Nutrition and Children

    

     When children are young they need to have at least three meals a day and those three meals need to be nutritional and balanced, so that children can grow healthy and strong. During the stages of infancy, toddlerhood and preschool, children need to have meals that are associated with their appropriate age level, because of the nutrients and minerals their bodies need at those particular stages so they can grow properly.     

     Having a well-balanced diet is very important to the growth and development of all children, because their bodies are in a continuous growing stage. When children are at different stages of growth and development, they need food associated with their ages, because of the nutrients their bodies need to function and grow properly during that time and those particular moments of their development. Good nutrition is very important to the development of children when they are in the different stages of growing, because of the amount of calcium, proteins, fibers and iron they need to move and grow into the next stage of their development. Parents need to make sure that their children have a good appetite for eating nutritious foods, and drinking the right fluids because this gives them energy and the ability to thrive when they are in their growing mode and stages. When babies are in their infant stages, having a good nutritional diet and a good eating habit is important, because they need to develop strong bones; which gives them the ability to crawl and pull up later in their months. For all babies food is an essential nutrient that gives them all the energy they need to grow, but when it comes to their milk breast milk is the best, because it has all the iron and proteins they need to build up their bones and muscles for proper development. If an infant is introduced to solid foods before it is time for them to move to that process, it may cause them to have an allergic reaction, because of the products that some of those foods are made with. So for that it is very important for parents to continue with their age appropriate foods to avoid any obstacles in their developing.

     Good nutrition and good eating habits in toddlers is very important, because they need food to be fueled up in order to move about. Toddlers need to have foods with calories to give them energy throughout the day, but they must be the right size portion for them and not an adult size because it would cause them to over eat and become sick. “Since your toddler is at a very impressionable stage, it would be a good idea to make sure that you are making the most of this time by instilling good eating habits. They are never too young to develop good eating habits so make sure that you are doing everything you can in order to make sure that they are eating healthy food (Electronic Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Importance-of-Good-Nutrition-For-Toddlers&id=2098284)”.  Preschoolers need to have a good nutritional well-balanced diet too, while gaining a good eating habit because they are at a stage where they are picky eaters; so it is very, very important for parents to make sure that they are eating right and getting the right nutrients their bodies need like; lean meat, eggs, poultry, and whole-wheat cereals and bread. Although preschoolers are active, they tend to pull away from eating or become opinionated about what they want to eat and don’t like to eat; that’s why it’s important that their eating habits should be healthy ones. “Children who eat healthy foods will be more likely to make better food and nutrition choices as adults (Electronic Retrieved from http://nutrition.about.com/od/nutritionforchildren/a/dietandlearning.htm)”.

     In helping children to develop a good eating habit, adults can first introduce to them the food pyramid and have them choose foods from it in which they like. Then from there they can get together and prepare the foods they choose in a hearty meal. This will be a good cooking activity for the two of them to share together, while establishing a good chance for eating healthy food for the child. Another way in which parents and or adults can entice children to want to eat healthy is by letting the child chose foods from the grocery store they would like to eat for that particular day; but parents can give suggestions by letting them know what foods are good for building muscle, and or give them energy to run faster. This activity will give them the desire to try them to see if they could run fast and build muscle, while eating healthy. 

     Some parents like to prepare healthy foods from nutritious recipes with their children to get them to eat healthy. Below are three nutritious recipes in which parents can make with their child or children in getting them to eat other healthy foods. A favorite of most parents is (1.) Fruit Gelatin or fruit JELL-O; which consist of 1 package of a 3 oz.  box of any flavor dessert gelatin; 1 cup of boiling water; 1 cup of cold water and stir; and  3/4 cup to 1 1/2 cups of chopped fruits. Another good nutritious recipe is (2.) Breakfast Pizza; which consist of 2 English muffins; ½ cup of all fruit jam; and 1 cup grated low fat mozzarella cheese. I think a lot of children will like this recipe because I made it with the students in my Head Start class and they enjoyed themselves.  (3.) Oat Meal because it is good and nutritious too and it is high in fibers and it gives children energy to start their day off. The recipe for making good oatmeal consist of:  ¼ c packed brown sugar; ½ tsp. of cinnamon; 3 c. of cold water; milk; 1 ½ c. of quick cooking rolled oats; 1 c. raisins; ¼ tsp. salt. When children are introduced to new foods that are nutritional and good for them, they will continue to want to try them. Understanding parents know that it is important for their children to have a balanced diet every day because of the added nutrients healthy foods have stored in them which give children the right vitamins and minerals they need to grow strong and healthy.

