Emergency Preparedness

An earthquake begins to occur affecting a day care center. The main dangers of this disaster are falling furniture, other objects falling and glass breaking. The children, staff, and any parents in the building are at risk in this situation. We should be prepared for this situation so if and when it occurs we will know what to do and how to handle it. We will be able to follow the disaster plan and know the procedures. This can prevent injuries or the loss of someone’s life. Not being prepared for this disaster can make it more chaotic because you would not know what to do; someone could get injured or lose their life.

To develop a plan in advanced for this disaster I would want all staffed to be involved so that they can understand the plan and procedures or ask questions if need. I would check the center for anything that could be a possible hazard during this disaster and modify them appropriately like placing heavy objects on lower shelves and flammable product kept locked up on bottom shelves. I would also want to make sure emergency drills are being done regularly and speak to the children about earthquakes and what to do. Children may have questions that I could answer to help them gain a better understanding and be more prepared.

If an earthquake were to occur I would stay as calm as possible and have everyone drop to the ground and take cover under a sturdy piece of furniture such as a table or desk and have them hold on until the shaking stops ( http://www.fema.gov/hazard/earthquake/eq_during.shtm ). I would also make sure the children are not near any glass, windows, or any heavy furniture that may fall. The center should have working flashlights with extra batteries, first aid kits, a portable battery operated radio, and emergency contact information. All staff should also know the disaster plan and procedures. I would involve families by making them aware of our plan and give them information on what they could do to be prepared at home. I would also check with them to make sure all emergency contact info is updated or has not changed.

The early childhood center located near a wooded area is in danger of being caught on fire due to a careless person in the woods. The dangers posed by this disaster are because of being so close to the woods the building may catch on fire, no one knows how soon it could happen, or what started the fire like chemicals. Anyone in the building is at risk and others around outside. By being prepared for this disaster we can prevent injuries, death, and burns. By being prepared we will also be able to evacuate and get to safety in an organized manner. If we are not prepared the situation could escalate. Children and staff could panic, children could be left behind in the building or be lost during evacuation. It would also leave more of a chance of someone getting burned, injured or even lose a life.

If this disaster occurs I would get the children lined up and begin the evacuation procedure. I would follow the plan using the primary means of egress unless it is blocked by a fire. We would go to our meeting place and do a head count to make sure we have all the children. This disaster can cause trees, buildings and other things to fall, and a lot of smoke. The center should have emergency contact info, attendance sheets, first aid kits, fire extinguishers, and smoke detectors.
To develop a plan I would again want all staff to be involved so everyone is aware of the plan and what to do in case it ever occurs. I would have fire drills conducted on a regular basis so staff and children can practice and be prepared (http://www.fema.gov/hazard/fire/fire_before.shtm ). These drills should be done alternating their means of egress in case one is ever blocked by a fire. I would also make sure the plan is posted in every room so that the means of egress are known for that particular room. Children should also be taught to stop drop and roll and meet a firefighter in uniform to help with any fears they have or may have when being approached by one (http://www.fema.gov/hazard/fire/fire_before.shtm ). All other staff not working in the rooms with children like therapists, supervisors and others should know their role during this plan, such as checking halls, bathrooms or helping specific rooms with getting the children out safely.

I would encourage families to practice stop, drop, and roll with children at home and fire drills including a meeting place as well. I would also provide helpful information to families if needed on what they can do in case of a fire. They should make sure smoke detectors are in working order and tested once a month with batteries being replaced at least once a year (http://www.fema.gov/hazard/fire/fire_before.shtm ).










