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Children and Cars: Heat Safety
July 24, 2013 at 7 p.m. Eastern

Every year, children are injured or die when they gain access to or are left behind unintentionally in a car. Join Lorrie Walker from Safe Kids Worldwide and Kristie Reeves, a parent advocate, to learn how to keep children safe when temperatures rise. Register:  https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/895717154

Immediate Release: Crib Safety Information

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)

CPSC has released important information regarding crib safety standards set to take effect December 28, 2012 for child care providers, hotel/motels and places of public accommodation. The Enforcement Guidance for Child Care Providers document is posted on CPSC’s Crib Information Center at http://www.cpsc.gov/info/cribs/index.html ,

Take a Moment to Reflect on... Safety

In our last article we discussed the importance of intentionality. We said that the ultimate purpose for being a reflective practitioner is to become an intentional practitioner; in other words, teachers or caregivers who regularly think about what they do can be purposeful in the choices they make with children, families, coworkers and supervisors.

Safety
The Council is excited to announce that later this year we will release the newly-revised third edition of the landmark textbook Essentials for Child Development Associates Working with Young Children. The new Essentials will provide all of the most current research, information, ideas and strategies needed by entry-level early childhood professionals. The textbook will be organized around each of the thirteen Functional Areas, along with new information about reflection, intentionality, observation, documentation and other key topics of interest to contemporary teachers and caregivers.

Here is an advanced sneak peek of “Chapter 1: Safe” for you to reflect on…

Providing a safe environment for children is the starting point of every quality early childhood program. If children are not safe in your program, it makes no difference what kind of curriculum you offer. Children cannot learn if they are afraid, in danger or unable to trust that nothing bad will happen to them while in your care. Ask any parent with a child in preschool or child care what their most important concerns are and safety is almost always at the top of the list - right up there with accessibility and affordability. Children's safety is your first priority as a caregiver or teacher and a responsibility you cannot ignore

In order to keep young children safe you must:

Be sure that the physical environment is safe. This means checking both your indoor and outdoor play spaces every day to confirm that they are hazard-free and that they conform to recognized standards for safety.
Teach and prepare children to be safe in their everyday lives. This involves learning about safety rules and being introduced to specific safety measures.
Have well-thought-out emergency plans in place. This also involves preparing children to face unknown emergencies so that you can reduce danger and injury.
Model safe practices. This means demonstrating for children how to behave in ways that are safe and how to stay calm when emergencies arise.
Invite parents to be your partners in keeping their children safe. This is important because it shows children that safety is valued both by you and at home.

Please take a moment to reflect on your own teaching practices. What else might you add to the above list? How do you ensure children’s safety? What tips and strategies would you share with others for teaching safety practices, for keeping children safe, for modeling safe practices and for educating and involving families in their children’s safety?

Send your thoughts to reflect@cdacouncil.org

Winter Outdoor Safety Tips

With the falling snow and colder temperatures we have had several calls asking about guidelines for outdoor play. The rule of thumb for cold temperatures is that with the windchill considered 25 degrees and below is too cold for children to play outside. Our inclusion specialist wanted to urge providers to make sure that even if it's only for a few minutes to try and get children outside for fresh air. Fresh air is so much healthier for the children than being inside all day and is important for them to get everyday.

Below is some safety tips given from the American Academy of Pediatrics for the cold weather.

• Dress infants and children warmly for outdoor activity. Several thin layers will keep them warm and dry. Don't forget warm boots, gloves or mittens and a hat.


• The rule of thumb for older babies and young children is to dress them in one more layer of clothing than an adult would wear in the same conditions.


• Hypothermia develops when a child's temperature falls below normal due to exposure to colder temperatures. It often happens when a youngster is playing outdoors in extremely cold weather without wearing proper clothing or when clothes get wet.


• Frostbit happens when the skin and outer tissues become frozen. This condition tends to happen on extremities like the fingers, toes, ears and nose. They may become pale, gray and blistered. At the same time the child may complain that his/her skin burns or becomes numb.


• Cold weather does not cause colds or flu. But the viruses that cause colds and flu tend to be more common in the winter, when children are in school and are in closer contact with each other. Frequent hand washing and teaching your child to sneeze or couch into the bend of their elbow may help reduce the spread of colds and flu.


• Remember that the sun's rays can still cause sunburn in the winter. Make sure to cover your child's exposed areas with sunscreen.

For the complete list of safety tips visit the American Academy of Pediatrics web page.

Rise in infant suffocation tied to bed sharing

Here is a great article on MSNBC from Rueters about infant bed sharing:

Rates have quadrupled in the past 20 years, government researchers find

WASHINGTON - Rates of sudden infant death from suffocation or strangulation have quadrupled in the past 20 years in the United States, most apparently from parents sleeping with their babies, government researchers reported on Monday.

Black male babies are the most affected but it is not clear why, the researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

The trend is clear despite successful campaigns to prevent sudden infant death syndrome by putting babies to sleep on their backs instead of their tummies, the CDC reported in the journal Pediatrics.

"Infant mortality rates attributable to accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed have quadrupled since 1984," the CDC's Carrie Shapiro-Mendoza and colleagues wrote.
"Prevention efforts should target those at highest risk and focus on helping parents and caregivers provide safer sleep environments."

