Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention

Transcription

1 Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

2 Welcome to the Child Health Liaison Course The Child Health Liaison online course serves as a training resource for early care and education providers interested in improving health and safety in their programs. As a student in this course, you are encouraged to maintain a Child Health Liaison notebook. As you finish each module, add your completed workbook to the notebook, along with any resources you found helpful. Upon completion of the course, you can use this notebook as an on-going resource in your role as a health and safety advocate for your child care program. Curriculum The Child Health Liaison online course includes the following ten modules: Module 1: Health and Safety in Child Care Module 2: Preventing Illnesses and Communicable Diseases Module 3: Immunizations and Emergency Preparedness Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention Module 5: Nutrition and Food Safety Module 6: Oral Health Module 7: Social and Emotional Health Module 8: Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Module 9: Medical Home and Children with Special Health Care Needs Module 10: Staff Health Take the CHL final exam after completing all ten modules. Upon passing the exam, you will be able to print out a certificate of course completion. Additional Information The Child Health Liaison online course can be accessed at no charge at From this web page, you will be asked to create a CO.TRAIN user name and password. If you have any questions about CO.TRAIN or the Child Health Liaison course, please send an to cdphe.pscash@state.co.us and include Child Health Liaison in the subject line of the . Acknowledgments The Child Health Liaison online course is based on the curriculum developed by Boulder County Public Health. Additional content and support for the project has been provided by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Healthy Child Care Colorado. 2 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

3 Workbook Icons The following icons are used throughout this workbook to identify tasks being performed.! Identifies the module objectives.! Identifies the steps required to complete the module.! " # $ % & Identifies a required reading assignment, such as reading an article, document, or chapter in a book. When you see this icon, you will be instructed to access the module web page and read items listed below the Reading Assignments heading. Identifies a required web activity, such as browsing a web site or taking an online course. When you see this icon, you will be instructed to access the module web page and view web sites listed below the Web Activities heading. Identifies an activity that can be performed with the parents and staff in your child care program. When you see this icon, you will be instructed to access the module web page and download, read, and print various resources listed below the Parent and Staff Resources heading. You can then share these resources with parents and staff. Identifies questions to answer for review. When you see this icon, you will be instructed to answer questions following a Reading Assignment, Web Activity, or Parent and Staff Activity. Identifies a note or additional information you should know. Identifies goals that you should add to your Health and Safety Improvement plan. # Identifies a review of the module objectives. 3 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

4 !Module 4 Objectives In this module, you will learn how to:! Understand why injuries occur and what the risks of injuries are during different stages of a child s development.! Understand what types of injuries occur in child care programs and how to modify the environment to prevent injuries.! Utilize safety policies to conduct regular safety checks and identify and address hazards.! Demonstrate knowledge about playground safety policies and how to prevent injuries on the playground.! Develop at least one goal related to safety and injury prevention for the Health and Safety Improvement Plan for your child care program.! Steps for Completing Module 4 Visit the Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention web page and do the following:! Download and print the Safety and Injury Prevention workbook.! Complete the Reading Assignments when directed in the workbook and answer the questions for review.! Complete the Web Activities and visit the web resources when directed in the workbook.! Download and read the articles and handouts listed below Parent and Staff Resources when directed in the workbook. Print these resources and share them with your child care program s staff and families. Let s get started! 4 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

5 Overview of Injuries in Child Care Programs Injuries are the leading threat to the health and lives of American children. In child care programs, injuries typically occur as a result of unsafe conditions in the environment, participation in activities which are not developmentally appropriate, and/or a lack of adult supervision. Factors that may influence the risk of injury in child care programs include the age and sex of children, size of the facility, adult-to-child ratio, program offerings, such as swimming and field trips, playground equipment, supervision, and enforcement of policies and regulations. Even with all of these factors, injuries are still predictable and preventable. The prevention of injuries in child care programs is an essential part of quality child care. As a CHL, you should understand that successful strategies for preventing injuries require a better understanding of injuries; specifically: what types of injuries happen, when injuries happen, why injuries happen, how injuries happen, and who gets injured. What Types of Injuries Happen Child care programs need to prepare for, as well as try to prevent, the following most common types of childhood injuries: $ Falls/collisions $ Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) $ Poisoning $ Drowning $ Burns and fire $ Choking, strangulation, and suffocation $ Oral and dental injuries $ Motor vehicle crashes When injuries Happen Most childhood injuries typically occur in the summer and spring. This is mainly due to outdoor play, in particular, when children are using playground equipment. Injuries also tend to occur more frequently late in the morning and late in the afternoon, when children are hungry or tired, and when providers are busy or less available to supervise. 5 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