References
http://www.fema.gov/hazard/earthquake/eq_during.shtm
http://www.fema.gov/hazard/fire/fire_before.shtm

CPR and Choking Emergencies

My first scenario is a three year old girl is choking on a small object she found in the classroom at the daycare center. At first the child is able to cough so the teacher encourages her to keep coughing. The child is then unable to cough, talk or cry. The teacher tells her assistant to call 911.The teacher then slightly bends the child over and gives five rapid back blows in between the shoulder blades. She uses the heel of her hand to do the back blows being careful that her fingers are positioned correctly to avoid hitting the child in the back of the head. After performing the back blows she finds the child’s navel with her hand. After finding the navel she curls one hand into a fist and places the pointer finger and thumb part of the hand just above the navel. After placing that hand she puts her other hand on top. She then begins to give the child five chest thrusts by pushing in and up. She continues to do this until the object moves. The object does not have to come flying out it may be that by doing these back blows and chest thrust the object turned and went down.

My second scenario is that a five year old boy in a preschool is found on the floor in the gym not moving. The teacher goes over to the boy and asks are you ok? While tapping him on the shoulder the boy does not respond. He is unconscious, but there is no one else around. The teacher then tilts the boys head by placing one hand on the chin and the other on the forehead. By tilting the head she begins to listen for signs of life, and then checks for a pulse. The boy is not breathing so she places a breathing mask over his mouth, keeps his head tilted and pinches his nose. She proceeds to give him two steady rescue breathes by sealing her mouth around his and watching for the chest to rise then fall. If the chest doesn’t rise then his head would need to be reposition. She then does chest compressions by placing the heel of one hand on the breast bone and the other on top curling the fingers in between the other hand. She positions her arms so that they are above the hand and gives thirty steady chest compressions in about 20 seconds. The chest compressions for a child over one should go down to one to one and a half inches. She now checks for responsiveness and the child still is not responding. There was a phone in this room, but it was all the way on the other side, and for CPR it’s most successful when administered immediately (http://www.redcross.org ). She must do at least two minutes of CPR before she can stop to call 911. After calling 911 she continues the CPR until the child becomes responsive or help arrives.

Advance planning allows you to be better prepared to handle these situations. Advanced planning also helps to make sound decisions during an emergency when there may be fears. It can also help reduce the risk and loss of someone’s life. I think being CPR and first aid certified can help with responding to theses emergencies. It also helps to have training on rescue breathing. Even though you may be working with a specific age group it’s best if you are not only trained for CPR in the specific age, but infants, child and adults because you never known if others are not prepared for their age group or have a staff that may need CPR. Another step adults should take to handle these kinds of emergencies is making sure they have a first aid kit that is well supplied and kept replenished. They can also keep up to date emergency information on each child, by asking parents every couple of months if the information is still correct.





References

http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/emergencies/cpr.html

American Red Cross: Prepare for Emergencies with American Red Cross First Aid, CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Courses
http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.53fabf6cc033f17a2b1ecfbf43181aa0/?vgnextoid=42eebd7df52bb110VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD&currPage=ae14bd7df52bb110VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD

Physical Fitness

Children are learning to build and strengthen their motor skills, like jumping, catching, and kicking. Physical activities can help children master these skills because they can try doing them if they can’t, and practice or refine them. Other activities children do promote strength needed for other motor skills. Refined skills are building blocks for more complex skills (National Association for Sport and Physical Education, 2006).

Physical fitness is also important for the following reason:

• Reduces the risk for chronic diseases.
• Keeps weight under control.
• Boosts energy level.
• Establishes healthy habits.
• Growing bones and muscles.

If children do not engage in healthy fitness activities it can increase their risks for chronic diseases like obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Obese children are more likely to be obese adults. Childhood obesity results from an imbalance between the amount of calories a child consumes and the amount of calories a child uses (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008). Obese children tend to have risk factors for cardiovascular diseases including high cholesterol and blood pressure. These children may be discriminated against, excluded by friends from activities or groups lowering their self- esteem. Their low self esteem could hurt them academically, and socially. Without physical fitness activities children spend most of their time in sedentary activities not expending the energy they need to in order to keep their weight under control.

