Guides: Education Support and Childcare: Maintain a Safe and Healthy Environment for Children

eBooks

Health and Wellbeing : Growing and Developing, Physical and Emotional Wellbeing Given that every child is both unique and a competent learner from birth, it is crucial that educators encourage and support each child to thrive in every area of development at their pace and in their own individual ways.

Online Videos

Providing Care for Children This program offers an insightful and practical introduction to caring for children in both day care and kindergarten settings. It shows how to assist children with hygiene, safety and exercise, and how to create a stable environment, foster independence and show empathy to children.
Reducing Infection Risk in Early Years Settings Adults should have children wash their hands, cover their mouth when coughing and sneezing, dress open cuts, ensure a clean play environment, and promote air circulation
Schedules and Routines This in-service suite shows how schedules and routines help to promote children’s learning. Explore guidelines to create a daily classroom schedule that children can learn to follow. This video is part of a series of 15-minute in-service suites on Engaging Interactions and Environments.
Why is Safe Sleeping Important? ACECQA’s National Education Leader, Rhonda Livingstone, contributed to this safe sleeping resource for Red Nose. Red Nose has a range of resources available to keep education and care services informed about safe sleep and rest practices.
Working Safely with Children In this program we examine health and hygiene, safe supervision, safe travel, and health and first aid. Filmed in the workplace, and filled with practical information providing real-world perspectives and examples, this is an engaging look at some of the key skills required in the childcare industry today.

Websites

Cyber Safety Tips to help children be safe and responsible online users.
First Aid and Medical First aid A to Z. Includes information on: First aid for a choking adult of child over 1, First aid for a choking infant under 1, First aid for bites and stings, First aid for eye injuries and Managing anaphylaxis at school or child care.
Immunisation Immunisation refers to the process where the body induces immunity to a disease as a result of a vaccine.
Red Nose (SIDS) Red Nose has a range of resources available for parents, carers, and health professions to help reduce the risk of sudden and unexpected death during pregnancy, infancy and childhood.
Reading for the Heart and Mind The Children’s Book Council of Australia WA Branch has created a series of five videos to highlight how books and reading can play an important role in helping young people feel better about themselves and their place in the world.
Safe Sleep and Rest Practices Policies and procedures about children’s sleep and rest must be in place at all children's education and care services.
Safety and Security A child becomes strong in their social and emotional wellbeing. They: feel safe, secure and supported take increasing responsibility for their own health and safety.
School Health Topics covered: child development services, community child health nurses, head lice, school-based immunisation program, school health services, starting or moving childcare, kindergarten or school immunisation requirements.
Staying Healthy : Preventing Infectious Diseases in Early Childhood Education and Care Services Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services.
Western Australian Curriculum - Health and Physical In Health and Physical Education, students learn how to enhance their own and others' health, safety, wellbeing and physical activity participation in varied and changing contexts.
SunSmart SunSmart is focused on improving awareness, knowledge, attitudes and behaviour relating to ultraviolet (UV) exposure and the early detection of skin cancer, and working towards all West Australians can work and play in UV protective environments.

Books in the Library

Children's wellbeing in the media age : multidisciplinary perspectives from the Harvard-Australia Symposium "Children, from infancy through adolescence, now spend more time consuming media content than they do in school, with parents or engaging in any activity other than sleep. Parents, educators, and policy-makers are concerned, confused and overwhelmed, since the media we use and how we use them influence virtually every aspect of our lives."
Coping with crisis : learning the lessons from accidents in the early years This practical book is useful both for inspection preparation and helping to promote the ongoing importance of personal responsibility and commitment to children's safety and well being. It condenses management and safeguarding issues by bringing together food safety, health and safety legislation and the welfare requirements within the revised Early Years Foundation Stage 2014
Exploring well-being in the early years Children's experiences and well-being in their earliest years underpin and highly influence their future development and learning. Drawing on research with parents, children and a range of professionals in the early childhood field, this book considers how well-being is interpreted in the early childhood field.
Safety, Nutrition and Health in Early Education This book emphasizes healthy development, including environmental health and safety, active supervision, and how issues surrounding safety, nutrition, health, child maltreatment, and mental and emotional health can affect brain development. It also fully integrates NAEYC, DAP, and AAP/APHA professional standards throughout, and includes strategies for how to engage diverse families from various backgrounds and beliefs, and also those whose children have special needs.
SIDS and kids infant safe sleeping child care kit : information for education and care services ; sleep safe, my baby. 5 sections including booklets, posters and DVD’s with information on Safe sleeping , Guide to developing a safe sleeping policy for babies, Information on Maternal and child health service; Safe sleeping checklist, Emergency response & support and Information for families.

Online Journals / Articles

Best Practice for Occupational Health and Safety Management Paul Dunstan explains the most effective way for schools to achieve the best outcomes for occupational health and safety: approach the issue by asking 'what do we have to do?' not 'why do we have to do it?
Care experienced children: what can they tell us about their learning? This article arises from an EdD thesis (Horsburgh, 2018) that sought to describe research undertaken to address a perceived gap in the literature by carrying out a detailed examination of the classroom learning of seven primary school aged, care‐experienced children.
Child Safe Organisations WA: guidelines A child safe and friendly organisation values children and understands safety doesn’t just happen. A commitment to protecting children is embedded in the organisation’s culture and is understood and accepted by everyone.
Child suffers severe allergic reaction after being fed dairy at Margaret River daycare A two-year-old was taken to hospital after her Margaret River daycare fed her chocolate cake, even though they were aware of her dairy allergy.
Improving Children's Physical Activity in Out-of-school Hours Care Settings Issues addressed: Improving children's opportunities for and participation in physical activity at out-of-school hours (OOSH) care. Methods: A needs assessment, 12-month implementation and evaluation were conducted. Strategies included feedback and support to improve physical activity programs and policies; staff training; resource distribution; and grants to disadvantaged services. Strategies were developed in partnership with an advisory committee from the OOSH sector.
INSPIRE: A comprehensive package to reduce violence against children and provide a safe and nurturing environment An article that describes the development of a safe environment, measures to support parents and caregivers.

Toy Library Resources

Anxiety Solutions for Kids : 50 Ways to Ride the Wave Fifty cards with simple, fun activities for children who experience worry or anxiety from time to time. Especially for children between 3-14 years and teachers, parents, psychologists, counsellors, early childhood educators, health workers, family workers, foster carers. Help children manage anxious thoughts, create well-being and build resilience.