6 Why Injuries Happen Children may be injured due to: $ Lack of safety knowledge $ Lack of ability or imitation of others more physically advanced $ Lack of safety precautions, safety devices, or supervision $ Hazards in the environment and access to toxic materials How Injuries Happen The following factors contribute to injuries in children: $ Falls are the leading cause of serious injuries. The playground is the major site of injuries in child care programs and accounts for 50 to 60 percent of all child care injuries. $ Physical contact with another child, such as fighting, pushing, colliding, throwing, or biting. $ Colliding with objects, such as moving playground equipment, furniture, building walls, plants, toys, or gates. $ Contact with objects, such as by a sharp edge, burned by a hot surface, hot tap water, or heater, or poisoned by toxic materials. $ Motor vehicle crashes, or other injuries related to transportation, such as bicycle wrecks. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury in all age groups. Who Gets Injured Injury rates are low for infants and increase with the age of the child. Injuries are most frequent among two- to five-year-olds. The difference between the number of injuries incurred by boys as compared to girls in preschool is minimal. However, at age five, the number of injuries increases among boys, as they are more often involved in active physical play. " Web Activity To get started in learning about injuries in child care programs, do the following on the Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention web page: $ View the Environmental Safety and Injury Prevention slides listed below Web Activities. 6 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

7 $ Access the Safe Kids Worldwide web site listed below Web Activities. Click the Watch a video about Safe Kids Worldwide link on the right side of the page to view the video on safety. $Questions for Review 1. After viewing the slides and watching the video, what did you learn about injury prevention that you did not know before? 2. What types of injuries have you seen in your child care program? 3. What types of safety precautions do you have in place in your child care program? 4. As a CHL, what strategies can you use to prevent injuries? Conduct regular safety checks Modify the environment Supervise children Educate staff on injury prevention Include parents in your health and safety efforts 5. What type of information did you learn about safety and injury prevention that you would like to share with the parents and staff in your child care program to better educate them on this topic? 7 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

8 Great Job! You should now be more aware of how injuries occur and what you, as a CHL, can do to reduce injuries in your child care program. In fact, after viewing the slides and watching the video, you may already have ideas on how to improve safety measures in your child care program in order to prevent injuries. Risk of Injury and Stages of Development Children are at a higher risk of getting injured than adults since developmental factors limit their physical, mental, and emotional abilities. As a child grows, they start to test their environment. Their curiosity, fearlessness, and lack of safety knowledge put them at risk of attempting actions for which they may lack the skills and physical capabilities. The types of injuries children incur are related to their developmental stage. For example, an infant s neck is too weak to support the weight of their head, so they are at risk of serious injury and even death if shaken. Infants and toddlers explore their surroundings by putting objects in their mouths and therefore are at risk of choking. Toddlers tend to walk fast, climb, and reach for objects, and thus are at risk of falling or ingesting poison. As CHLs, we want to ensure that children are challenged by their environment, while still being able to explore safely. Being aware of the developmental stages of all children in your child care program and setting up the environment with their abilities in mind can aid in preventing injuries.! Reading Assignment On the Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention web page, read Stages of Growth, Risk of Injury, and Prevention Tips below Reading Assignments. $Questions for Review 1. Identify four risks of injury for infants birth to three months old. 8 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

9 2. Identify four injury prevention tips for toddlers months of age. 3. Identify four injury prevention tips for children 3- to 4-year olds. # Parent and Staff Activity On the Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention web page, download and print the Qualistar Early Learning Health and Safety Checklist below Forms. Use this form to evaluate the health and safety in your child care program s indoor and outdoor environment. When your evaluation is complete, review the checklist with your program supervisor and identify ways that you and the staff can improve safety both indoors and outdoors in order to prevent injuries. Types of Injuries and How to Prevent Them Children in child care programs face the following most common types of injuries: $ Falls/collisions $ Minor injuries, such as cuts, scrapes and bruises $ Severe injuries, such as head injuries, broken bones, internal injuries, or dislocations $ Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) $ Poisoning $ Drowning $ Burns and fire $ Choking, strangulation, and suffocation $ Oral and dental Injuries $ Motor vehicle crashes 9 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