Adults can help children develop good fitness habits in many different ways. First of they have to be sure to remember that they are role models for children and if they expect children to get involved they must be involved themselves as well. Tag is a good game for children to play that involves gross motor skills. This is a non- competitive game where children are running and tagging each other and taking turns. Children can also get involved in a game of throw and catch. Children can take turns throwing and catching the ball to each other, which uses their fine motor skills. Adults should also encourage children to be active rather than them using electronic media (Robertson, 2010). Families can go for walks, jogs, and bicycle rides together places rather than driving. Playgrounds are good for both gross and fine motor skills. Adults can make obstacle courses with children to promote physical fitness. They can find things to use that they can jump over, crawl through, run around etc.

Some thought provoking quotes that captured my attitude and philosophy about fostering children’s healthy growth and development are “While children are still young, let us help them develop motor skill competence and a love of being physically active” (National Association for Sport and Physical Education, 2006) and “All it takes to encourage an active start is a little time and imagination and a commitment to a healthy lifestyle” (National Association for Sport and Physical Education, 2006). To me it is important to start young and get children in healthy habits early on. Children that are healthy and physically active are more likely to be healthy in adulthood and stick with the habits as adults. Children should enjoy being physically active not drilled to do so. It should be fun for them and adults should also be involved. We need to come up with fun and interesting ways for children to get involved in activities and provide them with encouragement to keep it up.

Physical activity has many positive impacts on children’s health. It helps in balancing their calories (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008). Children need to used energy they take in or it gets stored as fat. Physical activity also strengthens bones and reduces risks for hyper tension, obesity, cardiovascular disease both now and in their future (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008). Physical activity can help reduce stress and anxiety, but can also increase one’s self esteem and help them control their weight (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008).






References

National Association for Sport and Physical Education. (2006, May). Active start: Physical activity guidelines for children birth to five years. Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200605/NASPEGuidelinesBTJ.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008, November). Childhood overweight and obesity. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html

Robertson, C. (2010). Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Hazards and Prevention

There are many potential hazardous situations and safety threats common to children of various ages. Some are more common among specific age groups. A child’s cognitive and physical abilities along with age, gender, and developmental level all play a role when it comes to safety. I chose the preschool age group. Some potentially hazardous situations and safety threats common to this age are poisoning, drowning, choking, burns, and motor vehicle and other transportation accidents.

Some of the safety policies at my center include keeping chemicals and other poisonous materials out of the children’s reach, not using chemicals around children, and not bringing in any of our own chemicals, because all are kept in a log with specific information in case of an emergency or if someone develops a reaction. Anytime we use water in our water tables in must be immediately emptied after use, and children are never left unattended this is to help prevent drowning. Any spills or liquid on the floor must be cleaned up immediately to prevent falls. Checklists are filled out for cleaning, maintaining toys and furniture, and ensuring all safety devices are being used, such as outlet covers. Toys must be age appropriate and we check for any broken or small pieces. If toys are age appropriate then there should not be any small pieces that could cause a child to choke. We have an evacuation floor plan posted in each class with two means of egress, and practice fire drills frequently, by doing this we are being prepared in case any fire does occur. We would know what needs to be done and how to get the children out safely as possible to prevent anyone from getting burned. Certain foods are not allowed to be served like hotdogs or grapes due to it being a choking hazard. Plants or flowers are allowed to be kept in the room this way we can help prevent children from coming in contact with a poisonous plant and any allergies. All personal belongings must be locked in a cabinet out of the children’s reach. This is done to prevent many injuries it could be from poison like aspirins or medications staff may have in their belongings or any lighter and matches to prevent burns, there could even be small things that children could choke on.

Rooms should be inspected from a child’s view to help identify possible dangers, and modified accordingly. By ensuring proper safety devices are being used and maintained it could also help prevent injuries like burns. Other things that can be done are by role modeling safe behaviors, and role playing. For instance you can setup pretend situations so the children can practice stop, drop, and roll or crawling low to the floor. Staff to child ratios should also always be in compliance to help ensure proper supervision. Cleaning materials should be locked away or out of children’s reach to help prevent accidental ingestion of the chemicals which are poison. By modifying the times children do certain activities during the day you can help prevent injuries like falls, because children are more tired late in the morning and in the early afternoon. The room should be setup in a way that allows for proper supervision, prevents collisions, and allows plenty of movement. Choking injuries can also be prevented by frequently vacuuming and wiping down surfaces. Vehicle related injuries can be prevented by ensuring the use of proper child safety restraints according to their height and weight. The child’s seat should be properly installed and facing the appropriate way. Any vehicle transporting children should have a first aid kit equipped with a fire extinguisher and tools for changing tires.

