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What is the authoritative source for best health and safety practices when advising a child care facility or a family with a child in child care?

• The AAP, APHA , and NRC developed a comprehensive source, Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards; Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs, Third Edition, that lists over 700 health and safety practices in the areas of:
  
  
  • Staffing
  • Program Activities (Child Development)
  • Health Promotion and Protection
  • Nutrition and Food Service
  • Facilities, Supplies, Equipment, and Environmental Health
  • Play Area/Playgrounds and Transportation
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Children with Special Health Care Needs and Disabilities
  • Policies
  • Licensing and Community Action
  
  
• Please note that all licensed child care facilities must comply with state regulations. See our link to all fifty states’ licensing requirements.

How do I introduce the standard (best practices) to a child care program?

• Start with familiarizing the provider with the standards from Caring for Our Children that have been determined to have the greatest impact in reducing disease, disability, and death in child care.
• Another good source on policies is Pennsylvania AAPs Model Child Care Health Policies, 4th Edition (Under Health in the links page)

What resources do I give parents who ask how to choose quality child care?

• Many resource and referral agencies produce checklists; consult with your local R&R: Find child care now


• Nutrition Checklist: (English) (Spanish)


• Physical Activity Checklist: (English) (Spanish)

Looking for specific information on these and other topics?

• Biting
• Brain development
• Serving Children with Special Health Care Needs
• Liability
• Nutrition
• Reducing the Risk of SIDS
• Coping with Disasters and War



• For additional topic specific resources see our links page for other valuable health and safety Websites.

Interested in learning more about Child Care Health Consultants?

• Child Care Health Consultants and Me: Working Together for Safe and Healthy Children

Interested in becoming a health consultant?

• Contact NTI for individuals in your state who train child care health consultants