Improving the Health and Safety of Children in Nonparental Early Education and Child Care

Abstract

1. Timothy R. Shope, MD, MPH, FAAP* 2. Susan Aronson, MD, FAAP† 1. *Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Pediatric Residency Program Director, Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, Va 2. †Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa Author Disclosure Drs Shope and Aronson did not disclose any financial relationships relevant to this article. After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Define the types of nonparental early education and child care services and methods to assist parents in selecting the most appropriate education and care for their children. 2. Accurately interpret the health issues related to enrollment in out-of-home early education and child care. 3. Explain how pediatricians can address prevention and management of acute illness in children who participate in nonparental early education and child care. 4. Integrate activities into pediatric clinical roles that contribute to the accommodation of children who have special needs in nonparental early education and child care. 5. Access and apply the national health and safety performance standards to improve the health and safety of children in nonparental, out-of-home early education and child care. Large demographic changes over the past several decades have led to most children participating in nonparental early education and child care. The programs and settings for these services have changed over time. Because early education and child care may affect emotional, developmental, and health outcomes of children and families, the quality of these services is an appropriate concern of pediatricians. Further, most families want pediatricians to advise them about choosing and using educational and care arrangements for their children. This article provides information on how pediatricians can improve the health and safety of children in early education and child care and assist families who use these services. Specific recommendations for child care performance in this article are drawn from Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs , 2nd ed., which is available at http://nrc.uchsc.edu/CFOC/index.html. Caring for Our Children (CFOC) is a collaborative publication of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the …