Physical Fitness

Physical fitness is something everyone can benefit from. It keeps your body fit and adds more time to your life. This is why making physical fitness a priority in the development of young children is important. Physical development is just as important as the other domains because they all work together to develop the whole child. Preschool children learn various skills during physical activities. Skills like locomotor, moving their bodies from one point to another, catching and throwing (Goodway & Robinson, 2008). Children who do not partake in physical activity are at risk of becoming obese. With the extra weight also come extra health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease or hypertension. Children with any type of health or physical issues may feel ashamed or self- conscious about themselves. Adults can help develop good fitness habits bt including it in their daily routine. Playing games like Simon Says and throwing a football are just some ways to make fitness fun. Childhood obesity poses significant risk to children in the early education environment. Teachers can help children to make more healthy selections of food and read their own food cues, and at mealtimes they can provide foods that encourage children to follow the MyPlate Food System (Robertson, 2013, pg.271).

Here are a few facts to help you understand the importance of good nutrition and physical health habits for young children.

Fact Sheet

•           National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) suggest that preschool children should accumulate at least 60 minutes a day of structured physical activity (naeyc.org)

•           Preschoolers should develop competence in movement skills that are building blocks for more complex movement.(naeyc.org)

•           Fundamental movement skills are the building blocks of movement and need to be taught in order to improve.(naeyc.org)

•           The CDC states “… physical activity can have an impact on cognitive skills and attributes and academic behavior, all of which are important components of improved academic performance. These include enhanced concentration and attention as well as improved classroom behavior.

•           Charles Basch of Columbia University summarized exercise may affect executive functioning:

-Increased oxygen flow to the brain

-Increased brain neurotransmitters

-Increased brain –deprived neurotrophins. “Neurotrophins assure the survival of neutron in area responsible for learning, memory and higher thinking (sparkes.org)

References

Goodway, J. D., & Robinson, L. E. (2006, March). SKIPing toward an active start: Promoting physical activity in preschoolers. Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200605/GoodwayBTJ.pdf

Robertson, C. (2013). Safety, nutrition, and health in early education (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

www.sparkpe.org/blog/how-physical-activity-affects-academic-performance/

Safety Practices and Policies

Many people may think once a child reaches the preschool age, that preschoolers are less likely to experience injuries. Preschoolers are still at risk of experiencing some type of hazardous situation common in preschoolers. Some of those situations could be a environmental injuries, choking, inadequate supervision, asthma attacks or consumption of hazardous chemicals. These are just a few of the safety issues child care facilities may experience. As parents, educators, caregivers or administrators it’s important that we are trained on providing safe environments for young children.

In my many years of working with young children, environmental injuries are a common problem in every classroom. Children are constantly testing their boundaries which can result in a child becoming injured. This why caregivers need to learn the ABC’s of Childhood injuries to help them to anticipate injury (Robertson, 2013, pg.68). We need to learn the Accessories of an incident. Accessories help us to learn how the injury happened. Then learn the behavior of the child. This lets us know why it happened. Last, we need to learn the condition of the incident. This allows you to ask questions so you will know when and where the injury took place. Choking is hazardous to preschoolers due to the desire to still place things into their mouths. As we prepare our classrooms with the required materials, toys that may be a choking hazard must be taken in consideration. Placing very small objects in reach of young children is a dangerous decision. Instead items such as small Legos, toys and even manipulative toys need to be locked away to prevent preschoolers from placing them in their mouths. Caregivers should also encourage parents to practice the same routine at home.  Child care facilities are mandated to also have staffs that are certified in First aid and CPR to assist in the time a child does chock while in care of the center. Having proper supervision is a major concern in all preschool classes. Providing the proper teacher to child ratio is a must in order to stay in compliance with our states regulation requirements. Although we reassure the parents that we provide plenty of coverage but is the staff providing proper supervision throughout day. To effectively supervise children staff need to arrange their classrooms so they are able to see each and every child in the room. Providing staff with training on the importance of room arrangement and creating a safe environment will help them to better understand why supervision is important in and out of the classroom. Workshops could be giving to parents as well on how to properly supervise their children at home. Children with Asthma can be a hazardous situation in the classroom. It seems more and more children are experiencing or are born with asthma every year. Child care centers and programs that provide services for young children are now requiring that the child’s medication and medication forms are properly stored in the class before children may attend the program. This allows the staff to have the proper medicine in case a child has an asthma attack while in the center. Child care facilities are requiring these documents before the child’s start date to prevent serious injuries such as unconsciousness or even death to happen while in the care of a child care facility. Parents should notify staff immediately if there are any changes in medicine or treatment to the child if an attack occurs. Poisoning is another big problem when it comes to preschoolers. Preschoolers are not able to compare what is safe and what is unsafe. To prevent the consumption of  hazardous chemicals we must provide clues and educate our children on what is safe to drink and what is not drinkable. This is why child care facilities lock all their cabinets that hold any hazardous chemical such as bleach, hand soap and dish detergent. While working at this one particular day care center, we spent a few days learning about Mr. Yuck. Mr. Yuck was a green face sticker that was used to label chemicals that could harm us if we touch it or drink it. The children enjoyed it because they each got a sticker book and activity sheet to take home with them. They used the stickers to label hazardous chemicals in their own homes. Placing locks on cabinets and closets that store hazardous chemical will enable a child to obtain these chemicals. Also staff and parents can encourage children to leave locked cabinets and doors alone to prevent poisoning.