10 ! Reading Assignment On the Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention web page, read What a CHL Can Do to Prevent Injuries below Reading Assignments. $Questions for Review 1. Identify two strategies you can use as a CHL to prevent falls from happening in your child care program. 2. Identify two ways to modify your child care environment to reduce the risk of poisoning. 3. Identify two safety precautions you can take to reduce the risk of fire and burns in your child care program. 4. Identify two ways to prevent children from drowning while in your child care program. Falls Falls are the single greatest cause of injury in child care programs and the most common injury requiring medical care. The most common type of fall is a fall from one level to another, such as from playground equipment, tables, chairs, or stairs. Although many injuries resulting from falls, such as cuts and 10 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

11 scrapes, are minor, many others are more severe, such as heavy bleeding, broken bones, and head and eye injuries and can even lead to hospitalization. Remember, falls can also result in fatal injuries. Children are capable of falling or hurting themselves at any age. For example, an infant can wiggle, move, and push, which can lead to them falling from a changing table when left unattended. Toddlers can climb to places that were formerly inaccessible to them, which can lead to falling from indoor furniture and playground equipment. The prevention of falls poses one of the greatest challenges for a CHL in ensuring a safe environment. The most important strategies you, as a CHL, can use in preventing falls is to modify the child care environment and bring about changes in behavior through education. Choking, Strangulation, and Suffocation In the United States, death to children and adolescents by choking, strangulation, suffocation, or entrapment results in about 70 deaths each year. Half of these deaths occur in the first year of life and three-quarters occur in children younger than five years old. Food is the most common cause of choking. Situations that are likely to lead to children choking on food include eating while rushed, running, and laughing. The most common types of strangulation in children occur when clothing or strings around their necks become caught on furniture, playground equipment, or some other object. Some consumer products that have strangled children include window blind cords and toy chest lids. Suffocation can occur if children have access to plastic bags or other items that can stifle their breathing. Entrapment and asphyxiation can occur in unsafe cribs, as well as other household items such as refrigerators, ice chests, and clothes dryers. As a CHL, you need to learn the proper techniques for responding to and helping choking or suffocating infants and children. You must also take preventive measures, such as shortening window blind cords and performing daily safety checks on items such as toys and playground equipment. Taking these types of safety precautions will ultimately lead to a safer environment. 11 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

12 " Web Activity On the Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention web page, access the CDPHE Injury Prevention Program web site listed below Web Activities. 1. Click the SAFE KIDS Facts about airway obstruction link and read the fact sheet. Based on the information in this fact sheet, name two prevention strategies you feel would be important to highlight with parents and staff in your child care program. 2. Click the SAFE KIDS Facts about drowning link and read the fact sheet. Based on the information in this fact sheet, name two prevention strategies you feel would be important to highlight with parents and staff in your child care program. 3. Click the SAFE KIDS Facts about falls link and read the fact sheet. Based on the information in this fact sheet, name two prevention strategies you feel would be important to highlight with parents and staff in your child care program. 4. Click the SAFE KIDS Facts about motor vehicle occupant injury link and read the fact sheet. Based on the information in this fact sheet, name two prevention strategies you feel would be important to highlight with parents and staff in your child care program. 12 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

