Seminole Heights United Methodist Preschool (SHUMPS) is a ministry of Seminole Heights United Methodist Church, providing Christian childcare and education for infants to four year olds. The school consists of a dozen classrooms and office space. The facility was previously secured with an outdated buzzer system, and school administrators decided to upgrade the access system with the help of Surveillance Technology, Inc. (STI).
For any school, access control is an increasingly important part of a structured setting for social & academic learning. But a daycare and preschool environment presents unique challenges for door access, given the varied schedules of drop off and pick up. Unlike K – 12 schools, which have a single start time for family arrival and another for schoolwide release, a daycare sees more variability depending on parents’ personal schedules. SHUMPS also provides after school care for children attending Seminole Heights Elementary School, extending the window for afternoon pickups.
The new system controls access using credentials that are fully customizable by school leaders. Faculty and staff can use the new keypad for entry. Individual permissions to each controlled area can be further restricted by time of day for particular teachers and staff. Administrators may also define peak drop off and pickup hours when doors are allowed to remain open longer than at other times of day. Surveillance Tech also installed a motorized door at the main entrance, in order to comply with ADA requirements.
School security is more critical than ever. Surveillance Technology has worked with educators across Tampa Bay and throughout the state to ensure the children in our community can learn and play safely. With expertise on how to create access control on existing doors, STI can empower schools to better control the entry and exit of students and visitors, keeping our kids and communities safe.
Even with the low student/teacher ratio at SHUMPS, teachers and administrators are terribly busy and focused on their top priority – the children. There is little bandwidth for learning a new access control system, so they need the migration to be easy and intuitive. Surveillance Tech takes pride in providing simple and thorough onboarding. Through user training & customization support, STI improves the end to end experience of achieving and maintaining a loving and safe environment.
Childhood is precious. Seminole Heights United Methodist Preschool has created a community of gentleness and safety, and Surveillance Tech is honored to be a part of protecting these kids.