    

     Children need to eat nutritious foods on a daily basis to help build up their immune system, while giving them energy to move actively. Foods with good nutrients and fibers give children the ability to grow from one stage to the next because of nutritional minerals they have stored in them.

References

Isbitt, A. (2009). The Importance of Good Nutrition for Toddlers. Electronic Retrieved on

     September 28, 2011, from http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Importance-of-Good-Nutrition-For-

     Toddlers&id=2098284

Jegtvig, S. (2011). Back to School Nutrition, Electronic Retrieved on September 28, 2011, from

     http://nutrition.about.com/od/nutritionforchildren/a/dietandlearning.htm

Illness Prevention and Emergences

    

     The life of a child is very delicate to individuals who love him or her, but in order to keep that child safe, those caring individuals need to make sure that they have installed a safe environment for the child or children to be in. Children’s lives can be short lived if the precautionary procedure of having an emergency plan is not in place, especially in a school setting. That’s why it is very important to have trained licensed employees working with children during school hours; to help ensure that they provide the proper care to them when and if an emergency should take place.     

     Children lives can be touched with some  certainness' at any moment, which can be a cause for them needing emergency assiststance, but if they don’t have anyone in close proximity to them during that particular moment who have gone through any type of training to save their life, it can become a sorrowful event for many individuals. When children are settled in a school setting, it is very important for the teachers of those classrooms to make sure that the children in their care are safe, and surrounded by child proof objects and substances. In most states, teachers are trained to set up classroom to ensure that the children they care for are safe and secured, while being giving child proof objects to place in their classrooms in helping to ensure that the children they serve are safe.  In those same states emergency trainings are giving as well to those same teachers so that they would know what steps to take when giving emergency care to a needed child. The purpose of being trained on emergency aids helps to ensure that the employees are able to deal with an emergency situation, whenever they may occur, but at the same time it is important for them to practice what they have been taught.   Accidents and incidents can occur at any hour of the day, but in order to know how to handle them, individuals need to know what to do and what steps need to be taken in order to get aid to the individual,  in order to help pull them through their emergency. By creating two scenarios will show how the life of a child can be tested and what individuals know and or should know in giving aid to them, and what steps they should take in order to try to help save their lives.

     In scenario 1: three year old Michael is in his preschool classroom seated at the table eating lunch with four of his classmates. Michael’s teacher Mrs. Jones, who is working by herself today with twenty children is seated two tables over with three of his other classmates, but she has her back turned to the other children. Soon Michael starts to choke on a piece of his food and his teacher is not aware of what is taken place, until one of the other children yells to  her that something is wrong  with Michael. Mrs. Jones panics and called for help while Michael struggle to breathe, but she never gave any attempt to assist him with any type of aid. Soon the food pops out, only because Michael knew how to assist himself in administering his own aid because of what he was taught at home. When help arrives Michael is checked out and it is determine that he is ok, and that his food had went down the wrong way.   In dealing with the safety precautions in this situation, there were certain steps that should have been taken in order to better assist Michael in giving him a better chance for survival.

I.                   Mrs. Jones should have been seated properly facing all of the children, so that she would have been able to see what was going on.

II.                She should have assisted Michael in giving aid to him instead of phoning for help first, and then waiting for it to arrive.

III.             While assisting Michael with aid, Mrs. Jones should have yelled for help from the other teachers so that they could have gotten her the help she needed from other individuals.

