Skysue, my daycare is in the basement and the gate is across the stairs. There is no door in my basement, so literally, the kids have no way to get to a door in the first place even if I am in the bathroom. For my own kids' safety, we actually have chain locks installed at the tops of our outside doors so that they cannot open the doors when people ring the bells etc. as my own kids do have free run of the house, especially during non-daycare hours. But, the daycare kids NEVER have any chance to open those doors because they are not on the mainfloor except for when we go out and then I am with them and we all go together.