TrendU.K. nurseries deploy biometrics to protect toddlers
More and more nurseries install biometric access control systems to make sure that only parents have access to children
Making children safer is important, and a Bath City nursery has decided to rely on biomtrics to do so. A fingerprint-entry biometric access system has been installed to enhance the existing security arrangements at the Moorlands Children’s Centre, run by First Steps in Bath. The system — supplied by Bournemouth-based UK Biometrics Ltd — means the only way people can gain access is if their fingerprints are registered. Nursery personnel can register the parents’ fingerprints in seconds and they then press their fingerprint on a sensor pad at the door when they want to gain access. They can leave or collect their children without fuss while unregistered visitors are excluded and wait in reception for a member of staff. The scanner identifies key points on the users fingerprint and no actual fingerprint is stored. Moorlands Children’s Centre children’s services manager, Lysha Goode, said: “Security is a prime concern for parents and staff. With our new biometric system we know only registered people can gain access to the nursery so parents have peace of mind.”
A recent Ofsted report praised the biometric entry system for “protecting children from harm.” UK Biometrics regional director Sally Glover said: “First Steps has specified the only key which cannot be lost, stolen, forged or hacked — the human fingerprint. The system is ideal for high-traffic sites where security is paramount.”
Other nurseries in Bath have already adopted the technology. First Steps is one of Bath’s largest voluntary organisations, employing more than fifty people. The nursery provides 110 day care places in two children’s centres in the Twerton and Moorlands nurseries. It also provides a range of related family support services.
