Oral

Child care health consultants (CCHCs)—usually health professionals with an interest in and experience with young children and knowledge of resources and regulations—serve a core role in helping early care and education (ECE) programs to improve health and safety practices and to support the physical, social, and emotional development of the young children in their care. An evaluation of the effect of health consultative services on child care staff’s knowledge of child health-related issues, and child care centers’ compliance with national health and safety performance standards found that child care health consultation improves health knowledge and compliance of child care staff. (Pediatric Nursing). This session will explain how systems-building among CCHCs and other community health providers plays an increasingly critical role in states' ability to sustain these supports in today's uncertain economic times and present child care health consultation models from four different states.

Session Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to do the following: 1. Explain the roles of CCHCs and ways that they can support goals for children¡¦s health and safety across service systems. 2. Compare approaches that states use to tailor their CCHC systems to state-specific needs and resources.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)