As part of the work to prepare professionals to manage disaster situations, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) created a special webpage for professionals working in early education and child care settings. The AAP website about children and disasters has a special webpage for child care providers that includes carefully selected links to credentialed, practical sources of information. Users will find workbooks, guides, sample forms and other tools on these sites. The materials are appropriate for both center-based and home-based facilities. Reviewed and reaffirmed 3/2018.

Learn the Signs, Act Early is a program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It offers activities and materials that foster recognition of developmental milestones. The CDC Act Early website has free online materials for parents, credit-bearing professional development for early educators and health professionals. Examples include:

• For Parents in Spanish and English: Amazing Me-It’s Busy Being 3! Download the FREE iBook or PDF version or order a FREE print copy at www.cdc.gov/AmazingMe
• For Early Educators: Watch Me! Celebrating Milestones and Sharing Concerns is a FREE, 1-hour online continuing education course. The engaging videos are in 4 modules that take a total of an hour to view. They show how teachers/caregivers monitor the development of the children in their care and talk with parents about developmental concerns. For the continuing education credit, users must complete all 4 modules, each quiz and a final evaluation. Access the training at www.cdc.gov/WatchMeTraining Reviewed and reaffirmed 3/2018.

This handout provides links to state and national organizations with rich content related to asthma on their websites or ability to offer in-person/online asthma education. In addition, there are links to many useful forms and handouts,some in both English and Spanish. Updated February 2015.  

This asthma website includes handy forms and links to other resources for the care of children with asthma in English and Spanish. These forms help families and early care and education providers exchange information easily when the child is having symptoms at home or in the program. Other forms on the website help health professionals to communicate their recommendations for the child's care to families and other caregivers. Reviewed and reaffirmed 3/2018.

The Office of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in the U.S. Department of Human Services has brought together a list of resources related to developmental screening and referral for early intervention. The materials listed in the collection are from a group of federal agencies. The content on the website is separated into the materials most helpful to specific users: early care and education providers, primary care providers, early intervention and special education providers, families, communities, child welfare, home visitors, behavioral health providers, and housing & homeless shelter providers.The website offers a compendium of evidence-based developmental screening tools, everyday tips for early care and education providers to support child development, and guides for finding services in the community. As ACF says: "Effective promotion of healthy child development and wellness is best achieved early in a child’s life with well-coordinated, multi-sector coordination of services and communication with families. Public awareness of typical child development and risks for delay, developmental and behavioral screening, early identification of delays as well as linkages to referral and follow up services can be delivered anywhere young children and families spend time--in the home and in communities through a range of programs and services." Access the English version of the resources at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ecd/child-health-development/watch-me-thrive. For the Spanish description of the resources go to Del nacimiento a los 5! Informacion y Destacados at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ecd/b_to_5_one_pager_spa.pdf. For the Early Care and Education Providers Guide in Spanish, go to Providors Cuidado y Educación Infantil at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ecd/ece_providers_guide_spanish_508.pdf. Reviewed and reaffirmed 3/2018. 

This is a list of documents, forms and organizations with reliable information about child abuse and neglect as a problem as well as proven approaches to prevent and manage child maltreatment.

• Child Abuse Glossary
• Child Abuse Document Packet
• Reviewed and reaffirmed 9/2021

This document defines terms related to child abuse and neglect and the current Child Protective Services Law in Pennsylvania. Reviewed and reaffirmed 3/2018.

This extensive list of weblinks, print resources and supports includes both national and Pennsylvania credentialled sources of information. It is intended for early educators, parents and health professionals who are caring for children with chronic physical, behavioral and developmental challenges.  Updated 7/2022

ECELS has many tools to help early care and education programs meet Keystone STARS Standards. The crosswalk document identifies ECELS resources that relate to specific STARS Standards. Steps for Early Care and Education Programs to Reduce Illness and Injury address Keystone STARS Standard LM.2.3  9/2019

Find below one page documents shared for ELRC Health and Safety monthly updates: 

2022 updates: 

• January 2022
• February 2022
• March 2022
• April 2022
• May 2022
• June 2022
• July 2022
• August 2022
• September 2022
• October 2022

2021 updates: 

• September 2021
• October 2021
• November 2021
• December 2021

The Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC) project at the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention is now “Go NAP SACC.” Go NAP SACC features an interactive website. Look there for resources for children from birth – 5 years, a focus on breastfeeding and infant feeding, screen time, and outdoor play. Go NAP SACC can be adapted for different child care settings, including family child care homes. The Go NAP SACC website, found at www.gonapsacc.org, gives technical assistance professionals self-assessments and tools. You can follow Go NAP SACC on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GoNAPSACC) and Twitter. Reviewed and reaffirmed 3/2018.

This resource list was prepared from questions Child Care Health Consultants received.  The topics align with Model Child Care Health Policies, 5th Ed.    When preparing or revising policies, the resources identifed can be helpful to improve health and safety practices.  6/2018

Staying up-to-date with immunizations provides the best protection against disease and is essential to health. Getting vaccinations on time is still important during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is crucial that everyone—children, staff and parents—receive their regularly scheduled vaccines.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents and guardians should schedule immunization appointments early. Some health care providers may have delays in scheduling and decreased appointment windows. Health care providers are taking every precaution to ensure the safety of patients, families, and staff. Call your health care provider if you have any questions or concerns about a scheduled well-child visit or immunizations in general. The Pennsylvania Departments of Education, Health, Human Services, and Insurance remind parents to ensure their children’s immunizations are up to date as part of back-to-school preparations.

Early Childhood Education staff should make immunization a priority. Foster an environment of health with:

• Immunization tracking
• Staff education and adult vaccination as needed
• Parent education

Unvaccinated children are at increased risk for disease and can spread disease to others. Babies are at high risk since they are too young to be fully vaccinated. Un- and under-vaccinated people are a threat to children and adults who might not be able to receive certain vaccines due to other health conditions. Children who are not up-to-date with vaccines recommended for their age may be excluded from child care and schools if an outbreak occurs.

For more information to educate staff and parents, visit the following websites - 

These excellent state, Head Start and national resources are packed with good ideas about how to foster developmentally-appropriate physical activities for infants and toddlers. Download and explore them to add variety and value to the curriculum for infants and toddlers.

This CDC "flu" website is a good home base for information about influenze. It has handouts, clear explanations about the risks and protections. Reviewed and reaffirmed 3/2018.