, or create folders based on location types to, for example, see the front entrance of all your childcare facilities.
Motion search
When an incident occurs at your daycare center, you want to expedite the investigation and provide video evidence to internal and external stakeholders quickly.
Motion search shows you video clips of all movement in a chosen area while skipping the unimportant video in between. This allows you to monitor hours of activity in seconds.
Save and share
With save and share features, once you find evidence of an incident, you can quickly save the video clip, including footage from other nearby cameras. Then, by typing in an email address, you can share the clip with parents, teachers, law enforcement, insurance adjusters, and anyone else who might need access to that one clip
You could even use this feature to show parents evidence of late pick ups to support added fees.
Remote monitoring
When incidents occur after hours, you need remote video monitoring capabilities to be able to see what is happening from anywhere using your laptop or mobile device. If you operate more than one daycare center, this gives you the ability to see all places at once.
From auditing playrooms to checking when children arrived, remote monitoring gives you access to key video coverage from anywhere. This is what makes cloud video surveillance a key component of any daycare security system.
Proactive alerts with video alarms
Solink Video Alarms provides video verification when an alarm is triggered. Then, when law enforcement is needed, you can give emergency responders real-time access to video feeds so they can better react to the situation.
This helps prevent vandalism and break-ins after hours while minimizing the chance of hefty false alarm fines.
To see how Solink Video Alarms can protect your childcare center, sign up for a demo today.
System health checks
Solink makes sure your other systems are operating 24/7. Regular health checks are sent to your security cameras to make sure they are online and nothing is blocking their view. This ensures that you are never left with a blindspot that you don’t know about.
Video analytics and data integrations
Video analytics and data integrations help detect security and operations issues before they result in liabilities and can help reduce operating and maintenance costs.
Confidentiality
Solink provides secure video access to authorized users only. Unlimited users with customized permissions means no one sees video feeds they shouldn’t.
Parents want to know that you have security cameras installed to see what happens when an incident occurs, but it’s important that no one will see videos of their children otherwise.
The benefits of installing a security system at your daycare center
Daycares work on trust. Parents need to trust your childcare center to be willing to drop off their children. The following benefits of installing a security system in your daycare center revolve around building trust:
- Reduce the risk of incidents happening
- Build parental trust
- Monitor behavior
- Gather evidence
Reduce the risk of something happening
A daycare security system is a great deterrence against criminal and unethical behavior. When people think they might get caught, they are less likely to do something illegal. This can reduce the risk of teacher, parent, or stranger related issues.
For children, while they might not understand the deterrence value of security cameras, it may still reduce the chance of their problematic behavior. For example, some children may try to escape from childcare. In this case, people counting technology can be employed to alert staff that there is a child on the run.
Build parental trust
When parents see security systems in place, they can place their trust in a daycare center. They know that there are safety checks in place to protect their children from intruders, ways to keep kids from leaving the center, and there’s recourse in case something does happen.
Gather evidence
When an incident does occur, it is important to be able to gather evidence quickly and efficiently so that you can share it with all stakeholders and resolve the situation in a timely manner. While you will probably install your daycare security system with major incidents in mind, it can also help you resolve smaller events.
For example, children can have difficulty expressing themselves and communicating. This might lead to outbursts. Being able to collect a series of inappropriate activities by a child and how the teaching staff is trying to teach them to use their words can help with parent relationships. You can show a parent how their child is behaving, why it is unacceptable, and how you are trying to encourage more constructive behavior.
Monitor behavior
It’s important to monitor the behavior of teachers, staff, parents, and children at your daycare. The fact is that each of these groups both needs to be protected and is capable of inappropriate behavior.
There are many examples of inappropriate behavior. Here are a few. Some parents might make your teaching staff feel uncomfortable. The risk associated with inappropriate teacher behavior is so great because they are often placed alone with children. Children, especially young children, do not yet understand how to act with kindness towards each other.
All of these types of inappropriate behavior can be monitored, reported, and reduced using a daycare security system. This leads to a safer and happier environment for the children, parents, and staff, as well as a more profitable business for the owners.
Solink is the best daycare security system
Daycare security systems have become required infrastructure for childcare centers today. The risks are high, and a failure to act can make it harder to convince prospective parents to trust you with their children.
Solink offers all of the tools you need in a daycare video surveillance system, from time-based recording to unlimited users with customizable permissions, motion search, and convenient save and share features.
To see how Solink can protect your daycare, sign up for a demo today.
