Following your program’s health-related policies will help keep you and the children in your care healthy and safe. Being proactive is your best course of action when it comes to health and safety. This lesson focuses on how you can clean, sanitize, and disinfect to prevent the spread of disease.

The most important part of your job is to keep children safe and healthy. Hand hygiene is a simple way to prevent the spread of disease. You can encourage and model healthy habits like handwashing for young children. This lesson focuses on proper handwashing techniques for adults and children. It also addresses healthy habits and general hygiene practices for responding to children with colds, cuts and scrapes, and children who are bleeding.

School-age children will likely experience a variety of stressors from personal changes occurring in their bodies and from daily situations or life challenges they face. This lesson focuses on supporting children through the beginning of puberty, promoting strong oral health, and helping children develop strategies to combat stress and maintain emotional health.

Children’s health can change quickly. Daily health checks are important tools to help identify sick or injured children. Learn about the importance of daily health checks and understand how to conduct them. You will also learn to recognize symptoms of common childhood illnesses. After completing this lesson, you should understand and follow your program’s exclusion and readmission policy.

Good nutrition and physical activity are important aspects of good health. Proper exercise and diet can prevent obesity and some chronic illnesses. You can play an important role to help encourage and model healthy habits for school-age children. This lesson helps you understand portion control, meal components, food safety, and ways to promote lifelong physical fitness.

Children and families often deal with stressful situations that put their mental health at risk. Deployment is a reality for many military families. It affects the well-being and mental health of children and families. This lesson helps support children and families dealing with stressful life events.

It is important for you to be aware of each child’s individual health needs. Some children will enter your care with chronic conditions, such as asthma. Others may have allergies. This lesson helps you understand how to communicate about and care for children with special health needs.