IV.             Mrs. Jones should have had an assistant with her, while working with twenty children, so that whatever she didn’t see her assistant would have seen.

     In scenario 2: five year old Jordyn was playing on the playground with a few of her classmates, when they noticed red wasps beginning to fly around them. The other children ran away, but Jordyn who was seated on the slide was suddenly stung by one of the wasps on the left side her of face. Immediately after Jordyn starts gasping for breath and her face begin swelling rapidly. Mr. Clark and Mrs. Smith who are Jordyn’s teachers soon notice that Jordyn needs aid, but Jordyn soon collapses from being unable to breathe and becomes unresponsive. Mr. Clark administers CRP to her, while Mrs. Smith gathers the other children away from the scene. After CPR fails Mr. Clark runs for help, while his assistant stands watch with the other children. Soon after the paramedics arrive and they get Jordyn to breathe and they transport her to the nearest hospital. Jordyn is soon doing ok, but it was determine that she was allergic to bee stings. In order to better assist children in giving aid to them, and caring for their needs in an emergency,  it takes individuals to know what to do and when it do when the need is at hand. In the list below are steps that should have been taken in order to better help 5 year old Jordyn in her time of need.

I.                   First of all the playground should have been checked for any types of obstacles, and or insects before the children were allowed to play.

II.                Mr. Clark should have never stopped giving CPR to the child, to run for help when her life was in his hands.

III.             Mrs. Smith should have went for help while, Mr. Clark administered CPR to Jordyn, so that he wouldn’t have had to stop his CPR procedures.

IV.             CPR should have been giving to Jordyn until help arrived on the scene.

    When working with children on a daily basis, advance planning is often the best way to respond to an emergency situation, because it gives individuals the extra help they need whenever they have to deal with an emergency situation. “Children and youth can be injured or become ill during the school day. Such events may require non-urgent, urgent, or emergency health care at school. School administrators, in consultation with the school health nurse and school physician (a pediatrician or other physician knowledgeable about child and adolescent health and school health issues employed or designated by the school) should develop policies and guidelines for all these situations, including emergency health care (Electronic Retrieved from http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;107/2/435)”.

     In the determination of solving such emergencies in both scenarios, beginning first with Michal’s choking his teacher should have patted him of the back with the end of the palm of her hand, to help push the food up and out.  In the second scenario with Jordyn’s allergic reactions to the wasp sting, Mr. Clark should have continued with his CPR training procedure, instead of stopping to go for help. Both procedures are important to the well being of children, when and if they are needed to resolve any emergency that require them.  There are many steps in which adults can take to ensure that they are prepared to handle a choking situation, and the need for administering CPR.  Being a careful adult they can pay special attention to both trainings when they are being administered, and ask questions if they are unsure of what they are to do in any situations. All child care employees should receive emergency training, to ensure they are ready to deal with and handle any types of emergencies, especially those that involve the life of a child.  If a caregiver is out of bandages of if their first aid kit is running low on supplies, it is important for them to restock them immediately. Also, parent contact information should be in hand reach, whenever an emergency takes place, to inform them of what has taken place with their child. It is our duty as caregiver’s to take care of all the children who are in our care, most importantly during school hours.     

    

     Children are fun loving and they enjoy the things they are allowed to do, but in order to ensure their safety and happiness adults need to create an environment where they are protected from harm. The importance of having a planned, emergency preparation with all staff members in an early educational setting, is essential to the well-being of children in their care because it gives them a life time while being secured from harm, when they are attending school.

Reference

American Academy of Pediatrics Policy. (2001). Guidelines for Emergency Medical Care in School.

