Health and Wellness

SWINE FLU INFORMATION

Dear Families:

In regards to the H1N1 Flu and our health policies, I have gathered the following guidelines from the CDC website as well as other tips and information. Bright Beginnings will continue to be diligent in sending sick children home from school. This not only includes children with a fever, but those that are showing early symptoms of becoming ill. We know that it is very likely that once a child is determined to be "sick and contagious" that the spread of germs has already taken place. However, once we KNOW a child is sick, we have an obligation to all our families to act accordingly and send them home.

We continue to stress proper hand-washing skills and good hygiene (coughing into your arm instead of your hands, washing your hands after you sneeze, cough, etc.).

We ask our parents help in keeping our school a healthy environment by following these guidelines.

1. Keep children home from school until they are completely well. Sending them to school while their body is still fighting off a "bug" leaves them highly susceptible to catching the next "bug" they come in contact with. This only prolongs your child from getting well.

2. Do not mask a fever with Fever Reducing Medicine and then send them to school. The child is still contagious during this period of time and while they are at school, they continue to spread germs, etc. This makes it almost impossible to stop the "bugs" from going to one person to the next.

3. If your child does becomes ill, please notify the office, so that we may post a communicable disease alert for all of our families.

4. Try to seek alternative care now for your children, or come up with a plan to care for a sick child during the up and coming flu season. We know it's frustrating and difficult to miss work. However, please understand we are not staffed, to care for sick children.

Tips:

1. Have your children wash their hands and face as soon as they get in your car. Keep a supply of disinfectant wipes in your car for this reason (and more!).

2. Encourage your child to drink WATER!

3. Proper rest and healthy food is a great and easy way to keep your child's body strong during the flu season. The stronger their body and immune system is, the more likely they will be to fight off those nasty "bugs".

As you will see, our current guidelines already comply with the current recommendations of the CDC.

Our current health policy states the following (Page 15 in our Parent Handbook):

Illness

Children who are ill with a contagious disease or fever may not attend the center. If a child becomes ill while attending the center, we will contact a parent or guardian immediately. The child will be isolated (with supervision). If you have a job that does not permit you to be readily available, please make arrangements with someone who can be. Please make sure this person is on your Authorized Pick-Up Sheet.

The center director will determine if a child is too ill to remain at the center. Any child experiencing the following symptoms will be sent home:

1. A fever of 100 degrees or higher

2. Contagious skin or eye infection

3. Diarrhea three times in the course of 24 hours

4. Vomiting

5. Lethargic

6. Evidence of lice, scabies, or other parasitic infestation

State law requires that we notify parents of children who become exposed to certain contagious diseases. If your child should contract an illness or disease, please contact the office so that families of Bright Beginnings can notified that their child has been exposed to the certain illness or disease. This will be done through a notice posted on the front doors of the center.

Re-entering Center After Illness

For a child to return to Bright Beginnings after being ill they must be without fever and fever reducing medicine for 24 hours. Please be considerate of the other children and teachers and do not send a sick child to school.

According to the Center for Disease Control, this policy

Based on the severity of 2009 H1N1 flu-related illness thus far, this guidance recommends that children and early childhood providers with flu-like illness remain home until 24 hours after resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications

Symptoms of 2009 H1N1 flu virus can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue, and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting. To the extent possible, sick individuals should stay at home and avoid contact with others until they have been without fever for 24 hours, except when necessary to seek medical care.

Children less than 5 years of age are at increased risk of complications from influenza (flu); the risk is greater among children less than 2 years old. Importantly, infants less than 6 months of age represent a particularly vulnerable group because they are too young to receive the seasonal or 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine; as a result, individuals responsible for caring for these children constitute a high-priority group for early vaccination. Influenza vaccination is the primary means of preventing flu. Additionally, infection control measures are recommended to reduce the spread of flu. However, early childhood settings present unique challenges for infection control due to the highly vulnerable population, close interpersonal contact, shared toys and other objects, and limited ability of young children to understand or practice good respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene. Thus, parents, early childhood providers, and public health officials should be aware that, even under the best of circumstances, transmission of infectious diseases such as flu cannot be completely prevented in early childhood or other settings. No policy can keep everyone who is potentially infectious out of these settings.