13 Poisoning The most common emergency involving children is poisoning. In the United States, about 2 million cases of exposure to poisons are reported each year. Children under five years of age are the most likely to be poisoned since they are curious and will eat and drink almost anything - even if it does not taste good. Most poisonings occur in the kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom when products are not in their usual storage area and are in direct reach of young children. And although most poisoning incidences occur in the homes of children, they can also occur in child care programs. Poisonings can result from common items found in households or child care programs, such as medicines, cleaning products, cosmetics, and arts and crafts materials. The following table displays the ways in which poisonings can occur. Ingestion Absorption Inhalation Animal and Insect Bites Injection This type of poisoning occurs through eating or drinking. Children are attracted to bright colorful packages, pills, and odd shapes. They often mistake pills and vitamins for candy. Approximately 85 percent of poisonings occur through ingestion. This occurs when poisonous substances, such as pesticides or plants, come in contact with a child's skin or eyes. In this type of indirect poisoning, the poison is absorbed through the skin or mucous membrane into the blood stream. This occurs when children breathe fumes from carbon monoxide, pesticides, and certain types of art materials or dust that may contain lead. The air is exchanged in the lungs and comes in direct contact with the blood stream. These can cause an allergic reaction, but they can also be very toxic and can lead to death. For example, ticks can cause Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and reptiles, such as rattlesnakes can deliver a poisonous bite. This type pf poisoning occurs when there is a puncture wound. The danger may come from the substance that was injected or from the threat of tetanus. Today there is an increased threat of children finding needles that have been used to inject drugs. An incident like this can lead to exposure to HIV, Hepatitis B, or other infections. 13 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

14 About 95 percent of all unintentional poisonings can be prevented. As a CHL, methods of prevention you can use include modification of the environment, education and continuous supervision. %For further information about poisonings, access the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center (RMPDC) web site listed below Web Activities. The RMPDC is a certified regional poison center as recognized by the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) and serves as a regional drug information center. RMPDC magnets and phone stickers can be ordered free of charge by phone ( ) or through their web site. Burns and Fire Hundreds of children in the United States die and countless others are disfigured each year as a result of burn injuries. Children are very vulnerable to fires and burns because of their curiosity and ignorance of the dangers of fire. Children ages five or younger are especially vulnerable to burns and have one of the highest fire death rates. Hot liquids - not fire - are the most common cause of burns to young children. Hot liquids, like fire, can cause serious and painful burns. However, fires caused by playing with matches and lighters are the number one cause of fire-related deaths among young children. As a CHL, you should regularly check for environmental hazards and ensure all safety devices, such as smoke alarms are working. Planning ahead and practicing fire prevention skills can greatly reduce the chances of a fire occurring. " Web Activity Now it s time to test your knowledge. On the Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention web site, visit the Children s Hospital of Pittsburgh Safety Quizzes web site. Take the Fire Safety, Sun Safety, and Water Safety quizzes to see how much you know about safety and injury prevention. 14 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

15 # Parent and Staff Activity On the Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention web page, download and print the following listed below Parent and Staff Resources: $ Transporting Children Safely in Child Care Settings $ Fire Safety $ Halloween Safety $ Home Safety $ Pedestrian Safety $ Poison Safety $ Summer Safety for Parents $ Water Safety for Adults 1. Explain how these resources can be used to educate parents and staff in fun and creative ways about safety and injury prevention in your child care program. $ Transporting Children Safely in Child Care Settings $ Fire Safety $ Halloween Safety $ Home Safety 15 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

16 $ Pedestrian Safety $ Poison Safety $ Summer Safety for Parents $ Water Safety for Adults Now, let s move on and look at other types of injuries that can occur in child care programs. Other Types of Injuries There are numerous other injuries children are involved in, such as dental injuries, motor vehicle injuries, bicycle injuries, SIDS, and even injuries resulting from toys. Oral and Dental Injuries Most oral and dental injuries occur in children and adolescents. One out of three children show signs of dental injury and about 80 percent of all fractured teeth occur in children. Injury rates increase with age due to children's involvement in more physical activities and boys tend to have more injuries than girls. Falls from playground equipment, colliding with objects or other children, and injuries related to transportation are the most common causes of dental injuries, with the upper front teeth being most often involved. These injuries usually result in broken teeth, knocked out teeth, bitten tongues, and toothaches. 16 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

