Ellen Williams learned that the S-hooks on swings could be dangerous when she took a health and safety training through Crystal Stairs—a Los Angeles child care resource and referral organization. Before that, she had no idea that the wooden swing set at her Kidz Hotel Child Care program in Gardena could be hazardous to the children in her care.

“The kids’ fingers slip right through them,” Williams says, and in a worst-case scenario, a finger could even be cut off. Although the swing set was popular, “I had to tear it down” to eliminate the danger, she adds.

Whether it’s improving playground safety, preventing the spread of illness, or teaching children healthy habits, early care and education teachers and providers who get extra training through programs around the state can help the children in their care stay healthy and safe.

Meeting a need for training

California requires 15 hours of health and safety training to become a child care provider, and only one person on site must complete the training, says Vickie Leonard, a child care health consultant for the Califo-rnia Child Care Health Program (CCHP) in Berkeley.

CCHP has trained nurses around the state as child care health consultants to work with early childhood education programs on health and safety issues. They also train teachers and providers to be “the point person in their program to improve the health and safety of their children,” Leonard adds. Many child care resource and referral agencies also offer health and safety training.

Learn about important topics—and share knowledge with others

At Foothill Square Early Head Start in Oakland, Center Director Bobbie Carpenter offered health workshops for the teachers based on her recent training from CCHP. Each workshop focuses on a single topic, such as SIDS or seizures, in an easy-to-remember format, she adds.

In the SIDS workshop, “I really focused on how teachers and parents like little fluffy things, like blankies, for children,” says Carpenter. “I was able to help the teachers understand it was not safe for the children [to sleep with these items], even though it might be cutesy.” Teachers also became more comfortable with babies, including one who had been reluctant to care for infants, she adds.

Know what to do in an emergency

When a 2-year-old girl at the Foothill Square program had a seizure while playing outside, one teacher put into practice what she learned from Carpenter. “She knew not to try to move the child,” recalls Carpenter—the teacher also had other teachers keep the rest of the children back, and stayed with the girl while someone called 911. “She kept the child alert by calling her name until 911 got there,” Carpenter adds. “It was scary, because when a child has a seizure, you just don’t know how serious it is.”

It turned out that the girl had suffered a seizure before, but the center didn’t know. So Carpenter used the opportunity to ask parents to update their children’s health history forms. “We put out a memo to all parents, saying your child’s health history is important,” Carpenter says. “[It helps us] take care of the child better.”

Prevent the spread of illness

Shaving cream helped children learn about hand washing at Life’s Little Priorities in Santa Maria, says family child care provider Christine Fleenor. The lesson was led by Alma Ramirez, a child care health advocate for Santa Barbara’s Health Linkages Program.

Ramirez added food coloring to the shaving cream, explaining that the coloring was germs. The kids played in the shaving cream and covered their hands, then Ramirez told them “the germs would still [be] there until we washed our hands,” Fleenor recalls.

Ramirez also taught catchy songs to sing while washing up, to make sure children washed for the correct length of time. Fleenor sent home a flyer with the tips and songs, so families could reinforce the habit at home. The children still sing the songs while washing their hands, Fleenor adds.

Leonard also cautions teachers that “if you don’t clean a surface first, a sanitizer won’t work. It’s very basic, but it’s critically important.”

Talk with parents about health policies

When a sick child needs to be sent home, Carpenter draws on materials from her CCHP training to talk with parents. Now she can better explain the health and safety reasons behind the center’s policies—“it’s not just our rules, this is from the health department,” she adds.

Teachers realize keeping a sick child at home can be a hardship for parents, says Carpenter, but explain that it’s better for the child to rest at home and get well. “We also let them know it’s for the protection of other children too, because we don’t want them to get sick,” Carpenter adds.

Meet higher standards

Williams now uses gloves when she changes diapers. She also learned “you have to disinfect everything before and after you change the baby,” she says—not just at the end of the day.

Crystal Stairs bought Williams a changing table, she says. “We were diapering kids on [clean] towels on the bathroom floor, [but a changing table is] the standard of quality that you need to become accredited,” she adds.

Focus on health and safety

Teachers, providers, and child care health consultants offer these tips for programs wanting to strengthen health and safety:

Take advantage of training. “[It] makes you think,” Williams says. Carpenter recommends that every program send one or two people to child care health trainings. “It’s very useful for the staff, parents, and children,” she adds.

Pay attention to hand washing. “Before eating, after eating, after diaper changing, wash the child’s hands,” Carpenter says. Keep hand sanitizer in outdoor play areas to clean your hands after wiping a child’s nose.

Get parents on board. “If [parents] don’t wash their hands, you have to know how to handle that. I just go up and lightly touch them and say, ‘We’re modeling for the children,’” Carpenter adds.

Stick to your program’s health and safety policies. “We’ve had providers in the past let an infant start the program without all their immunizations and the kid ended up having pertussis,” says Rhoda Blankenship, a Fresno County child care health consultant.

Resources

California Child Care Health Program offers trainings as well as fact sheets in English and Spanish (some also in Farsi and Chinese), www.ucsfchildcarehealth.org.

They also offer a child care health line, 800-333-3212, healthline@ucsfchildcarehealth.org

Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies around the state offer trainings, resources, and technical assistance. Call 800-543-7793 to find your local R&R.

Extra resources from the Children’s Advocate bulletin

• Child Care Health Consultation Improves Health and Safety Policies and Practices, a study in the Sept 09 issue of Academic Pediatrics, finds that centers with access to child care health consultants significantly improved their written health and safety policies and met more standards for emergency preparedness and handwashing. Summary online.
  
  
• Redleaf Press offers several health and safety resources for teachers and providers on illness, medical emergencies, germs, and nutrition.
  
  
•  Global Healthy Child Care offers tips for improving health and safety practices in early care and education programs. Topics include illness, injury, food, healthy play spaces, emergency preparedness, oral health, and safety.
  
  
• Nuestros Ninos offers health and development tips in Spanish for parents. Topics include infants, stress, emotions, health and development, sports and play, and special needs.

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