Information from the Healthy Child Care Pennsylvania ECELS Program

National Poison Prevention Week is a chance to highlight the dangers of poisonings. Substances most commonly involved in poisonings of children are cosmetics, personal care products, cleaning products, and medications. Fifty percent (50%) of all exposures involve children younger than age 6!

To avoid poisonings when caring for children:

• Store medicines and all cleaning products in areas that are completely inaccessible to children.
• Supervise children at all times!
• Never carry something that can be poisonous, e.g., medicine, in a purse where a child may find it.
• Safety latches on drawers/cabinets and child resistant caps on bottles help keep poisons out of the hands of children.

When accidents happen with chemicals, medicine, or household items, call Poison Help 1-800-222-1222.

Post the number by the telephone where it is visible for early care and education staff.  Program the poison control center number into cell phones so you have the number when you need it. Get help right away from a local poison expert. If someone is unconscious or has trouble breathing, call 911.

When you call 1-800-222-1222, you will reach specially trained poison experts at a poison center that serves your area. They provide free, confidential help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Interpretation services are available in 161 languages.

For safety tips to keep children safe from poisons see Child Tips.

Share this information with families too!

An Eco-Healthy Child Care® endorsed provider creates and maintains an early childhood learning environment that is healthy and safe by reducing children’s exposure to toxic chemicals. These changes immediately benefit the health and well-being of the children in care. Learn more about how to apply online to become an Eco-Healthy Child Care® endorsed provider.

Start creating a healthier early care and education (ECE) environment today!

The summit was broadcast on-air via the North Carolina Channel and through a livestream provided by UNC-TV. Recordings of the NC Early Childhood Summit are available now at: NC DHHS Early Childhood website.

Experts in childhood health, education and child welfare spoke, including:

• North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper,
• former Gov. Jim Hunt,
• NC DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, and
• Dr. Jack Shonkoff from the Center for the Developing Child at Harvard University.

They and others encouraged the crowd to take action to improve outcomes for young children.

The Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) shared information about child care rule changes taking effect March 2019. Rules address minimum requirements for two through five star rated licenses.

For details regarding these changes, view the March 2019 Child Care Rulebook and enroll in the DCDEE Moodle training tool. Each individual user will need to have an NCID to participate in Moodle training. If you do not already have an NCID, use this link to get one: https://ncid.nc.gov/ncidsspr/

Rule training modules can be found in the same course as the October 2017 Child Care Rule Rollout. If you are unfamiliar with the Child Care Rule Rollout within Moodle and how to navigate, please visit:

https://ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/Learning-Resources/How-to-Navigate-Moodle.

Click here to go directly to DCDEE’s Moodle page. You can also access Moodle through DCDEE’s website homepage.

If you have any issues with logging into Moodle, please contact Brenda Williamson (Brenda.Williamson@dhhs.nc.gov) or Justin Berrier (Justin.Berrier@dhhs.nc.gov). You can also reach Brenda or Justin by phone at 919-814-6300 or 1-800-859-0829 (toll-free in NC).

Leaders from across the state in early childhood health, education and child welfare launched the NC Early Childhood Action Plan at a summit on Feb. 27 in Raleigh. The plan includes 10 statewide goals around early childhood health, development, and learning.

• Goal 1: Healthy Babies
• Goal 2: Preventive Health Services
• Goal 3: Food Security
• Goal 4: Safe and Secure Housing
• Goal 5: Safe and Nurturing Relationships
• Goal 6: Permanent Families for Children in Foster Care
• Goal 7: Social-Emotional Health and Resilience
• Goal 8: High-Quality Early Learning
• Goal 9: On Track for School Success
• Goal 10: Reading at Grade Level

The Winter 2019 E-News includes:

• Updates from the NC Resource Center, Tooth Development, Oral Health Screening, Oral Health Best Practices in the Classroom, Winter… the Perfect Time for Outdoor Play! and a calendar for the next three months.

Congratulations to Chatham Child Care Health Consultant, Dorothy Rawleigh! She received the Public Health Staff Recognition Award through the NC GlaxoSmithKline Foundation’s 2018 Child Health Recognition Awards program. The award was presented at the NC Public Health Association conference in December 2018. This award recognizes her work on developing partnerships resulting in healthier food, higher immunization rates, and better emergency preparedness planning in child care facilities.

Additionally, the Chatham County Public Health Department Immunization Program was recognized with a NC GlaxoSmithKline Foundation Child Health Recognition Award. Chatham County regularly ranks number one in the state in immunization rates among children ages 0 to 36 months. The Chatham County Health Department achieved this by blending policy changes, training, tracking, feedback gathering, and follow-up with child care facilities.

The Fall 2018 E-Newsletter includes: Updates from the Resource Center, Speech and Language Development, Hearing Screening, Hearing Impairment and Loss, Noise Safety and Young Children, Yum, Yum, Root Veggies!, and a calendar of the next three months.