     Electronic Retrieved on September 22, from

     http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;107/2/435

Health Promotion and Crisis Planning

    

     Crisis situations can occur at any time and in any settings; whether they are generated from a natural disaster or brought on by adult individuals; but in any case it’s best to be prepared to deal with these sort of crisis especially those individuals in a Head Start program. After learning about crisis situations in a real-life event, it is a true fact that  they can cause so much hassle and a big ordeal for both children, and their caregivers, because they causes a threat to the lives of  innocent victims. In some cases there are a lot of all Head Start programs who are being target with some sort of problem or disaster; whether it’s early morning or during noon time.  So no matter what the cause may be dangerous situations can pop up at any time and it’s best to have a thoughtfully action plan in place for dealing with them. 

    

     When dealing with a crisis situation, whether they occur in Head Start programs or even Daycare settings, it's best for individuals to be prepared for them, because a crisis situation is a disaster that can harm innocent individuals. There are a lot of disasters that have occurred in many schools across the nation, where innocent peoples have lost their lives, because they weren’t prepared for them and they didn’t have an action plan in place. So in order for all school settings and Head Start programs in today’s world  to deal with a crisis situation,  they need to be on task with getting and organizing their plans to be able to deal with any type of event that may occur.

     During the year of 2010 in my home town of Fayette Mississippi, a terrible tornado hit our small town and a lot of people received major damages to their homes, cars and business. The drastic problem about this situation was that we knew that a storm were supposed to hit our town  that day, but by having irresponsible individuals in charge and being in charge school was not canceled for that  day. So we went to work and uncaring parents sent their young children; ages three and four years old to school and to my surprise a majority of the classroom had all twenty children present that particular day. Well what happened after that seemed so strange because it started off being a beautiful day. At around 9:30 that morning some of the children in my class started to notice the sky was getting dark, and one of the student stated that his mother told him a storm was coming; how uncaring and unconcerned parents can be about their children, but I got all of them down on the rug and phoned the office but it didn’t do any good. So after everyone else started to notice what was getting ready to take place, we got the message to phone parents while the buses started to load the children in preparation to take them home; but it was too late. The storm hit and knocked out power and phone lines, so we had no way of getting in touch with anyone; but the sheriff department came over to check on us and stated to our supervisor to never let that happen anymore.

     The most danger posed by this situation was that we saw it coming and could do nothing, because we didn’t even have time to go out in the hallway to get on our needs and cover our heads. While this ordeal seemed so scary at the time, we didn’t realize until later that a lot of lives could have been lost because of individuals who were trying to make money and get a school day in for that particular day. They chose not to realize and understand that all of our lives were in danger, and it took the sheriff department to explain to them that having a school day on the day a storm was supposed to hit was totally out of the question; no matter how much time will be lost in making up for that day. In being prepared for that particular day and knowing that we had to go to work, my colleagues and I should have phoned parents upon our arrival and told them it that would be best to keep their children at home,  if the children  were on the bus already could they please be in prepared to  come to get them. The consequences of not being prepared caused so many innocent lives to be in danger of being lost, and young children crying and wailing for their parents; but by the grace of God we all made it through it safely.

     The appropriate steps which I would take to develop a plan in advance for this disaster would be to first cancel school a day ahead of time, when I receive word that a storm is in route to hit the following day. The next step would be to have the sheriff’s department to phone the school ahead of time in order to get everyone safely home if a tornado is occurring during school hours. The third step would be to have a weather radio installed in all classrooms, so that all the teachers would be up-to-date about what the weather would be like even in a normal day. In dealing with this type of disaster I think that it would be a great idea for all Head Start programs to have sirens, so whenever a storm is approaching the sirens would go off to let employee’s know something seriously is about to happen.

     Some disaster’s in Head Start programs are brought on by parents,  and or employees who decides to bring their problems to their job site; with the involving of guns,  or fist fights for uncertain reasons to others, and they fail to realize that children are around,  and they are endangering their lives. A lot of times there may be parents who wish to come out to the school to settle a problem with an employee there, or husbands or wives who wish to settle a problem with the opposite sex while on their jobs.  This type of situation has happened in many Day Care programs and in some Head Start programs across the world as well. A majority of innocent people have lost their lives because of ungrateful stunts like these. Once again at the Head Start program where I work, it was during the year of 2009 and a parent decided to enter into the building with a knife. This particular parent was thought to have been on some type of medication, because she walked the hallways back and forth using unpleasant words about different teachers, and their personal lives. This situation could have really gotten out of hands, because that parent could have easily gone into a classroom and targeted innocent victims. The strangest thing in this situation was that her son was in my classroom, and she never thought about entering into my room not once.

