This checklist and accompanying video are designed to help family child care providers assess the health and safety of the child care home. The checklist includes suggestions for conducting the self-evaluation and for creating a safer, healthier home environment. The areas of the checklist are: your home, out of bounds areas, gates and guards,…

This "Instructor's Guide" provides trainers with an outline for the teaching of the School Readiness and Health module. Participants will be introduced to the concept of school readiness and will learn about the importance of health to school readiness. Participants will learn how Child Care Health Advocates (CCHAs) can support best practices for…

After deducting holidays, the annual school term in most American cities is not more than 180 days. In many cities and towns the number of actual school days is still less. This means that children who are never absent attend school less than half the days of the year, a little more than 1 hour in 10. Formerly the school year was much longer in…

Presents strategies for Head Start programs to use to help parents ensure their children's health, safety, and well-being. Recommends creative approaches such as lending libraries, bulletin boards, displays, take-home information sheets, conferences, small group discussions, and newsletters. Describes the parent health education program at the…

Discusses school health services, adolescent immunization, current school immunization practices, and support for school-based immunization programs. Children and adolescents can receive preventive health services, including immunizations and monitoring of immunization levels. Expanding school health services could improve the immunization levels…

The literature on health care for individuals with mental retardation is reviewed. Major topics include: specific needs of individuals with intellectual impairments, the role of parents in health care, the need for collaborative relationships between health care professionals and families of children with disabilities, and the need for specific…

Reviews and synthesizes recent literature on social problems in the lives of adolescents, including depression, suicide, substance abuse, sexual activity, sexually transmitted diseases, rape, sexual preference, and school dropout. Explores key factors in effective intervention and prevention programs for students with and without learning…

Describes development and evaluation of an interdisciplinary health team training program for school-based clinic staff in Minnesota elementary and secondary schools. The program included development in team training knowledge and skills and educational sessions on issues identified by participants. Evaluations indicated that participants gained…

Asserts that child care workers must follow basic health and sanitary practices to minimize the chance of illness and promote good health. Highlights the following strategies: (1) monitoring staff health; (2) maintaining a healthy environment; (3) managing infections; and (4) reporting infectious illnesses. Specifically addresses pregnant staff,…

Experts believe that child obesity is a serious medical problem that affects people in all socioeconomic groups. Suggests that there is a relationship between absentee parents, particularly mothers, and obese children, focusing on working/absentee mothers, television watching habits, the prophylactic effect of breastfeeding, and poor exercise…

Assessed the cost and effectiveness of contacting parents through schools, educating them about health insurance programs and preventive care, and helping them with insurance applications. Data analysis indicated that accumulative cost per enrolled child was $75. Schools located and assisted large numbers of uninsured children who had failed other…

Introduces this special issue and presents a variety of clinical, research, interview, classroom, observation, assessment, and survey techniques. These techniques are intended to improve children's lives. Notes that some of the articles provide theoretical support for the techniques suggested and used, some describe programmatic models, and some…

Suggests that, considering the many benefits to mothers, babies, and caregivers, maintaining the breastfeeding relationship is an important aspect of quality child care. Provides an extended list of breastfeeding advantages. Proposes that care providers should fully realize the positive difference breastfeeding can make, encourage mothers' choice…

Research demonstrates that children develop psychological "resilience" through the fostering of certain protective factors in their lives. Youth programs can promote development of these protective factors by helping children build attachments to adults and others and develop social competence and by providing meaningful participation in…

Examines the quality of care and education for Curacao's children under the age of four. Notes that, whereas the children's health situation is generally good and stable, child abuse and negligence are on the rise, and there is a growing need for good quality child-care centers. (TJQ)