Survey Finds Hazards at Child-Care Sites

The commission’s report on child-safety hazards is not nearly as comforting.

In a 1998 survey of 220 licensed child-care settings across the United States, the agency found two-thirds had at least one safety hazard.

The study looked at private day-care centers, individual homes and government child-care programs. Among the hazards turned up:

* Cribs with slats far enough apart to allow babies’ heads to pass through, presenting a strangulation risk; cribs with soft bedding linked with infant suffocation deaths.

* Playgrounds with inadequately soft surface material to protect children if they fall.

* Children wearing clothing with drawstrings, which can catch on playground equipment or furniture; 22 children have died after becoming entangled by drawstrings since 1985.

* Window blinds with looped cords in which children can become entangled.

* Lack of safety gates, which can prevent falls down stairs and entry to other unsafe areas.

The commission has issued a safety checklist for parents and child-care professionals. To get it, go to the agency’s Web site at https://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/chldcare.html or call 800-638-2772.