Survey Finds Safety Risks at Many Child-Care Centers

Two in three child-care facilities surveyed by a federal consumer safety agency had hazards that put children at risk, the agency reported. The problems ranged from playgrounds without proper padding to loops on window blind cords.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission surveyed 220 facilities, including centers run by the federal government, for-profit and nonprofit companies, along with private homes that provide care.

The survey was released Monday by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, who visited a local center to highlight parents’ troubles with child care and to advocate more federal money to help parents pay for care.

The survey looked for eight hazards related to products regulated by the commission. States are responsible for regulating the safety of child-care centers, and these particular hazards may not be barred in many states. But the commission hopes to alert parents and centers to the potential dangers, spokesman Russ Rader said.

“This is not a ‘gotcha’ situation where we’re saying these child-care providers are bad,” Rader said. “We’re simply pointing out some safety areas where even the best parents or child-care providers may not be aware there’s a problem.”

Two-thirds of the facilities surveyed had at least one of the eight hazards. Specifically, the survey found:

* At four in 10 facilities, children were wearing clothing with drawstrings around their necks, which can catch on objects and strangle a child.

* One in four centers had loops on window blind cords that can strangle a child.

* One in four did not have safe playground surfacing, meaning if children fall off playground equipment they could be seriously injured when hitting a hard surface. Grass, for instance, is too hard a surface. Each year, there are 90,000 playground-related injuries to children under age 6, many of which involve falls, the commission said.

* One in five facilities had cribs with soft bedding, which can suffocate infants. Each year, up to 900 babies who die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome may have suffocated on soft bedding.

* Child safety gates were not used where needed at 13% of facilities.