Health Matters

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION RESOURCES

BY ANN M. CONNELLY

Many schools now serve pre-kindergarten students. What early childhood education (ECE) looks like varies from school to school. The ages served, program purposes, and program licensing agencies vary from school to school. While licensers have tried to make their requirements as similar as possible, there are some differences.

People often assume that any ECE program that is located within a school building is a public preschool. However, ECE programs of all kinds may have space in a school building. An ECE program in a school building may be a Head Start program, a public preschool, a licensed childcare program, a developmental disabilities program, a special needs preschool, may be part of a school-age childcare program, or some other type of program. The ages served may be limited to 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds, or they may start as young as six weeks of age.

When there are questions about the health and safety rules for ECE programs, the first thing to do is to identify the sponsor and licensing agency of the program. It can be confusing, because some programs may have overlapping oversight by more than one entity. For instance, Head Start programs have standards set at the federal level, with new rules established in 2016 (https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs. gov/ ). They typically must also be licensed by the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services (http://jfs.ohio.gov/CDC/index.stm ) and follow those rules. And when yet another entity, such as the local health department, comes to inspect your school, there can be some confusion about which rules need to be followed by your ECE program. It’s important to identify the specific sponsor and licenser to make sure you are following the appropriate rules and then to communicate that to key staff members, such as the secretary and school nurse, who may be in a position to answer questions and implement the appropriate standards for your program.

36 principal navigator Another important matter to clarify is what services your school staff provides to the ECE program in your school. For instance, does your secretary communicate with the ECE families? Is your attendance officer responsible for working with the ECE students? Does the school nurse provide screenings, first aid, medication, tube feedings, and other health services? Does your school website reflect ECE program information that must be maintained by school staff? Are emergency preparedness plans such as evacuation or shelter-inplace made by your school administration for the ECE program? Or are some or all of these and other tasks provided independently by the ECE program in your school? It is best to have these roles and responsibilities clearly stated early on to prevent problems as the school year progresses. Otherwise these can become problematic issues as the school year goes on and tasks are not completed because no one has been clearly identified as being responsible for them.

Where can you go for help clarifying these issues? There are resources available to help:

• http://jfs.ohio.gov/cdc/providers.stm: This Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services Childcare Provider page has links to numerous resources for their programs. These include the Child Care Rules, Forms and Policy Changes, Child Care Licensing Rule, Required Trainings, Licensing Compliance Resources, Step Up to Quality information, Ohio Healthy Programs to Prevent Childhood Obesity, Child Development and Behavioral Health Resources, and Reducing Suspension and Expulsion Practices in Early Childhood Settings. Health and safety information for the ECE program in your school may be found in many of these resources.

• http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Early-Learning/ Preschool-Licensing: The Ohio Department of Education Preschool Licensing page has links to the preschool licensing administrative rules, sample forms such as the Child Medical Statement and Medication Administration, Step Up to Quality information, Preparation for Preschool Site Visit, Health and Safety Resources and Training Guidelines, and the Communicable Disease Chart.

• https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odh/home: The Ohio Department of Health website has numerous programs that interact with ECEs. For example, when you arrive at the website, on the top right corner you will see “A to Z Index.” Click on that and select the letter for Early Childhood Health, Children’s Vision and Hearing, Asthma, Bureau of Children with Medical Handicaps (BCMH), Childhood Lead Poisoning, School Nursing, Immunizations, and more. You can also “Find Your Local Health District” by clicking on that link at the top.

• https://mha.ohio.gov/Supports/Children-Youth-Families/ Early-Childhood: The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) webpage houses resources for preschool expulsion reduction; ECMH consultation and technical assistance; Grow Power packet that includes videos, pamphlets, and brochures.

• https://www.ocali.org/center/cyc: The Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence has many resources about working with people with disabilities. The website has the Center for the Young Child, and they offer many high-quality online trainings regarding working with people with disabilities.

• https://occrra.org/: Most people providing early care and education must receive continuing education hours that are Ohio Approved (OA). There are courses available online, large conferences, and local meetings that can provide these OA hours. The Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Agency (OCCRRA) houses the statewide registry of providers and OA course registration platform.

Ensuring the health and safety of young children in ECE programs allows them to achieve optimal development and support kindergarten readiness. Licensing rules are the minimum standards for ensuring young children are safe and healthy, but the program in your school can rise above that minimum to help your young children soar. While all ECE programs will be required to be star rated for Step Up to Quality by next year, investing in your program to add stars to your rating should improve outcomes for the young children in your programs and their families.

While the early childhood landscape can seem complicated and confusing, having an ECE program in your school can improve the kindergarten readiness of the children who will be coming in to your school. Establishing a good relationship with families during Family Engagement Activities in the ECE program can help families, students, and school staff as the child progresses through your school system to graduation. Early childhood education fits well within the Each Child, Our Future strategic plan released by the Ohio Department of Education (http://education.ohio.gov/ About/EachChildOurFuture). The magic of ECE can enhance outcomes for all of your students!

Ann M. Connelly, MSN, RN, LSN, NCSN, is a Public Health Nurse Supervisor for School Nursing and Early Childhood Health Programs in the Women and Family Health Services. She serves for the Bureau of Maternal, Child and Family Health, a branch of the Ohio Department of Health. Ann can be contacted via phone at 614-728-0386 or via email at Ann.connelly@ odh.ohio.gov.

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