References

Robertson, C., (2013) Safety, Nutrition and Health in Early Childhood Education. (5th ed), Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Bellmont,CA.

: Healthy Foods and Nutrition

One of the hardest things to get a young child to do is to try new foods. If they have not eaten it at home, then it becomes tricky once they began school. This is why it is very important to start good nutrition and eating habits as early as the infant stages. Food provides the basic nutrients needed for the body to grow, repair, regulate and maintain itself (Robertson, 2013, pg.229). By introducing a healthy diet to young children, we as parents, educators and care givers are allowing them to get the proper macro nutrients to help build a strong body. Babies get all the nutrients they need from breast milk for the first six months. Formula is an alternative for moms who decrease or stop breastfeeding. Toddlers should have nutritional meals that include proteins, carbohydrates and some fats. Preschoolers need good nutrition to give them energy they need to play and partake in physical activities. Young children need to consume 25 minerals daily to help the body perform (Robertson, 2013, pg.235). Without good nutrition daily children are at risk of obtaining a Micro nutrient Deficiencies such as cavities or Iron deficiency such as anemia.

There are numerous reasons why adults should help children develop healthy eating habits. One is we are the sole care providers for young children and are required to give them foods that help their growing bodies. To help accomplish this goal, feed the child when they are hungry. I find that most children eat best when their little stomachs are truly hungry. Forcing them to eat will only discourage trying new foods. Secondly, parents or care givers should role model healthy eating habits. Children are easily influenced by the ones they spend the most time with. So if they see you eating healthy foods they would want to do the same thing.

I have enclosed three healthy and nutritional meals that can help kick start your good eating habits.

Oven Wedge Fries

Ingredients

*Nonstick cooking spray    *2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped *1 tsp chili powder/ or paprika

*2 large russet potatoes cut into wedges    *1tsp Italian herb seasoning mix

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Spray cooking sheet with cooking spray. Place wedges on cooking sheet.

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle half over the potatoes.

Bake for 7 minutes or until golden, then turn over, sprinkle remaining mixture than bake for another 7 minutes or until brown. Serve while hot

This side dish nutritional value is 146 Calories, 33mgCarbs and 22mg of sodium.

Symphony of Fruit Pizza

Ingredients

I English muffin *2 tablespoons whipped fat free strawberry cream cheese *1/3 cup strawberries, sliced * ¼ cup red grapes, quartered * ¼ cup canned mandarin oranges, drained

Directions

Toast muffin golden brown

Spread cream cheese

Arrange sliced strawberries, grapes and orange slices

Slice into quarters and enjoy

The nutritional value of the snack is 228calories, 46 g Carbs, total fat1.3g and 374 mg sodium.

Crazy Curly Broccoli Bake

Ingredients

1 ½ cups whole wheat corkscrew pasta, dry * 3 cups broccoli, frozen, chopped * 1 10.5 oz can low- fat cream of broccoli soup * ½ cup skim milk * 2 tablespoons plain bread crumbs * ¼ teaspoon salt free seasoning blend

Directions

Preheat oven to 350

Cook pasta according to package

Place frozen broccoli in microwave for 2 minutes on High

Coarsely chop cooked broccoli

Combine skim milk, soup and cooked broccoli

Add cooked pasta and mix. Top with bread crumbs and seasoning mix

Bake in oven for 10 – 15 minutes or until heated through.

The nutritional value for this meal is Calories 164,total fat 2.2g, protein 8g, Carbs 31g and sodium 351mg.

