Content Area VI: Health, Safety, and Nutrition

Establish and maintain an environment that ensures children’s health, safety, and nourishment.

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Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5

Level 1 - Health

• Practices appropriate hand-washing techniques.
• Helps children practice appropriate hand-washing techniques.
• Practices safe diapering procedures.
• Implements practices to avoid and control blood-borne pathogens.

Level 1 - Safety

• Is aware of environment and the potential for hazards, corrects those that are correctable, and alerts supervisor to any others.
• Actively supervises and interacts with children to ensure safety both indoors and outdoors.
• Releases children only to authorized persons.
• Follows safety regulations and participates in emergency and disaster drills.

Level 1 - Nutrition

• Practices safe food handling and observes general sanitation practices.
• Maintains sanitary environments.
• Recognizes health hazards in meals (choking, allergies, etc.) and takes steps to prevent dangerous situations.

Level 2 - Health

• Responds to children’s injuries and documents any injuries, while assuring the comfort and care of other children.
• Monitors children daily for signs of illness and possible signs of abuse and neglect.
• Follows procedures to avoid transmission of communicable diseases.
• Follows instructions for administration of medicine and approved medical treatments, including related documentation.

Level 2 - Safety

• Describes and maintains a safe environment, including equipment and toys, to prevent and reduce injuries.
• Teaches simple safely precautions and rules to children and enforces rules consistently.
• Demonstrates ability to use safety equipment, e.g., fire extinguisher.
• Identifies and reports problems regarding staff to child ratios.
• Verbalizes and adheres to emergency, illness, injury, and sanitation procedures.

Level 2 - Nutrition

• Monitors eating habits to ensure a healthy diet, including the need of children to eat frequently.
• Provides appropriate meals and snacks in a relaxed and social setting with no coercion.
• Guides cooking experiences with children.

Level 3 - Health

• Models and provides direction on sanitation procedures.
• Demonstrates basic knowledge of health issues common to infants, toddlers, and young children.
• Identifies, documents, and reports suspected emotional distress, abuse, and neglect of children in an immediate and appropriate way.
• Uses appropriate health appraisal and management procedures and makes referrals when necessary.
• Assists young children in establishing health-promoting behaviors and making healthy choices.
• Informs families when child has been exposed to communicable disease or illness.

Level 3 - Safety

• Maintains and assesses safe environments inside and outside.
• Recognizes and responds to each child’s safety needs.

Level 3 - Nutrition

• Demonstrates basic knowledge of the nutrition and feeding needs specific to infants, toddlers, and young children, including those with physical impairments.
• Teaches children about nutrition and healthy food choices.
• Bases educational activities on nutritional information responsive to multiple cultures.

Level 4 - Health

• Provides a consistent daily routine for rest/sleep and physical exercise as developmentally appropriate.
• Recognizes and responds to each child’s needs for physical health and emotional well-being.
• Talks with and provides resource information to families about health in a culturally responsive manner.
• Designs and implements curriculum activities emphasizing healthy bodies, lifestyles, and environment.
• Recognizes signs of emotional distress, physical illness, child abuse, and neglect and acts appropriately to the situation, e.g., initiates discussions with families, refers to appropriate professionals, and/or reports to designated authorities.

Level 4 - Safety

• Plans and implements safe field trips.
• Designs and facilitates indoor and outdoor learning environments to promote each child’s physical and emotional well-being.
• Keeps informed about and shares safety information and resources with families.
• Demonstrates and informs others about emergency, illness, and injury procedures.

Level 4 - Nutrition

• Recognizes and responds to each child’s nutritional needs.
• Communicates with families about the foods children need and prefer.
• Plans and evaluates menus.
• Includes foods from diverse cultures.
• Plans and implements cooking experiences with children.
• Provides opportunities and reinforcement for children’s practice of healthy nutritional choices.

Level 5 - Health

• Provides an environment that is physically and psychologically healthy for children, families, and staff.
• Designs, documents, and informs others of emergency, illness, injury, and sanitation procedures.
• Establishes procedures for documentation and notification of suspected abuse and neglect.
• Works with health care professionals in community to ensure that the needs of the children are met.

Level 5 - Safety

• Maintains appropriate levels and standards for state and federal regulations.
• Identifies opportunities to fund environmental safety improvements.
• Develops and documents contingency plans to meet ratio requirements in all situations.
• Conducts self-assessments of facility for licensing and accreditation.

Level 5 - Nutrition

• Assesses program’s nutritional plan and adapts practices accordingly.
• Coordinates food activities with cultural calendar.