We’re pleased to report that four Health and Safety courses created for the Pennsylvania Key have gone live. Each course was designed to meet a variety of standards, including certification regulations, best medical practices, and practical application in a variety of settings. They are also required under new federal guidelines for early care and education professionals working with children who receive subsidized care.
- Safe Infant Sleep: Promoting Best Practice and Reducing the Risk of SIDS describes the American Academy of Pediatrics’ best practice recommendations for reducing the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Syndrome (SUID), and promoting safe sleep in infant care settings. This course also addresses safe infant sleep policies and ways to communicate best practice for safe sleep with the families of infants.
- Infectious Diseases in Early Care and Education Environments: Prevention and Control explores how infectious diseases spread, and identifies a variety of strategies for managing early care and education environments to reduce their spread. This course also addresses the daily health check, and explores policies about whether or not children with the symptoms of infectious diseases can participate in programming.
- Asthma Basics and the Use of an Asthma Action Plan explores the symptoms and triggers associated with asthma, identifies the medications used to treat it, and explains how to use an Asthma Action Plan to care for a child who has an asthma episode.
- Food Allergies: Basics and Emergency Response presents the American Academy of Pediatrics’ and other national best practices for caring for children with food allergies. This course identifies the foods most likely to cause an allergic reaction, explores what happens during a reaction, and explains how to use a Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan to care for a child with a food allergy.
While subject matter experts provided us with best medical practices, consumer reviewers (health care professionals and practicing child care professionals) ensured that each course not only meets standards, but has the best chance of being transferred to routine practice. Consumer reviewers also cited the positive differences they saw in these courses from other professional developments offerings on such topics, all of which help to make Pennsylvania’s children healthier and safer!
The Pennsylvania Key manages professional development initiatives for early care and education providers in the state of Pennsylvania.
