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MrsChildCare presents Safe and Healthy Environment in Childcare.
Training on maintaining a safe, healthy childcare environment covering safety, nutrition, hygiene, allergies, and outdoor activities.
Key Takeaways
- Child safety requires vigilance in removing hazards and maintaining clean, organized spaces.
- Healthy nutrition and positive eating habits are essential for children's development.
- Allergy awareness and clear communication are critical to prevent health risks.
- Proper hygiene and illness policies help reduce the spread of germs in childcare settings.
- Outdoor play and sun safety contribute to children's overall well-being.
Summary
- Keep hazardous items like matches, medicines, and cleaning products out of children's reach.
- Separate diapering and food preparation areas to prevent contamination.
- Promote healthy eating habits by offering nutritious snacks and encouraging family-style dining.
- Be allergy-aware and communicate dietary restrictions clearly with staff and substitutes.
- Encourage outdoor play and fresh air while monitoring air quality and sun protection.
- Follow proper hygiene practices including handwashing and diaper changing protocols.
- Maintain clean classrooms and conduct daily health checks on children.
- Avoid using microwaves to heat baby bottles and never prop bottles during feeding.
- Use positive reinforcement instead of candy rewards and consider safer alternatives for celebrations.
- Stay updated with state regulations and health policies to ensure compliance and child safety.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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Welcome to this training on maintaining a safe and healthy environment in a child care setting.
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The top thing that parents wish for when they drop off their child at child care is that they'll be picking them up later that day in the same healthy and safe condition that they left them in.
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Potentially hazardous items need to be kept out of reach of children.
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This includes matches, lighters, sharp adult scissors, balloons, plastic bags, staplers, anything that is labeled keep out of reach of children.
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Cleaning products, hot liquids, aerosol cans, and medicines are all potential dangers.
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Staff handbags can be a danger, so keep them locked away from children's natural inquisitive nature.
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Use common sense and keep all diapering away from food preparation areas.
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Your classroom should have a separate and labeled zone for each.
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Keep food completely away from medicines.
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Have you noticed how similar medicine looks to candy?
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Don't take risks, keep them separate.
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If you notice that equipment is damaged and broken or potentially harmful, report it to management immediately and move it away from children.
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Never assume management know.
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Children are our future.
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Let's give children of today every opportunity to have happy and healthy futures.
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Healthy futures tomorrow include good nutrition and outdoor time today.
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Let's encourage children to enjoy being outdoors, enjoy the fresh air, and enjoy moving their bodies.
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Let's plan healthy meal options during a child's day at child care.
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Teachers need to be role models for the children in their group.
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Yum, I love oranges.
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Who loves oranges like I do?
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Let's steer clear of junk food and encourage children to form the habit of snacking on healthy foods.
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Let's offer milk or water rather than juice, which is loaded with sugar.
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Children should be offered water frequently throughout the day.
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Family style dining is a great option that encourages children to eat more, build independence, and learn table manners and healthy eating habits.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has great nutrition information on mypyramid.gov.
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Teachers need to be knowledgeable of the six food groups and follow the government guidelines on which food groups need to be offered at what frequency.
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The National Association for Education of Young Children suggests ways to encourage healthy eating from the start.
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Such as using real vegetables to examine the edible parts or conducting a taste test on a variety of raw and cooked vegetables.
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They suggest learning about different cultures.
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You could choose the cultural heritage of one or more children for a themed food day's meals or snacks.
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You could foster creativity by baking your own whole grain breads.
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You could encourage children to think about where food comes from and how it is grown.
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Seeing is believing.
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Replace some of the unhealthier plastic foods in the toy kitchen with plastic fruits and vegetables, breads and cheese.
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NAEYC recommends that parents, caregivers, and teachers should work together to establish a mutual understanding of how to best meet each child's nutritional needs.
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Teaching children to eat wisely and moderately is an investment in the future, and establishing healthy eating habits in their early years is not only important but also can be fun.
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Start gardening with the children.
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It's a wonderful hands-on and meaningful learning experience.
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What do tomatoes, rhubarb, and lima beans have in common?
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They are all considered poisonous food plants.
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Check to make sure that you plant fruits, vegetables, and flowers that are safe for children.
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Let's reward children with positive words of encouragement and give the candy as a reward a skip.
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Allergy awareness is an important part of your role as teacher.
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Peanut allergies are so common now that many child care centers are becoming nut-free zones.
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Other common allergies include egg allergies and cow's milk allergies.
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It is important that you respect special dietary requirements that children may have, such as being vegetarians.
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When a child in your group has an allergy or special dietary requirement, it is vital that this is communicated in written form, preferably with a photograph of the child, and posted on a visible board where all substitute teachers will see.
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Children love to celebrate birthdays with their friends.
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With a big group of children, it may mean cake every other week.
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Cake should always be served with the required nutritional snack.
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Try and encourage parents to bring party hats, special cups, and plates or muffins or fruit salad as an alternative to cake.
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Latex balloons can be a choking hazard.
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Mylar balloons are safer and a great alternative.
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Teachers should take children outside on a beautiful day for a picnic.
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Children love eating outdoors and love special days such as the Teddy Bear's Picnic that is fun to hold every year.
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Infant room teachers should understand the risk factors associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
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The rule of thumb is back to sleep and tummy to play.
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Do not use microwaves to heat up baby bottles; they heat the milk unevenly and can make it too hot.
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Never prop baby bottles when feeding an infant.
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It is a wonderful bonding opportunity to hold and feed the baby.
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Keep your classrooms clean.
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Take trash out frequently.
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Teachers should conduct a daily health check on every child entering their classroom to make sure that they are well enough to be at child care.
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Every center should have an illness policy that clearly states when a child is too ill to attend.
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Check your state's rules and regulations to find out the requirements.
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For certain age groups, everything goes in their mouth.
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Germs can spread quickly throughout a classroom.
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Hand washing and correct cleaning of toys is essential.
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The North Carolina Health and Safety Resource Center recommends eight steps for proper hand washing.
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Turn water on.
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Wet hands.
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Apply liquid soap.
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Wash hands well for at least 10 to 15 seconds.
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Rinse hands.
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Dry hands.
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And turn water off using a paper towel.
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And then throw the paper towel away.
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For the diaper changing process, they recommend.
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Get organized, wash your hands and gather what you need.
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Carry child to the diapering area and always keep a hand on the child.
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Clean the child.
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Remove soiled diaper.
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Put a clean diaper on the child.
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Wash child's hands.
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Clean, rinse, sanitize diapering area.
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And then wash your hands.
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Make sure that you check the daily air quality forecast made by the Division of Air Quality.
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Play should be restricted on days that are unhealthy for sensitive groups.
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The Cancer Council of Australia believing slipping on a protective shirt, slopping on some sunscreen, and slapping on a hat.
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Encourage children in your class to wear hats.
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Parents should put sunscreen on their child before bringing them to preschool.
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Sunscreen is considered a medication, so never put sunscreen on a child without the correct permission forms from parents.
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This training provided a brief overview and by no means replaces your state's rules and regulations pertaining to health and safety.
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It is essential for anyone working in the child care industry to read current policies, rules, and regulations and sanitation requirements for their area.
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And keep abreast of any changes that may occur.
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We're in this together for a healthy future for our children.
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So thanks for watching and be safe.
Topics:childcare safetyhealthy environmentchild nutritionallergy awarenesshygiene practicesoutdoor playchild healthdiapering safetychildcare trainingearly childhood education
