Keep Your Childcare Safe In A Tech World

We're surrounded by technology. Some of it is fantastic and makes our lives easier, like seriously, when is the last time you flipped through the yellow pages? But the constant access to mountains of information also presents some security concerns, especially for childcare providers.

Childcare providers need a way to get in contact with parents who are looking for childcare. Most providers use their home phone as their business phone. Did you know that if you type a phone number into most search engines, it will give you the complete address associated with that number, photos, and even directions to the location? Keep this in mind when you are giving out your phone number, and consider using a cell phone instead.

Do you have a website for your childcare? Websites are a great way to let current parents and potential parents know about your childcare, but they can also pose a risk. You can use a whois lookup to find who own a domain name. It often includes your first and last name, your address, and sometimes your phone number. You can prevent this information from being public by choosing a private domain registration.

Use caution with pictures too. If you use pictures in advertising, in flyers, or on your website, do not show the children's faces. Show the children from the back, or just post pictures of your facility and your supplies.

I love seeing groups of children out on field trips, and love seeing the colorful matching shirts they are often wearing. Believe me, I have a hard time keeping track of our two, and I can't imagine keeping track of 12. But be careful what you put on those shirts. Don't put the children's names or the phone number of your childcare. Both can lead right back to your address. Instead, put the child's name and information somewhere easily accessed, but not visible to strangers, like on a tag inside the shirt.

Instant access to information is great. But take some small steps to make sure the information is going into the right hands.