     The most danger posed by this situation, were that the parent could have tackled one of the employees and harmed them seriously, or she could have harmed one of the young children attending school that day. In this situation everyone was at risk because the parent was walking up and down the hall and she could have gotten into either classroom of her choice, but she didn’t.  It was not like she couldn’t because our classroom doors do not  lock from the inside, but during that time I think God was on our side that day to not let her have the desire to want to enter into either room. “Children need safe environments if they are to thrive. When that safety is disrupted, for whatever reason, adults need to reassure children that they will be protected. Crises can range from school-related incidents to incidents in the community, such as natural disasters, or the world at large, such as terrorism or war (Electronic Retrieved from http://www.schoolcounselor.org/content.asp?contentid=533)”.

     In preparing for this situation, my colleagues and I could have phoned the police ourselves and explained to them the situation that was taking place, instead of waiting for the supervisor to phone authorities stating that there was a deranged parent on campus who had not taken her medication. My colleagues and I need to be prepared for a situation like this because by that parent having a child in my classroom she could have easily targeted me and my assistant first, and then the other children in my care that day. The consequences of not being prepared caused a parent to easily walk into the school building with a deadly weapon, and exposed personal business of some employees.

     The appropriate steps in dealing with this situation is there should have been metal detectors installed so that when the parent came through the doors with her deadly weapon the alarms would have gone off. Next the receptionist should have not allowed the parent to proceed down the hallways to where the classrooms were, with her arm folded under her clothes. Third when the supervisor phoned the authorities, she should have explained to them the situation with the parent, while adding that she was threatening the lives of innocent people because she was concealing a deadly weapon.  In both of these situations, there should have been an emergency plan in place where everyone had access to important phone numbers and we all should have taken action in an appropriate manner. Being that there were children involved in both cases, I feel that in neither of them that the lives of the children were thought of, because things went undone and their lives were at stake in both situations. I think it would be best for all parents who have children enrolled in a Head Start or Day Care setting should have a say about what they feel should be done to protect their children, whenever any type of crisis comes about because their children’s lives are the one hanging in the balance during times like these.

Safety in Early Childhood Environments

     Children in a Daycare, Childcare or Head start settings have to be protected from hazardous situations and threats that can harm their lives. Being in these types of setting, children have to be watch closely under all circumstances because if not, and if any harm comes to them, it can cause the programs to be shut down.  But there are specific safety polices that are in placed in order to deal with hazardous situations to keep down harmful threats, in order to keep the children safe and free from harm. 

     Being in a Childcare setting, or any type of environment where children are being kept, and educated under government ruling, there are many types of hazardous in these settings and children have to be protected from their dangerous activity. When dealing with three and four year old children, you have to be cautious about when they are moving about in the classroom, while being on your P’s and Q’s to ensure that they are safe. In my Head start program, there are at least five potentially hazardous situations in this setting that can and will cause harm to young children, if they are not securely protected.  Beginning first with the plug outlets, which have to be covered at all times because if not children can easily stick sharp objects into them and cause them to be electrocuted. But being a  caregiver, and according to the safety policies is up to the teachers in that classroom to make sure that all the outlets have their plugs and are secured tightly so that the children cannot pull them out. Even when children are at home, their parents have to make sure that they have outlet plugs as well, because if not it can cause problem for them and their children where they may be seriously hurt or injured; but if the parents have a problem getting outlet plugs for their home outlets, they can always get them from their child or children school because the caregivers are there to help ensure the safety of their children as well.

