ECE 1006 Health in Early Childhood

STAFFING:

REQUISITES:

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. This course emphasises literacy correctness in all its forms. 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 noway equip students with the knowledge to diagnose or give advice other than promotion of healthy lifestyles and referral. IMPORTANT NOTE: Working with Children: State law in Queensland requires that all adults (including university students, pre-service educators, trainers, vocational teachers, industry educators) working with children under the age of 18, in the State of Queensland*, obtain approval before commencing such work. Many education courses include a practical component (professional experience, project work, research, assessment etc.) that may require engagement with children under the age of 18. It is your responsibility to ensure that you possess a current suitability card (Blue Card) before commencing any practical components of this course. DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE WITH CHILDREN UNDER 18 UNLESS YOU POSSESS A CURRENT 'BLUE CARD'. For further information: http://www.childcomm.qld.gov.au/employment/bluecard/informationSheets.html *If you are undertaking practical experience outside the State of Queensland, Australia you should check local requirements.

OBJECTIVES:

On completion of this course students will be able to:

1. be familiar with the regulations and accreditation in Day Care and other Early Childhood services relating to Health, Safety and Nutrition
2. be able to create and maintain a healthy and safe physical and emotional environment for young children
3. 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;
4. be capable of creating Protective Behaviour Programs in relation to child abuse
5. be aware of the importance of balanced nutrition programs for young children and be competent at designing interesting and appropriate nutritional programs
6. be aware of the importance of establishing, maintaining and promoting a healthy lifestyle for educators and the general community
7. be aware of international and cultural perspectives and differences in addressing health issues
8. be aware of parents' rights and choices that pertain to the treatment and care of their children
9. be aware of legal issues relating to all aspects of children's health
10. be familiar with administrative decisions, policies and procedures that relate to maintaining a healthy environment
11. be able to use and access a wide variety of reference sources and information including web-based materials
12. be able to critically analyse the wide range of resources and popular medical and nutritional information
13. use written communication effectively and appropriately
14. write clearly, grammatically correctly and with accurate spelling and punctuation.

TOPICS:

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed:

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

REFERENCE MATERIALS:

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS:

ASSESSMENT DETAILS:

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To complete each of the assessment items satisfactorily, students must obtain at least 50% of the marks available for each assessment item.
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit an assignment after the due date without prior approval then a penalty of 10% of the total marks available for the assignment will apply for each working day late.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the available weighted marks for the summative assessment items.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the grades obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
6. Examination information:
   There is no examination in this course.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   There will be no Deferred or Supplementary examinations in this course.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm or in the current USQ Handbook.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

1. Students will require access to e-mail and Internet access to USQConnect for this course.
2. Students are to use a recognised referencing system as specified by the examiner.
3. IMPORTANT NOTE: Working with Children: State law in Queensland requires that all adults (including university students, pre-service educators, trainers, vocational teachers, industry educators) working with children under the age of 18, in the State of Queensland*, obtain approval before commencing such work. Many education courses include a practical component (professional experience, project work, research, assessment etc.) that may require engagement with children under the age of 18. It is your responsibility to ensure that you possess a current suitability card (Blue Card) before commencing any practical components of this course. DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE WITH CHILDREN UNDER 18 UNLESS YOU POSSESS A CURRENT 'BLUE CARD'. For further information: http://www.childcomm.qld.gov.au/employment/bluecard/informationSheets.html *If you are undertaking practical experience outside the State of Queensland, Australia you should check local requirements.