References

Fruits and Veggies: More Matters

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/

Robertson,C.,(2013) Safety, Nutrition and Health in Early Childhood Education. (5th ed), Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Bellmont, CA.

CPR and Choking Emergencies

You are part of a teaching team in the toddler class. The Children are playing in various areas in the classroom. You notice one of your children is out of eyesight. You walk over to the Dramatic Play area to see 19 month old sitting on the floor trying to cough up something. Next to her is a bag of pretzels she most of been eating. First I would have to act immediately and try to remain calm (Robertson, 2013, pg.179). I would call for assistance from my co-worker to help maintain the other children. Then I will assess the child from head to, checking for any other injuries. Once I have the child in a safe area, I will begin the Heimlich maneuver to help the child bring up the piece of the pretzel that is blocking her wind pipe. Once the object is released I will again assess the child and then make the call to the family about the incident.

Another situation could be a ten month old infant is napping in his crib. He starts gagging and cannot lift his head. You rush over to him but he has stop breathing. Immediately do a quick head to toe assessment and ask for someone to call 911. Next tap and flick the soles of the baby’s feet to check for a response. If not place infant on a firm, flat surface and begin CPR. Then I will immediately begin to perform CPR on the child to help the child to breathe on their own. First open the airway by placing your hand on the infant’s forehead with gentle pressure. Then using two fingers on the breastbone directly between the baby’s nipples compress the chest thirty times with a 1/3 – ½ depth of the chest at a rate of about twice per second. After compressions cover the baby’s mouth and nose with your mouth and gently breath into the infant’s mouth and nose until you see the chest rise. Once the child has begun to breathe on his own I would keep the child comfortable while we wait on the emergency personal to arrive. The family would be notified and informed of the incident and given directions on where the child’s location is if needed to be rushed to nearby hospital.

It is very important to have a plan of action in place for any type of emergency. Children are more at risk for permanent brain damage or even death if the right precautions are not in being given to a child in need. That is why I encourage any and every one that decides to work with young children to know the importance of proper care and training is to keeping a child safe. Every individual who work with young children need to trained in CPR and First Aid. Having this training is very crucial to saving a child’s life. Also knowing where the emergency numbers are, the location of the emergency bag and family emergency contacts are just as important. To ensure that all staff are aware of these locations, monthly evaluations need to be done to keep information fresh in minds of the staff. This way no one can forget or not know where these key items are.

References

Robertson,C.,(2013) Safety, Nutrition and Health in Early Childhood Education. (5th ed), Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Bellmont, CA.

Emergency Preparedness: Natural and Human Generated Disasters

I currently work at a Head Start program in the inner city of Baltimore. The location of my site sits behind neighborhood row homes and the classrooms are in a modular location. You have to walk up a alley or across a large field to get to the classrooms. So if we are faced with a tropical storm or terrorist attack we would have to relocate the children out of the modular to the school building close by. This makes the task a very dangerous one because we have to leave out and travel a few hundred feet to a safer location. If a tropical storm warning was in effect in our area we will have to quickly move the children in dangerous winds to a safer location. This is so risky because the children could become frighten and some may not want to even move at all.

In event that these two events occur it is imperative that all staff and children are prepared to follow through with the escape plans. If we are not prepared then children and staff are at risk of becoming injured due to the lack of knowledge for a safe evaluation. An even worse consequence could be leaving a child behind. If this happens, the early childhood programs are in jeopardy of being faced with a lawsuit for causing harm to the children. The program can also lose their license and no longer can provide care for children. Staff will be without a job and possibly labeled as a threat to young children.

To prepare for a natural disaster in your area, certain steps should be considered (Robertson, 2014, pg.197).One must first become familiar with the hazards in their area. Then research how often it happens and how long it may last. Also find out will there be a warning signal to inform the people. Once you have gathered all the information, begin to develop a plan to successfully evaluate the staff and children when the time comes. As I stated before the center I work at is located in a modular across from a public school. The risk in this area involves fallen trees and debris from the surrounding homes. To successfully evacuate the children will need a plan of action in place and carry our emergency bags, medication boxes and emergency contacts for all our children. Monthly unannounced drills will also better prepare us for emergency evacuations due to natural disasters. A great way to involve families will be to encourage them to conduct monthly or annual drills to prepare them for any natural disaster. Workshops, parent conferences and parent meetings are great opportunities to present parents with this information.

References

Robertson,C.,(2013) Safety, Nutrition and Health in Early Childhood Education. (5th ed), Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Bellmont, CA.