ECE 1006 Health in Early Childhood

SubjectCat-NbrClassTermModeDescriptionUnitsCampus
ECE1006148032, 2002ONCHealth in Early Childhood1.00WIBAY
Academic Group:FOEDU
Academic Org:FOE004
HECS Band:1
ASCED Code:070101

Contents


STAFFING:

Examiner: Lyn Bower
Moderator: Heather Conroy



RATIONALE:

Creating and maintaining healthy safe environments for young children is one of the most important tasks facing the early childhood educator today. It is important that early childhood educators, who are often responsible for the care and education of young children from birth, understand the importance of maintaining healthy environments and are capable of planning and implementing appropriate health and nutrition programs for all children birth-8 years. Educators must also be aware of the importance of establishing a healthy lifestyle while promoting preventative and educational programs for families.


SYNOPSIS:

This course will identify and inform the educator of the wide variety of health issues, policies and procedures that impact on the provision of programs for young children. It will focus on issues relating to the health of the educator, child and family and the establishment and maintenance of healthy and safe environments. It will also focus on the development of skills to enable students to make informed decisions on the wide variety of advice offered to the general community and families. Disclaimer This course is designed to inform the student about medical conditions, both care and prevention, and the nutritional needs of young children and families. It encourages the students to seek further information from appropriate sources. This course will in no way equip students with the knowledge to diagnose or give advice other than promotion of healthy lifestyles and referral.


OBJECTIVES:


On successful completion of this course students will:

  • be familiar with the regulations and accreditation in Day Care and other Early Childhood services relating to Health, Safety and Nutrition;

  • be able to create and maintain a healthy and safe physical and emotional environment for young children;

  • be able to identify and respond to important issues in the area of Health Education including common infectious diseases, AIDS, the abuse of children, hospitalisation, and nutritional requirements;

  • be capable of creating Protective Behaviour Programs in relation to child abuse;

  • be aware of the importance of balanced nutrition programs for young children and be competent at designing interesting and appropriate nutritional programs;

  • be aware of the importance of establishing, maintaining and promoting a healthy lifestyle for educators and the general community;

  • be aware of international and cultural perspectives and differences in addressing health issues;

  • be aware of parents' rights and choices that pertain to the treatment and care of their children;

  • be aware of legal issues relating to all aspects of children's health;

  • be familiar with administrative decisions, policies and procedures that relate to maintaining a healthy environment;

  • be able to use and access a wide variety of reference sources and information including web-based materials;

  • be able to critically analyse the wide range of resources and popular medical and nutritional information.



    • TOPICS:


    DescriptionWeighting (%)
    1. The importance of the health and safety of the educator
    		 10.00
    2. Regulations and accreditation standards
    		 5.00
    3. Infectious diseases
    		 10.00
    4. Hygiene practices and requirements for prevention of illness, disease and infestations
    		 15.00
    5. Creating and maintaining safe physical environments for young children
    		 10.00
    6. Creating and maintaining safe emotional environments for young children
    		 10.00
    7. Child abuse and protective behaviour programs for children and families
    		 10.00
    8. The importance of providing nutrition programs for young children and families
    		 15.00
    9. Food handling procedures
    		 5.00
    10. Legal and administrative issues, policies and procedures for early childhood educators
    		 10.00

    TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed:

    Books can be ordered by fax or telephone. For costs and further details use the 'Book Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au by entering the author or title of the text.

    Book of Readings,

    To be advised,




    REFERENCE MATERIALS:

    Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

    1991, Health, Safety and Nutrition in Early Childhood Services, Australian Childhood Association, Watson, ACT.

    1991, Child Care Act 1991, Government Printer, Brisbane.

    Appleton, J., McCrea, N. & Patterson C 1999, There's More to Food Than Eating, Pademelon Press, Sydney.

    Bell, C 1995, Highlighting Health: A Discussion of Health Practices and Accreditation, Australian Early Childhood Association, Watson.

    Broome, M 1998, Children and Families in Health and Illness, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.

    Cicchetti, D. & Carlson, V 1989, Child Maltreatment: Theory and Research on Causes and Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

    Donatelle, R. & Davis, L 1998, Health: The Basics, 3rd edition, Ally and Bacon, Boston.

    Duyff, R., Giarratano, S. & Zuzich, M 1995, Nutrition, Health and Safety for Preschool Children, McGraw-Hill, New York.

    Edelman, C. & Mandle, C 1988, Health Promotion Throughout the Lifespan, 4th edition, Mosby, St Louis.

    Garcia, J., France-Dawson, M. & Macfarlane, A 1994, Improving Infant Health. The Effectiveness of Health Promotion Activities to Reduce Stillbirth Infant Mortality and Morbidity: A Literature Review, Health Education Authority, Oxford.

    Gillham, B. & Thomson, J 1996, Child Safety: Problem and Prevention from Preschool to Adolescence, Routledge, London.

    Juan, S 1992, A Study Shows II: More of What's New in Child Health and Development for Parents and Professionals, University of Sydney, Sydney.

    Kedrickm A., Kaufmann, R. & Messenger, K 1995, Healthy Young Children: A Manual for Programs, National Assoc for the Education of Young children, Washington.

    Legg, C 2001, When Things go Wrong: Managing Critical Incidents in Children's Services, Australian Early Childhood Association, Watson, ACT.

    Mayall, B 1996, Children, health and the social order, Open University Press, UK.

    Plested, D 1993, Health and Safety in Early Childhood Centres, Resources Book Committee of the AECA, Watson, ACT.

    Queensland legislation reprints, 'Ch' Vol 8 1991, Child Care (Child Care Centres) Regulations 1991, Goprint, Brisbane.

    Ranson, R 1999, Health, Hygiene and Safety in Children's Day Care Facilities, Taylor & Francis Books Ltd, UK.

    Robertson, C 1998, Safety, Nutrition and Health in Early Childhood, Delmar, Albany.

    Sears, W. & Sears, M 1999, The Family Nutrition Book: Everything You Need to Know About Feeding Your Children, from Birth Though Adolescence, Little Brown and Company, USA.

    Thompson, J. & Howard, G 1998, Nutritional Requirements of Infants and Young Children: Practical Guidelines, Blackwell Science Inc, USA.

    Turtle, J., Jones, A. & Hickman, M 1997, Young People and Health: The Behaviour of School-aged Children, Health Education Authority, UK.

    World Health Organisation 1996, Promoting Breast-feeding in Health Facilities: A Short Course for Administrators and Policy- makers, World Health Organisation, Geneva.




    STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS:

    ACTIVITYHOURS
    Assessment50
    Directed Study25
    Lectures26
    Private Study50
    Tutorial13


    ASSESSMENT DETAILS:

    DescriptionMarks Out ofWtg(%)RequiredDue Date
    ESSAY100.0040.00Y13 Sep 2002
    TUTORIAL PARTICIPATION & TASks100.0020.00Y22 Jul 2002 (see note 2)
    ASSIGNMENT100.0040.00Y25 Oct 2002
    NOTES:
    2.
    Dates for tutorial participation and tasks will be advised during lectures.

    OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

    1. When there is more than one marker for a single item of assessment, the distribution patterns and means for the different markers will be compared and marks adjusted if necessary.
    2. Marking criteria are provided in course material as mark sheets/guides or as part of assignment specifications.
    3. Summative assessment items will be given a numerical score.
    4. Course Grades will be calculated by aggregating the weighted result or numerical score for each summative assessment item.
    5. All assessment items must be submitted and passed overall.
    6. If assignments are submitted after the due date without an approved extension of time, University penalties will apply.