CLDDV 111: Health, Safety, and Nutrition

Chapter 1: A Holistic Environmental Approach for Early Childhood Education

Prepared by: Debbie Laffranchini, MA

Physical environment

Social and emotional environment

Economic environment

Cultural environment

The Environment

Physical Environment

Community facilities

Safe, attractive school and

neighborhood

Physical Environment

Clean, safe healthy home Mother’s health

Physical Environment Child’s Health

Genetics Heredity

Sense of belonging, self-esteem, confidence to be in the greater community

Social and Emotional Environment

Social and Emotional Environment

Relationships with teachers, peers, neighbors

Relationships with immediate and extended family

Relationship with parent

Attachment

Primary caregiver

Economic Environment

Economic status of greater community, services for assistance available

Economic status of neighborhood, services available for assistance

Economic and work status of parents

Family can afford child

Sense of belonging, acceptance Ethnicity and cultural practices of greater community

Neighborhood ethnicity of cultural practices Schools, churches, neighborhoods

Cultural practices of family

Ethnicity

Cultural competence

Cultural Environment

In small groups of no more than four, identify:

Four ways that society has promoted health, protection, or disease prevention

10 minutes

Health Promotion, Protection, and Disease Prevention

1. Healthy People 2010

Objectives are to improve health and well-being of Americans

Considers environmental risks that cause emotional, physical, psychological, and learning problems

Provides culturally appropriate educational and support programs for parents in high-risk environments to help reduce child maltreatment and other health problems

Increases proportion of children whose intake from snacks at school contribute proportionally to overall diet quality

Health Promotion, Protection, and Disease Prevention

2. National Health and Safety Performance Standards for Child care

3. National Association for the Education of Young Children

4. ECERS: Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scales

Health Promotion, Protection, and Disease Prevention (cont)

In small groups using computers: 1 hour 1. Identify health indicators for Healthy People 2010

1. How is Stanislaus County doing in three of the indicators?

2. Identify new information for your group concerning the NHSPS for Child Care

3. Identify teacher responsibility for providing a safe, healthy, and nurturing environment with responsive care according to NAEYC (Code of Ethical Conduct)

4. Identify the ECERS-R rating scales categories that apply to safety, nutrition, and health

5. Identify other efforts that address health, safety, and nutrition of young children

Health Promotion, Protection, and Disease Prevention (cont)

What is risk management?

Risk Management

Answer: Risk management is an effective way to protect, promote, and prevent difficulties regarding children’s health, safety, and nutrition

What are some strategies that a teacher may use to engage in risk management?

Risk Management

Answer: Model Comply with standards and guidelines Maximize health status of children

How?

Minimize risks to children How?

Utilize education as a tool for health promotion and risk reduction for children and adults

Practice cultural competence Develop partnerships with families to provide a caring community

How?

Risk Management

Goal 1: Maximize health status

Goal 2: Minimize risk

Goal 3: Use education as a

tool

Goal 4: Recognize importance of

guidelines

Goal 5: Practice cultural

competence

Goal 6: Develop partnerships with

families

Risk Management

In small groups, for each of the 6 Goals of Risk Management, identify two strategies that a teacher can use

20 minutes

Risk Management (cont)

Each student is to prepare a policy that promotes safety in an early childhood education setting (1 page maximum)

Each student will present their policy in one minute (TIMED!) to the class

Students may use power point, handout, or other media for their policy (bring to class)

Paper elements and presentation elements: Identify the policy Identify if it promotes safety in the environment, prevents injury,

or is part of a safety plan Present supporting information (statistics, data) Be clear how the policy will look when it is adhered to

Homework 10 points

Refer to pages 44, 46, 64, 65 and 72 for ideas

Clearly written

Include guidelines, limitations, and suggested methods of communication to be used

Helps teacher develop proper practices based on knowledge of safety, risk prevention protection, and promotion

Created for safety, nutrition, health, and special topics

Should incorporate six major goals of high-quality early childhood education (page 19)

Safety Policies Guidelines for Creating Your Policy