No Smoking Sign

[Annalee]

I just checked our manual and it says:

"A window may be used as a second exit if it complies with all of the following provisions:
(a) Is accessible to children and caregiving staff.
(b) Is clearly identified
(c) Can be readily opened
(d) Is of a size and design to allow for the evacuation of all children and caregiving staff.

So this appears that we'd only need a sign in Michigan at a window if it was used as an exit (provision b). I'm assuming because it's not apparent that the window would be an exit.

I would like to know if in Michigan if this is something that has changed since new regs though. I've had my daycare 17 years and have had multiple inspections and have never had to have one on my mainfloor doors. I really hope that's not something that changed

Yep, 26 for me and every inspector's perception is different. I always tell them "show me in the rules".

[lovemykidstoo]

Yep, 26 for me and every inspector's perception is different. I always tell them "show me in the rules".

Exactly ! I mean the way ours reads it specifies only windows. Is that how you read ours? I copied it word for word.

I've had the same daycare inspector for the 17 years, but she just retired. A brand new one this time and I'm due for inspection in teh next few months, so we shall see. Insert roll eyes

[Annalee]

Exactly ! I mean the way ours reads it specifies only windows. Is that how you read ours? I copied it word for word.

I've had the same daycare inspector for the 17 years, but she just retired. A brand new one this time and I'm due for inspection in teh next few months, so we shall see. Insert roll eyes

Windows can count as exits here but our exit sign go by the doors.

[Snowmom]

Exit signs?
Seriously???

I can just see the news report after an in home fire now....
"Well thank goodness that home daycare provider had exit signs in her basement daycare, because that two year old wouldn't have been able to find his way out of the home without reading it."

SMH My goodness.

[Annalee]

Exit signs?
Seriously???

I can just see the news report after an in home fire now....
"Well thank goodness that home daycare provider had exit signs in her basement daycare, because that two year old wouldn't have been able to find his way out of the home without reading it."

SMH My goodness.

My kids do recognize the exit signs because we talk about them. I change name tags every month at the table and they recognize their names there too. They recognize their names on their cubbies too. When their parents sign in/out, they know which tab is their's as well. From age two up here recognizes alot. They can't read persay but they do recognize certain printed things.

[Unregistered]

Laundrymom here. Can’t get logged in. Sorry.
I made a vinyl decal in black for the window by my door. You almost can’t see it. But it’s there. (Although I applied it a bit crooked and it makes me cringe to look at. Lol. I’ll re do it soon)

[Snowmom]

My kids do recognize the exit signs because we talk about them. I change name tags every month at the table and they recognize their names there too. They recognize their names on their cubbies too. When their parents sign in/out, they know which tab is their's as well. From age two up here recognizes alot. They can't read persay but they do recognize certain printed things.

That's great that you do that. It does really help future reading skills to be able to recognize the written world around us.

For the sake of argument about the specific topic- using an exit sign and have it BE useful, then it would need to be taught what "exit" means and what "exit" looks like.
Most adults don't teach that to 2 yr olds.
When looking at it from a safety aspect...
When we have fire drills, what do we say to the children?
Go to the exit or go the door?
We need to exit or we need to leave?
Sure, you could teach that exit means door, but not too many people use that terminology with children in every day speech because it can be confusing to use so many terms. Not that it shouldn't be taught- just that it isn't.

The only way this would even make a little bit of sense to me is if you had to use a big red, lit up glowing EXIT sign that is also used in commercial business. But, code would require them to run electricity above the door to install one. For an (average) 2000 ft sq home that only uses half of it's sq ft for daycare and is routinely used by the child (same door in and out everyday)- ridiculous. Plus we just took one more step into turning the HOME feel into a full fledged (invasive) commercial business.

[Alwaysgreener]

I just checked our manual and it says:

"A window may be used as a second exit if it complies with all of the following provisions:
(a) Is accessible to children and caregiving staff.
(b) Is clearly identified
(c) Can be readily opened
(d) Is of a size and design to allow for the evacuation of all children and caregiving staff.

So this appears that we'd only need a sign in Michigan at a window if it was used as an exit (provision b). I'm assuming because it's not apparent that the window would be an exit.

I would like to know if in Michigan if this is something that has changed since new regs though. I've had my daycare 17 years and have had multiple inspections and have never had to have one on my mainfloor doors. I really hope that's not something that changed

I was told this during orientation, four years ago, that each floor had to have an exit marked. My first reaction was, why the kids can't read. Lol
Rereading the technical, it says that each floor needs one marked, if a window is used and if the kids use that floor. We don't use the basement unless we go down for a tornado drill. But I was told that I had to have a sign on each floor. So I labeled a window.

I was thinking about this and I just got an inspection last fall, my basement curtains were closed, there was no way he saw the sign and he didn't question me for not having one either.

[Annalee]

That's great that you do that. It does really help future reading skills to be able to recognize the written world around us.

For the sake of argument about the specific topic- using an exit sign and have it BE useful, then it would need to be taught what "exit" means and what "exit" looks like.
Most adults don't teach that to 2 yr olds.
When looking at it from a safety aspect...
When we have fire drills, what do we say to the children?
Go to the exit or go the door?
We need to exit or we need to leave?
Sure, you could teach that exit means door, but not too many people use that terminology with children in every day speech because it can be confusing to use so many terms. Not that it shouldn't be taught- just that it isn't.

The only way this would even make a little bit of sense to me is if you had to use a big red, lit up glowing EXIT sign that is also used in commercial business. But, code would require them to run electricity above the door to install one. For an (average) 2000 ft sq home that only uses half of it's sq ft for daycare and is routinely used by the child (same door in and out everyday)- ridiculous. Plus we just took one more step into turning the HOME feel into a full fledged (invasive) commercial business.

Well, if you use that reasoning, though, parents don't teach self-help skills or other things that providers teach kids either, but I still teach those. My fire marshall has codes that I must follow. My sign in/out log is acceptable to licensing but not to the fire marshall so I have a separate form I use in my emergency notebook each day. Bottom line is, no matter how crazy some rules sound, each state entity in whatever state makes providers follow their protocol so I do it to meet my state regs.