17 CHLs can help promote children's dental health and prevent most oral injuries through appropriate supervision, education, and by teaching children to obey safety rules. " Web Activity On the Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention web page, access the following web sites listed below Web Activities: $ Dental Emergencies and Injuries $ Biters: Why They Do It and What to Do About It $Questions for Review 1. What steps does the American Dental Association (ADA) advise you to follow when dealing with a broken tooth? 2. List the four types of biters and identify specific strategies to reduce their biting. Toy Injuries Toys and games help children develop coordination and learn about sizes, shapes, colors, numbers, and letters. Child care providers offer toys and other play materials for fun and to help children learn. However, some toys can harm children, such as ones that are poorly designed, not developmentally appropriate, used incorrectly, made with glass or breakable plastic, or ones that contain small parts. Injuries from toys are usually those associated with tripping over a toy, bumping into a toy, or being hit by a thrown toy, rather than directly related to the design of the toy. Reported cases of deaths from toys include those associated with choking on toys and riding on toys. As a CHL, you should examine all toys for safety hazards, as well as be knowledgeable about developmentally appropriate toys. 17 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

18 Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) SIDS is the sudden unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant that remains unexplained after a thorough post mortem investigation. SIDS is the leading cause of death for children one month to one year of age. More children die of SIDS in a year than die of cancer, heart disease, pneumonia, child abuse, AIDS, cystic fibrosis, and muscular dystrophy combined. SIDS causes nearly 3,000 infant deaths each year in the United States and because such a large number of infants are in out-of-home care, approximately 20% of these deaths occur in child care programs. While the cause of SIDS is unknown, the following recommendations can help CHLs reduce the risk of SIDS: $ Place babies only on their backs to sleep. $ Use firm, flat mattresses in safety-approved cribs. $ Don t smoke. %Second hand smoke is harmful to others and can increase the risk of SIDS in infants. For more information, review the document entitled Second Hand Smoke Information listed below Parent and Staff Resources on the Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention web page. $ Encourage mothers who breastfeed to provide you with bottled breast milk. $ Avoid overheating an infant, such as wrapping them in too much clothing or bedding. If a child in your care is not breathing and is unresponsive call 911, begin CPR, and immediately notify the child s parents. # Parent and Staff Activity Part of your role as a CHL is to educate parents and staff about the importance of SIDS prevention. Organize a training for the staff in your child care program on SIDS prevention. You can facilitate the discussion yourself or co-facilitate with someone from the community who is knowledgeable about SIDS prevention. This may be your program s Child Care Health Consultant or an employee of the local health department or the Colorado SIDS Program. You can also choose to download the Reducing the Risk of SIDS in Child Care slides listed below Parent and Staff Resources on the Module 4: 18 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

19 Safety and Injury Prevention web page and use the learning scenario in the slides to guide your group discussion. %The Colorado SIDS Program provides family support and community education related to SIDS. For more information, contact the Colorado SIDS Program by phone at or SIDS or access their web site by clicking The Colorado SIDS Program link listed below Parent and Staff Resources on the Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention web page. Helping Families Promote Safe Home Environments In addition to promoting a safe environment for children and staff in your child care program, you can also help parents learn how to reduce the risk of childhood injuries in their home. # Parent and Staff Activity On the Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention web page, download, read, and print the following below Parent and Staff Resources: $ Preventing Injuries to Children in the Home $ Tips for Getting Your Children to Wear Bicycle Helmets $ Colorado Child Passenger Safety Law $ Toy Safety Checklist Distribute each of these documents to the parents in your child care program and discuss any questions or concerns they may have about home safety and injury prevention. Playground Safety A public playground refers to equipment for use in the play areas of parks, schools, child care facilities, institutions, multiple family dwellings, restaurants, and recreational developments. It is very likely that your child care program has a playground area and as a CHL, you should be informed about playground safety. While there is no national playground safety law, several states have passed public playground safety laws. Although Colorado is not one of them, as a CHL, it is important that you become familiar with playground safety standards and ensure that your program adheres to common safety regulations. 19 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

20 " Web Activity To learn more about playground safety, view the Public Playground Safety Basics slides listed below Web Activities on the Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention web page. These slides present the overwhelming amount of injuries that occur in playgrounds each year, as well as identify common playground hazards. After viewing the slides, you probably realize how important playground safety is and how you, as a CHL, can ensure playground safety in your child care program. Now, let s take a look at some guidelines that promote greater playground safety awareness.! Reading Assignment On the Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention web page, read the following listed below Reading Assignments. $ Handbook for Public Playground Safety $ The Dirty Dozen: 12 Playground Hazards $Questions for Review 1. What are some playground safety issues that could be improved in your child care program? 2. What steps can you take to start improving these safety issues? 20 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

