Educating child care providers about environmental health risks

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Helen Williams and Kristin D. Marstiller. Safety and Health Policy Center, National Safety Council, 1025 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., #1200, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 293-2270 x 496, williamsh@nsc.org

In 2002, 63% of the 18.5 million children younger than 5 years of age were in some type of regular child care arrangement, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It is important for child care providers to understand that providing a safe and health environment for young children can reduce health care needs, but it is especially vital in communities where the health care disparities are the greatest. NSC, under an EPA award, has created a child care module, For the Kids: A Guide for Child Care Providers on Environmental Health Issues, which covers eight topics that impact children's health, both immediately and throughout their life. This program assists child care providers ensure a safe and health environment for the children in their care and it helps them reinforce health behavior, protect their health, and prevent disease and ill health from occurring. The training module covers asthma triggers, carbon monoxide, household hazardous chemicals, lead poisoning, mold and mildew, radon, secondhand smoke, and sun exposure. For each hazard, the kit contains an overview on the subject; a facility checklist; a facility policy statement; a letter to parents explaining the issue and the facility's position on it; a fact sheet for parents; a puppet show and additional activities for children; and additional resources on each topic. The training module also contains puppet show scripts that help children learn about environmental health risks. It includes patterns and instructions on how to make the puppets, stage, and the props for the various scripts.

Learning Objectives:

Each workshop attendee will receive a copy of the training manual. At the end of the session, participants will be able to

1. understand the adverse health effects of eight environmental health risks on children
2. assess child care facilities for these environmental health risks
3. ensure a safer and healthier environment for children by using checklists and facility policy statements and providing information to parents
4. assist children in developing safe and health behavior for immediate and future well-being

Keywords: Children's Health, Community Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Environmental health

The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA