Descriptor Details

  • Descriptor Title
    Health, Safety and Nutrition
  • C-ID Number
    220
  • Units
    3.0
  • Date of Last Revision
    6/7/2022 08:58:38 PM GMT+0000

General Description

Laws, regulations, standards, policies, procedures, and best practices related to health, safety, and nutrition in care and education settings for children birth through middle childhood. Includes the teacher’s role in prevention strategies, nutrition and meal planning, integrating health safety and nutrition experiences into daily routines, and overall risk management.

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Advisories

None

Content

  1. Interrelationships Between Health, Safety, and Nutrition for Children Birth Through Middle Childhood
    1. Defining physical and mental health
    2. Defining safety
    3. Defining nutrition
  2. Laws, Codes, Regulations, and Policies
    1. Fire and health codes
    2. Title 22
    3. Title 5
    4. Emergency Medical Services Authority
    5. Local requirements
    6. Food programs
    7. Child abuse and neglect
      1. Mandated reporting
      2. Prevention strategies
      3. Community resources
  3. Safety Management
    1. Safe environments
    2. Accommodations for special needs
    3. Injury prevention and care
    4. Emergency preparedness response and recovery
    5. Car seats
  4. Health Management
    1. Universal precautions
    2. Daily health check
    3. Food safety
    4. Communicable diseases
    5. Infectious process
    6. Illness and exclusion policies
    7. Common health issues such as pink eye, lice, runny nose
    8. Chronic and acute illnesses such as allergies, mental health, obesity
    9. Sleeping and napping
    10. Diapering and toileting
    11. Health assessment tools
    12. Staff safety and well being
      1. Risk management
      2. Employee policies
        1. Physical health
        2. Mental health
  5. Teachers and Caregivers Roles
    1. Teachers as role models of best health, safety, and nutrition practices
    2. Collaboration with families and other professionals to promote health, safety, and nutrition
    3. Communication
      1. Families
      2. Other health professionals
    4. Community resources for children and families at risk
      1. Housing and food insecurity
      2. Foster care/child welfare
      3. Incarceration
      4. Trauma and abuse
      5. Medically fragile
  6. Meals and Snacks
    1. Nutrition guidelines
    2. Diet analysis
    3. Mealtime policies and regulations
    4. Menu planning
    5. Budgeting
    6. Culture, traditions, and family choices
    7. Allergies and food sensitivities
    8. Special feeding needs
    9. Sanitary food handling
  7. Planning Learning Experiences in Health, Safety, and Nutrition
    1. Developmentally sound practices
    2. Cultural, linguistic, and developmental differences of families, teachers, and children
    3. Learning opportunities integrated during daily routines
    4. Physical fitness
    5. Use of instructional technology
    6. Accommodations for children with special needs

Lab Activities

None

Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

  1. Define the broad concepts and practices of health, safety, and nutrition.
  2. Identify laws and regulations related to health, safety, and nutrition.
  3. Identify health and safety risks and prevention strategies in care and education settings.
  4. Describe a caregiver’s role and responsibility in modeling good health, safety, and nutrition habits.
  5. Describe culturally responsive strategies for partnering with families and the community in support of a healthy and safe environment for children.
  6. Explore community resources available to support children and families.
  7. Apply the recommendations for children’s nutrition to the development of healthy and economical meals and snacks based on the age and individual needs of children.
  8. Plan developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive learning experiences and environments that support the topics of health, safety, and nutrition.

Evaluation Methods

  1. Exams (objective and essay) that demonstrate student's ability to define, analyze, and apply basic principles of health, safety, and nutrition in the classroom
  2. Papers and essays that demonstrate student's ability to recognize key concerns in the area of health, safety, and nutrition and formulate plans for promoting health, implementing safety practices, and developing nutritionally sound menu plans for children.
  3. Peer and instructor evaluation of participation and content of group projects analyzing the most challenging aspects of health, safety, and nutrition issues in the classroom.

Textbooks

Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child, current edition, Marotz, Cross & Rush, , Delmar Cengage Learning

California State Regulations; Title 22, Community Care Licensing, Available at: http://www.dss.cahwnet.gov/ord/PG587.htm

Descriptor Administration

  • Public Review Needed
    No
  • Next Descriptor Review
    No information provided
  • Resubmission Requirements for Courses
    No information provided
  • Resubmission Deadline
    No information provided
  • Comments

    Materials adopted by the Early Childhood Curriculum Alignment Project (CAP) in 2007 for use by all California Community Colleges. Endorsed by the California Community College Early Childhood Educators (CCCECE).

  • Notes

    No information provided

  • Keywords

    childhood, development, health, nutrition, safety