21 3. Of the areas listed, which are examples of practices a CHL can use to ensure playground safety. Explaining playground safety to children Incorporating daily routines for playground safety checks Removing hazards to ensure a safe physical environment Communicating with parents and staff about safety measures Increasing playground supervision 4. What are some ways you, as a CHL, can teach children to stay safe on the playground? # Parent and Staff Activity On the Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention web page, do the following: $ Download and print the Playground Safety Checklist listed below Forms. $ Access the Consumer Product Safety Commission: Public Playground Safety Checklist web page listed below Parent and Staff Resources. $ Download and print the Safe Playground Habits document listed below Parent and Staff Resources. 1. Use the Playground Safety Checklist to evaluate the playground in your child care program. During the evaluation, identify all areas that need improvement. When your evaluation is complete, review the checklist with your program supervisor and identify ways that you and the staff can improve the safety of the playground and reduce playground injuries in your child care program. 2. Print the Consumer Product Safety Commission: Public Playground Safety Checklist and distribute it to the staff in your child care program so that they can regularly conduct their own safety checks. 3. Share the Safe Playground Habits document with the children in your child care program in order to educate them about playground safety. 21 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

22 Safety Policies To prevent injuries in child care programs, safety policies should be implemented. Safety policies include guidelines, checklists, and charts that help staff eliminate hazards from the child care environment. The guidelines address areas where risks are anticipated and how the environment should be modified and monitored for safety. The checklists and charts can be used to ensure that the policy requirements are being met. It is the responsibility of the CHL to provide children with a safe environment and to ensure their well-being and protection. Implementing safety policies will enable a CHL to offer protection and help to prevent injuries in all child care situations. # Parent and Staff Activity Part of your role as a CHL is to review existing safety policies and compare them to state and national recommendations in order to identify areas that need improvement. On the Module 4: Safety and Injury Prevention web page, download and print Model Child Care Health Policies listed below Parent and Staff Resources. Pay particular attention to chapters X, XI, and XIV of this document, all of which relate to safety. Locate your child care program s health and safety policies and compare them to these model safety policies. $Questions for Review 1. Where are the safety policies in your child care program located? 2. Which of the following recommended safety policies are in place in your child care program? Transportation Field trips Toy safety Playground safety Sleeping Prohibited substances Water safety Indoor safety Smoking Guns 22 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

23 3. After comparing your child care program s existing policies with these safety policies, are there ways you can improve how your child care program s policies are written or implemented? If yes, describe ways you can make improvements. 4. With your staff, create policies for any of the safety topics listed in question two that are not currently in place in your child care program. %Remember to include the strategies identified above in your Health and Safety Improvement plan. & Complete the Health and Safety Improvement Plan for Module 4 Now it s your turn to begin applying what you have learned in this module by adding goals to your Health and Safety Improvement Plan. 1. Refer to the working draft of your Health and Safety Improvement Plan you started in Module 1. % If you have not yet started a Health and Safety Improvement Plan, you can download and print this document by clicking the Resources tab on the left side of the Module 4 web page. 2. Create goals related to safety and injury prevention for the following items: & Modifying your child care program s environment to better prevent injuries. & Providing more educational materials to staff and parents related to preventing injuries. & Updating and improving your child care program s safety policies. & Identifying safety hazards in your child care program s playground and improving your program s playground safety policy. 23 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

24 3. Review your evolving improvement plan with the staff in your child care program and discuss ways the plan can be implemented. Keep track of the actions that have been taken. # Objective Review After completing this module, you should now be able to: " Understand why injuries occur and what the risks of injuries are during different stages of a child s development. " Understand what types of injuries occur in child care programs and how to modify the environment to prevent injuries. " Utilize safety policies to conduct regular safety checks and identify and address hazards. " Demonstrate knowledge about playground safety policies and how to prevent injuries on the playground. " Develop at least one goal related to safety and injury prevention for the Health and Safety Improvement Plan for your child care program. Congratulations! You have completed the Module 4 workbook. When you have completed all ten of the CHL modules, you will be ready to take the CHL final exam. 24 Sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment