Title: Plan strategies to provide for child health and safety.
Course: Child Development and Parenting (19255-36)

Planning should focus on strategies for

- providing for well-child visits to a doctor
- providing for immunizations
- maintaining health records
- identifying symptoms of and providing treatments for common childhood illnesses
- teaching children to seek medical help and other forms of assistance
- teaching children safety precautions and emergency procedures for all daily environments
- discussing with older children the reasons and ways to avoid smoking, drug and alcohol use, and sexually transmitted diseases
- providing open communication about personal space and potential sexual abuse at an early age.

Teacher Resources:

- A Safety Checklist for Parents, Stanford Medicine Children’s Health
- Health and Safety, Child Care VA
- Parenting Helpful Links, Child Care Aware of Virginia
- Tips for Parents, CDC

Process/Skill Questions:

Thinking

- Why is it important for babies and young children to have routine well-child examinations?
- Where can parents find reliable information on risks and rewards of immunizations?
- Why is it important for children to be immunized?
- What are the consequences when children are not immunized?
- Why do some believe immunizations should be required for all children attending public school and some do not?
- What health insurance options exist for children?

Communication

- What communication skills will help parents teach their children how to protect themselves from illness or injury?
- What safety rules should parents set for their children?
- How can parents prepare their children for emergencies?

Leadership

- How do parents know when to seek immediate medical attention for a child and when to wait and see?
- What actions should parents and caregivers take to prepare a safe home or childcare environment for infants, toddlers, and young children?
- What health and safety items should parents have on-hand at home?
- What should parents do if they suspect their teenager is acting irresponsibly with regard to alcohol, drugs, or sexual behavior?

Management

- What first-aid procedures should parents know?
- What information do parents need to convey to a doctor who is treating their sick child? Why is it important for parents to accurately describe the child’s symptoms?
- What are the laws on child car seats? Why are these laws important?