Healthy Child Care Georgia

Child Care Health Consultants

Thirteen million American children under the age of six years old, including approximately 67% of Georgia's children, are in some form of child care. Health and safety practices in child care programs strengthen the quality of early care and education. Child care providers depend on receiving accurate information to implement health and safety standards for the children in their care.

Child Care Health Consultants can serve as unique resources, able to provide health-related input, information, education and services for child care programs.

Training

Child Care Health Consultant training is offered to persons interested in providing health consultation for child care settings. Georgia State University School of Nursing prepares public health nurses to provide health and safety guidance for child care programs through it's Childcare Advantage Network.

Healthy Child Care Georgia and its collaborative partners provide instruction for child care training and technical assistance professionals from such organizations as: Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, Cooperative Extension Service, Childcare and Parent Services, Head Start, Smart Start, military child care, and others.

Training topics include information about:

• Child care licensing regulations;
• Best practices;
• Measuring child care quality;
• Consultation skills;
• Emergency planning;
• Infectious illnesses;
• Immunizations;
• Caring for children with common childhood illnesses;
• Promotion of access to health insurance and a regular source of medical care;
• Medication administration safety;
• Caring for children with chronic health conditions, such as asthma and diabetes;
• Children with special needs;
• Nutrition and child care provider support for breastfeeding;
• Oral health and toothbrushing;
• Injury prevention;
• Strategies to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS);
• Child development;
• Promoting positive social-emotional well-being; and
• Child abuse and neglect, including signs of possible abuse/neglect and how to report.

Services

• Health input in planning for both the development of child care programs and for the inclusion of children with special needs.
• Development of health, safety and emergency policies and procedures.
• Management of child care issues such as infectious diseases and injuries.
• Provision of health education and wellness programs for children, parents, and staff.
• Guidance and technical assistance on new developments in health and safety issues.

How to contact a Child Care Health Consultant for services

For information on how to reach a Child Care Health Consultant in your area, please contact Healthy Child Care Georgia at 404-463-2117.