Families can ensure their child’s safety at home by using proper safety devices such as, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, gates at stairs and other dangerous entryways, car seats, outlet covers, window guards and barriers. They can also keep all poisonous chemicals and medications out of reach, firearms unloaded and locked away and sharp items out of reach. Families should practice fire drills together including escape routes and meeting places. Always turn pot handles toward the back of the stove, keep electric cords out of reach, as well as lighters, matches and cigarettes. Be cautious of plants around and any amount of water, whether it is a bucket or a pool. Children should not be left alone in the bath tub and it is always a good idea to turn the cold water on first when running the water for a child. Children should wear helmets when riding bicycles to prevent injury. These are just some of the things that families can do to help ensure their child’s safety at home.

Eating Habits and Good Nutrition

Good nutrition and eating habits are important to children because they need it for the body to grow, develop and to maintain itself. It is also important in maintaining their health, for instance protein is used to make hormones and antibodies to help prevent the risk of infections (Robertson, 2010). It helps to fight off infections, colds and other communicable diseases. Adequate nutrition is needed not only to protect the body, but for energy as well. Good eating habits are important for children to be able to control what they eat, when they eat and how much they eat. It helps reduce the risks of obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, deficiencies, and to avoid cavities.

Adults should actively help children develop healthy eating habits because it will help children become aware of good nutritional choices. Children are strongly influenced by what they hear and see others do, so adults can have an effect on children’s preferred foods, eating behaviors, and their willingness to try new foods. They should be role models for the children and choose healthy and nutritional food because if children don’t see them eating a variety of food then they probably won’t either. Adults can also involve children in selecting and preparing foods. This can be an opportunity to talk about different food, and educate them on what it does for them and their body. Another way children can learn to develop healthy eating habits is by being read to about a variety of foods.

Families can involve their children with meals by getting them involved in preparing meals. Here are three nutritious recipes that families can prepare with preschoolers that were retrieved from http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/ .

Crazy, Curly Broccoli Bake

1 ½ C. whole wheat corkscrew pasta, dry
3 C. frozen, chopped broccoli
1- 10.5 oz can of low fat cream of broccoli soup condensed
½ C skim milk
2 T. plain bread crumbs
¼ t. salt free seasoning blend

There is a ½ cup of vegetables in every serving. It is an excellent source of vitamin C and fiber. It is also a good source of vitamin A, folate, and magnesium.

Green Peas, Potatoes and Ham

2 t. olive oil
2 C. peeled and diced potatoes
1 slice of lunch meat ham minced
1 C fresh, frozen, thawed green peas
Black pepper to taste

There is a ½ cup of both fruits and vegetables in every serving, and it is a good source of vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.

Kale with Raisins

12 C. chopped kale
2 T. chopped walnuts
1 ½ T. oil
3 garlic cloves chopped
¼ C. water
1/8 t. pepper
2 T. chopped raisins

This recipe has 2 cups of fruits and vegetables in every serving. It has an excellent source of vitamin A and C. It is also is a good source of folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and fiber.

Some suggestions for making cooking together an enjoyable experience are by letting the children help as much as they can like stirring, pouring ingredients, washing fruits and vegetables and setting the table. Another suggestion is to let the children help not only with cooking, but buying the food. You can make a list with pictures of some things you need and have the children look and help you find them, kind of like a scavenger hunt. Children should be talked to about the different foods being used and about the meal. You can also use this time to talk with the children about their day or any memories you have with cooking in general or about foods.



References

Robertson, C. (2010). Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/