ECE 1006 Health in Early Childhood

Subject Cat-nbr Class Term Mode Description Units Campus
ECE 1006 50985 1, 2006 ONC Health in Early Childhood 1.00 Wide Bay
Academic group: FOEDU
Academic org: FOE004
Student contribution band: National Priority Teaching
ASCED code: 070101

Contents


STAFFING:

Examiner: Leisa Holzheimer
Moderator: Lindy Austin

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:


Description Weighting (%)
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:

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).

Book of readings




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.

Department of Families, Youth and Community Care 1999, There's more to food than eating, Pademelon Press, Castle Hill, NSW.

Edelman, C & Mandle, C 2001, Health promotion throughout the lifespan, 5th edn, Mosby, St Louis.

Legg, C 2001, When things go wrong: managing critical incidents in children's services, Australian Early Childhood Association, Watson, ACT.

Marotz, L, Cross, M & Rush, J 2005, Health, safety, and nutrition for the young child, 6th edn, Delmar Thomson Learning, Clifton Park, NY.

National Health and Medical Research Council 2001, Staying healthy in child care: preventing infectious diseases in child care, 3rd edn, NHMRC, Canberra.

National Health and Medical Research Council Food for health: dietary guidelines for Australians, NHMRC, Canberra.

Oberklaid, F 2004, Health in early childhood settings: from emergencies to the common cold, Pademelon Press, Castle Hill, NSW.

Sayre, N E & Gallagher, J D 2001, The young child and the environment: issues related to health, nutrition, safety, and physical activity, Allyn & Bacon, Needham Heights, MA.

Sears, W & Sears, M 1999, Everything you need to know about feeding your children, from birth through adolescence, The family nutrition book, Little Brown & Company, USA.




STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS:

ACTIVITY HOURS
Assessment 50.00
Directed Study 25.00
Lectures 26.00
Private Study 51.00
Tutorials 13.00


ASSESSMENT DETAILS:

Description Marks out of Wtg(%) Due date
ASSIGNMENT 50.00 50.00 07 Mar 2006 (see note 1)
HEALTH FILE 50.00 50.00 07 Mar 2006
NOTES:
1.
The examiner will advise the due dates for all assessment items.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

  1. Attendance requirements:
    It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratories and practical work) scheduled for them, and 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. 80% attendance at and participation in scheduled classes is expected in order to meet the objectives of this course and to achieve the weekly workshop requirements.
  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 and must demonstrate their ability to write clearly, grammatically correctly and with accurate spelling and punctuation.
  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 submit all assessment items and achieve at least 50% of the available marks for overall summative assessment.
  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 for this course.
  7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
    There will be no Deferred or Supplementary examinations for 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

1. The due date for an assignment is the date by which a student must despatch the assignment to the USQ. The onus is on the student to provide proof of the despatch date, if requested by the examiner.
2. Students must retain a copy of each item submitted for assessment. This must be produced within twenty-four (24) hours of receipt of request being made by the examiner. The student must retain this copy until the grade for this course has been finalised.
3. In accordance with the University's assignment extension policy (Regulation 5.6.1), the examiner may grant an extension of the due date of an assignment in extenuating circumstances.
4. The Faculty will normally only accept assessments that have been written, typed or printed on paper-based media. The Faculty will NOT accept submission of assignments by facsimile. Students who do not have regular access to postal services or who are otherwise disadvantaged by these regulations may be given special consideration. They should contact the examiner of the course to negotiate such special arrangements.
5. Students who have undertaken all of the required assessments in a course but who have failed to meet some of the specified objectives of a course within the normally prescribed time may be awarded the temporary grade: IM (Incomplete - Make up). An IM grade will only be awarded when, in the opinion of the examiner, a student will be able to achieve the remaining objectives of the course after a period of non-directed personal study.
6. Students who, for medical, family/personal, or employment-related reasons, are unable to complete an assignment or to sit for an examination at the scheduled time may apply to defer an assessment in a course. Such a request must be accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation. One of the following temporary grades may be awarded IDS (Incomplete - Deferred Examination); IDM (Incomplete - Deferred Make-up); IDB (Incomplete - Both Deferred Examination and Deferred Make-up).
7. When there is more than one marker for a single item of assessment, the distributed patterns and means for the different markers will be compared and marks adjusted if necessary.
8. Marking criteria are provided in course material as mark sheets/guides or as part of assignment specifications.
9. All assessment items must be submitted with a pass overall gained.
10. Summative assessment items will receive a numerical score. Any ungraded assessment requirement will receive a Pass, Fail or Incomplete.

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.