     Another hazardous situation or threat is the cord on the window blinds, if they are hanging long children can easily catch them and cause harm to themselves; because blind cords are long and are in arms reach of children, and they can easily pull the blinds down or get the cords tired around their necks. The safety policies that apply to this situation are that the cords on the blinds should be secured high enough so that the children cannot reach them. The measures that should be taken to prevent this situation, is that adult individuals in the classroom should tie the strings of the blinds high enough out of reach of the children,  and the blinds  should be in a position where they don’t have to be adjusted at all times. This activity can apply to families at home as well, so that their children are not tangled up in the blinds and cannot harm themselves. Professional caregivers can also talk with parents on how to keep their home safe for their children, while giving them pointers on how to secure their blind cords.

     “While every classroom is designed to be a place for learning, it may have any number of hazards that can make it dangerous (Electronic Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/info_7918731_hazards-classroom.html)”.  Radio cords are a hazardous threat too, because they hang long to the floor and children can trip over them or easily snatch the cord out of the plug. The safety policies that apply to this situation is that the radios should be placed up high on a shelf or stand, with the cord hanging behind the object it is setting on. The measures that should be taken to prevent this threat is that care givers should follow the policies and ensure their radios be placed on high shelves and stands out of the way of children, with their cord’s  hanging behind the shelf or stands. This is to make sure that the children can’t get to them, and if the cord is out of sight then it won’t entice the children to want to touch it, or accidently trip over it. Parents and family members at home can also ensure the safety of their children when it comes to their own personal radio cord; by placing their radios on high shelves too, or on back shelves so that their children won’t in any way possibly touch them. They should put them in a place where only the parents themselves can handle them.

     Hazardous chemicals are the biggest problems in both classroom and home setting, because they have caused the death and injury of so many young children in society today. The specific safety policies that apply to this situation are that all harmful chemicals should be kept on a high shelf in a specific place of the classroom or home, out of the reach of children with the label HAZARD CHEMICALS on the cabinet door. It is a must that all families have their chemicals out of reach of their children, to ensure both the parents and children safety as well. Some families can even put a lock and chain on their cabinet doors so that their children will have no potential way of getting into them. For caring caregivers who wish to make sure that their children and families are safe at home, they can do a safety check on the parent’s chemical while doing their home visit, to make sure that the chemicals are kept in a secured place.

     Having a fire extinguish in homes and classrooms is a very good idea in case a fire break out. But fire extinguishers can be a hazardous to the well-being of children, because children can easily pull out its pin and cause it to spray uncontrollably by holding the handle, especially if they don’t know what they are doing.  Fire extinguishers give off chemicals, that can cause children to become sick; and if at any point that an individual need to use a fire extinguisher, they need to make sure that there are no children around; so that they don’t come in contact with the chemically foam. The specific safety policies that apply to this situation are that fire extinguishers should be kept in a secured case away from children, but in close contact of an adult in case it is needed at any time. The measures that should be taken to prevent any threat or harm to the lives of children, by the cause of a fire extinguisher are; that parents and caregivers should keep their fire extinguishers secured, so that the children cannot get them or explore them for any reasons.  Caregivers fire extinguishers should be kept in their classroom in a safe place away from children’s learning centers, and parents should kept their extinguishers in the kitchen area of their homes, but secured in an area out of the reach of their children’s. Being safe and cautious, helps to ensure that children are safe; whether they are at home or school. Children lives are delicate and they need to be surrounded in a safe environment. 

     Hazardous situations in a classroom setting can happen every day in order for the school to be safe haven for the children to attend; the classroom should be checked regularly every morning before the children start to come in and every evening after they leave. In order for the children to remain safe and healthy while also ensuring the well-being of the teachers. The rooms need to be checked in a systematic way for any and all hazards.

Reference

 McCoy, W. (2011). Hazards of the Classroom. Electronic Retrieved on September 8, 2011,

           from  http://www.ehow.com/info_7918731_hazards-classroom.html