Of the more than 13 million American children age five and under currently enrolled in childcare, an estimated 1.4 million have asthma. Many childcare facilities are not prepared to handle the special needs of children with asthma and allergies and may be reluctant to accept these children. Some parents may keep their child's asthma a secret to obtain affordable childcare services, which places the child's life at risk because adequate care may not be available when crises occurs.
To make childcare settings safe for children with asthma and better equip providers, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is launching nationwide The Asthma and Allergy Essentials for Child Care Providers course. Developed by the AAFA Maryland-Greater Washington, DC Chapter, this three-hour program was piloted in 25 Maryland sites, training 500 providers in management of children with asthma/allergies.
Participants receive continuing education credits while learning to care for children with asthma, identify warning signs of asthma episodes and allergy triggers, and reduce or eliminate allergens. Instruction on administering medications and improving communication among providers, parents and healthcare professionals is provided. Pre-test, post-test, and six-week follow-up surveys are used to assess learning and behavioral change.
Preliminary evaluation results indicate increased confidence (95%) in caring for children with asthma and allergies and ability to identify an average of 2.4 environmental changes for immediate implementation in childcare settings (<80%), (e.g., vacuuming, changing air duct filters, eliminating tobacco smoke, and washing stuffed toys). Final evaluation results will be presented.
Learning Objectives: Discuss need for educating child care providers about caring for young children with asthma and allergies Identify outcomes of child care provider training program
Keywords: Asthma, Child Care
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Primary speaker is the Executive Director of AAFA. The AAFA child care provider training program discussed is supported by educational grants from EPA and Merck Pharmaceuticals.