EECCP

Early Education and Child Care Professional
(EECCP)

The term early education and child care professionals describes staff members in child care centers, nursery schools, Head Start programs, large and small family child care homes and before and after school programs. Directors, teachers/caregivers and the others who work in group care settings for young children are key contributors to the well-being of children.  Formation of warm, positive, supportive relationships with children and their family members enables children to develop social, emotional and cognitive development as well as resilience to handle life stress. Protecting children from harm and promoting their health so they are healthy and able to learn makes collaboration among health professionals, early education and child care professionals and families essential.

The staff of early education and child care programs interact with children, offer them opportunities to learn and encourage them to use those opportunities. An integral component of their role is to protect children from harm by structuring a safe environment and providing necessary supervision at all times. Staff members must address their own physical and mental health to function as role models and be able to carry out the functions required fortheir jobs. Occupational health, promotion and protection of child health are all key components of early education and child care. Staff should have received pre-service instruction and continue to participate in professional development that enhances competent performance. College level course work is valuable. However, degree-earning college curricula for educators may not include the necessary information about health and safety to competently care for young children. Professional development focused on health and safety must fill those gaps.

News

  • Prepare Now for Flu
    Reduce the risk of influenza (flu) in your early care and education program this year.  See the flu article and resources.
  • AAP Periodicity Schedule Recommends Depression Screening at Well-Child Visits
    AAP Periodicity Schedule Recommends Depression Screening at Well-Child Visits The American Academy of Pediatrics released its 2022 Bright Futures/AAP recommendations for preventive pediatric health care. It is also known as the Periodicity Schedule - the schedule of screenings and assessments recommended at each well-child visit from infancy through adolescence. The schedule now includes recommendations to screen for depression and suicide risk,…
  • 2022 Keystone STARS Performance Standards Update
    The 2022 Keystone STARS Standards take effect on July 1, 2022. See the Keystone STARS Manual and 2022 Keystone STARS Performance Standards for more information. Other resource documents such as: Resources to Support Achievement of Keystone STARS Performance Standards Establishing an Injury/Illness Monitoring Tracking System [Updated 04/21/2022] Crosswalk of 2022 Keystone STARS Performance Standards to Previous Version can be found here.…
  • STARS Standard LM 2.5 Supporting Children with Special Needs
    Did you know…ECELS has valuable tools to help you meet the new STARS Standard LM 2.5 Program uses Caring for Our Children to establish policies and practices regarding care plans for children with special medical needs as well as medication administration. 1. Use Model Child Care Health Policies, 5th Ed. form-field version to adapt a policy for your program. See Section…
  • Child Passenger Safety
    Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children. The latest research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that 46% of car seats are misused. The best way to reduce crash fatalities among children is to always select a car seat, belt-positioning booster seat, or lap and shoulder seat belt based on the child’s age…