Purpose
- To provide health and safety consultation, staff training and community resource information to licensed child care centers or homes that are currently participating in the Quality First Program. These areas include the Navajo and Apache County Region, the Navajo Nation, the White Mountain Apache Reservation, and the San Carlos Apache Reservation.
- Child Care Health Consultation (CCHC) is supported and recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care.
- Child Care Health Consultation has been shown to improve health and safety policies and practices.
Child Care Health Consultants (CCHC) are specially trained health professionals or health educators who have completed additional training based upon the curriculum of the National Training Institute for Child Care Health Consultants. They work directly with childcare providers in childcare centers and homes. CCHCs utilize best practice standards to assist providers with the improvement of the health and well-being of children in their care.
Goals
- To improve the health and status of children in child care.
- To increase health promotion and disease prevention in child care.
- Facilitate children’s use of health services.
Services Provided
- Meet on-site with child care providers to assess health and safety practices.
- Assist with developing or updating health and safety policies and procedures.
- Provides nutrition and physical activities information, including ideas for combating obesity.
- Provides education and training on a variety of health and safety topics for child care staff and parents.
- Assists in the coordination of care and access to immunizations, health, and dental screenings.
- Provides education and training on a variety of health and safety topics for child care staff and parents. Some examples are:
- Hand washing
- Medication Administration
- Sanitation
- Diapering
- Safe Sleep
- Playground safety
- Safety and injury prevention
Child Care Health Consultants are part of the First Things First Initiative to increase the quality of, and access to early childhood programs to ensure that a child entering school comes healthy and ready to succeed. To learn more visit: QualityFirstAZ.com/CCHC
For more information, please contact: Child Care Health Consultants by phone at (928) 524-4482 or (928) 524-4037.
Related resources
Arizona State Immunization Information System.
Caring for Our Children, National Health and Safety Performance Standards, and Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs
CDC – COVID-19 Guidance for Operating Early Care and Education/Child Care Programs
CDC – Isolation & Quarantine in Early Care & Education Programs
First Things First
Healthy Kids AZ Mobile App
School/Childcare Reportable Disease List
What is Quality First?
Please contact a Child Care Health Consultant listed above if you are interested in copies of the activity sheet, and the handwashing poster translated into Navajo, White Mountain Apache, and San Carlos Apache languages.