Oral

This session will address health and safety standards in child care. While this topic area is vast, this session will focus on four specific child care areas, including:infection control using bleach methods, safe medication administration recommendations, reducing the spread of enteric pathogens in child care facilities, and ways to prevent obesity in child care settings. Infection control using diluted bleach has been an important protection applied in child care settings for many decades. However, there are data demonstrating association between bleach exposure and work-related asthma. Therefore, there is a need to eliminate exposure to bleach for child care workers by substituting with bleach-free EPA-registered antimicrobials or by reducing bleach exposure. This session will address this health and safety practice need. Another area this session will address is safe medication administration recommendations. There are 12 million children enrolled in early care and education and 86% require medication. However, medication administration in early care and education presents health and safety concerns for children. A component of this session will address the importance of meeting national safety guidelines in medication administration and related policy implications. Additionally, due to the large number of children enrolled in US child care settings (61%), it is important that handwashing and diaper-changing practices be effectively implemented to reduce the spread of enteric pathogens. Although, this is a well-known fact, one study found a high level of noncompliant rates in implementing proper handwashing and diaper-changing guidelines. Finally, obesity in children is growing at a phenomenal rate. New national standards have been developed in 2010 and revised in 2011 to address the prevention of obesity in child care and early child care settings. This session will end with discussion addressing effective obesity prevention strategies such as heightened emphasis on health foods to be introduced and served in child care settings, promotion of physical activities, and highlighting the importance of appropriate food categorise and portions.

Session Objectives: 1. List ways national regulatory and child care agencies are involved in ensuring safety and well-being of children in child care settings. 2. Identify health and safety issues in child care settings. 3. Indicate policy recommendations for enhancing child and safety standards in child care.

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