Avoid loose beddingEvidence shows that babies should be laid to sleep alone, on a flat mattress, with no loose pillows or blankets and in a crib with bars designed to prevent entrapment.
Shapiro-Mendoza and colleagues went through national death statistics from 1984 to 2004.
"Sudden, unexpected infant death was defined as a combination of all deaths attributed to accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed, sudden infant death syndrome, and unknown causes," they wrote.

Rates of sudden infant death syndrome, also known as cot death or crib death, have plummeted in countries where health workers have counseled parents and caregivers to put infants on their backs to sleep, to avoid keeping rooms too warm and to keep loose blankets and pillows away from infants.

The data reflected this with sudden, unexpected infant deaths overall falling from 160 per 100,000 in 1984, or 5,885 total, to 92.4 in 2004 or 3,798 total.
Rates of strangulation or suffocation, however, rose by 14 percent between 1996 and 2004.
Most of the deaths that could be determined were by "overlay" — the parent rolling over onto the child.

Other causes include suffocating in soft bedding, becoming wedged between a mattress and frame or wall, or getting a head caught in something.

"To our knowledge, it is the first study to document the national trend showing a fourfold increase in accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed infant mortality in recent years," the CDC team wrote.
Copyright 2009 Reuters.

Link to the original article from MSNBC:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28857953/

Guidelines for outside play in inclement weather - BRRRRR!

Hi everyone! You know that as I am writing this blog entry it is all of 6°F the wind is blowing from the NW at 9-10 MPH and the wind chill is -7°. All this information just by going to weather.com and typing in my zip code. For parents and providers it is important to know when the conditions are safe for little ones to be outside playing.

Here is what the state guidlines say:

"■ 470 IAC 3-1.1-38 Activities for healthy development
Authority: IC 12-13-5-3
Affected: IC 12-17.2
■ (b) Opportunity shall be provided for children to play outdoors daily except when:
(1) the severity of the weather poses a safety or health hazard; or
(2) when there is a health related reason documented by a parent, legal guardian, or
physician for a child to remain indoors.
♦ Intent:
To meet the developmental needs of children for vigorous outdoor play. (Caring
for Our Children) Children shall play outdoors daily when weather and air quality
conditions do not pose a significant health risk. Outdoor play for infants may
include riding in a carriage or stroller; however, infants shall be offered
opportunities for gross motor play outdoors, as well.
Weather that poses a significant health risk shall include wind chill at or below 25
degrees F and heat index as identified by the National Weather Service.
Air quality conditions that pose a significant health risk shall be identified by
announcements from local health authorities or through ozone (smog) alerts.
Such air quality conditions shall require that children remain indoors where air
conditioners ventilate indoor air to the outdoors. Children with respiratory health
problems such as asthma shall not play outdoors when local health authorities
announce that the air quality is approaching unhealthy levels.
○ Assessment Method:
Observe to see if children play outside. Interview the caregiver to determine
when and how often children are outside for play. Review the home’s daily
schedule for outside play."

Or to put it another way - today is TOO COLD for children to playing outside. The Iowa Dept. of Public Health has a great chart on their webiste to help determine if conditions outside are right for play.

If you have any questions please feel free to call us and we will get you the answers you need.

Never too early...

This video is ALMOST too frightening to watch! But trust me, it all comes out OK in the end! Someone in our office came across this video last night and sent the link via email. I was BLOWN away by this and had never heard of it. I found myself thinking back to the story this summer of the little girl that drowned in the swimming pool of a foreclosed home here in Indy, would she still be alive if she had this training?

Before you view this video a couple of things:

1. This child has already been through this training, several years ago.
2. The child's father is in the pool with him the ENTIRE time, the child was NEVER in any true danger.
3. This training DOES NOT take the place of constant vigilance around any body of water.
4. Child Care Answers does not support or endorse this program, we are merely attempting to provide parents, child care providers and community leaders with tools for child development.

This information is absolutely invaluable in my opinion and something EVERY parent that lives near a body of water needs to investigate!

In Indianapolis this training is offered by:

Barb Davis
Certified Instructor Phone: (317) 529-2763
Email: b.davis@infantswim.com

and

Yiwen Fung
Certified InstructorPhone: 317-489-9221
Email: y.fung@infantswim.com

Website: http://www.indyselfrescue.com/

Follow Formula Mixing Directions

This was a terrible tragedy that was narrowly averted! The mother in this story had just taken infant CPR training the day before and is very glad she did! This story shows that not just providers, but parents can benefit from learning infant CPR. If you are interested in learning CPR, check out the list of trainers we have on our website here.

Child Care Regulations In the News

When a Child Care news story hits the front page it always causes families with small children to have questions. The latest story in the news is about Unlicensed Registered Child Care Ministries. Child Care Answers is here to help families with their questions. To learn about the regulation requirements for the different types of Child Care in Indiana please follow this link http://www.childcareanswers.com/facilityregulations.html. We have the tools that families need to make educated decisions about what child care facility is right for their family. Please feel free to contact us at 317-631-4643 option 1 or via email at mindyb@childcareanswers.com with your specific questions. Our office is open Monday - Wednesday 8-5 Thursday 8 - 7 and Friday 8 - 2