Ohio's Child Restraint Laws

http://www.boostohiokids.org
http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/family/39324542.html

Ohio's booster seat law

By Kim Summers, Health Educator, Medina County Health Department
POSTED: 03:01 p.m. EST, Feb 09, 2009

Buckle up, the news is in. The Ohio General Assembly has passed the Ohio Booster Seat Law! This law requires children 4-8 years of age and those children under the height of 4'9" (57 inches) to ride in a booster seat. For example, children who are 6 years of age and 4'10 inches or taller do not have to be in a booster seat, and those children who are 9 years of age and 4'2 inches don't have to be in a booster seat. Ohio is the 44th state to enact this law.

The reason why this law is so important is because it will reduce injury and save lives. Seat belts in cars are designed to fit the body of an adult, with the lap belt fitting over the hips, and the shoulder belt fitting across the chest and over the shoulder. When smaller persons, such as children, are buckled up without a booster seat, the lap belt is on their abdomen, and the shoulder belt crosses over their chest and is right under their neck. During an accident, small children are at risk of irreversible organ damage when the lap belt crosses the soft tissue of the abdomen. They are also at increased risk for spinal and neck injuries which may also be permanent. A booster seat works by raising children up so that the seat belt fits properly (across their hips and across their chest).

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, from 1998-2007, 3500 children between 4-8 years of age died in crashes because they were unrestrained or not restrained properly, and for children 2-12 years of age, car crashes were the leading cause of death. It is estimated that by putting this law in place, children who use a booster seat are 59% less likely to sustain injury during a crash.

The new booster seat law falls under "secondary enforcement," which means that a driver cannot be pulled over just because a child is not in a booster seat. If a person is pulled over for another reason, such as a tail light that is out, and his or her child is not properly restrained, a citation may be issued for breaking the law. The law is going to take effect in the near future, dates to be announced.

Buckle up, the news is in. The Ohio General Assembly has passed the Ohio Booster Seat Law! This law requires children 4-8 years of age and those children under the height of 4'9" (57 inches) to ride in a booster seat. For example, children who are 6 years of age and 4'10 inches or taller do not have to be in a booster seat, and those children who are 9 years of age and 4'2 inches don't have to be in a booster seat. Ohio is the 44th state to enact this law.

The reason why this law is so important is because it will reduce injury and save lives. Seat belts in cars are designed to fit the body of an adult, with the lap belt fitting over the hips, and the shoulder belt fitting across the chest and over the shoulder. When smaller persons, such as children, are buckled up without a booster seat, the lap belt is on their abdomen, and the shoulder belt crosses over their chest and is right under their neck. During an accident, small children are at risk of irreversible organ damage when the lap belt crosses the soft tissue of the abdomen. They are also at increased risk for spinal and neck injuries which may also be permanent. A booster seat works by raising children up so that the seat belt fits properly (across their hips and across their chest).

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, from 1998-2007, 3500 children between 4-8 years of age died in crashes because they were unrestrained or not restrained properly, and for children 2-12 years of age, car crashes were the leading cause of death. It is estimated that by putting this law in place, children who use a booster seat are 59% less likely to sustain injury during a crash.

The new booster seat law falls under "secondary enforcement," which means that a driver cannot be pulled over just because a child is not in a booster seat. If a person is pulled over for another reason, such as a tail light that is out, and his or her child is not properly restrained, a citation may be issued for breaking the law. The law is going to take effect in the near future, dates to be announced.

4511.81 Child restraint system - child highway safety fund.
http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4511.81
Effective Date: 01-01-2004; 04-06-2007; 2008 HB30 09-12-2008
This version is effective 10-07-2009

(A) When any child who is in either or both of the following categories is being transported in a motor vehicle, other than a taxicab or public safety vehicle as defined in section 4511.01 of the Revised Code, that is required by the United States department of transportation to be equipped with seat belts at the time of manufacture or assembly, the operator of the motor vehicle shall have the child properly secured in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions in a child restraint system that meets federal motor vehicle safety standards:

(1) A child who is less than four years of age;

(2) A child who weighs less than forty pounds.

(B) When any child who is in either or both of the following categories is being transported in a motor vehicle, other than a taxicab, that is owned, leased, or otherwise under the control of a nursery school or day-care center, the operator of the motor vehicle shall have the child properly secured in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions in a child restraint system that meets federal motor vehicle safety standards:

(1) A child who is less than four years of age;

(2) A child who weighs less than forty pounds.

(C) When any child who is less than eight years of age and less than four feet nine inches in height, who is not required by division (A) or (B) of this section to be secured in a child restraint system, is being transported in a motor vehicle, other than a taxicab or public safety vehicle as defined in section 4511.01 of the Revised Code or a vehicle that is regulated under section 5104.011 of the Revised Code, that is required by the United States department of transportation to be equipped with seat belts at the time of manufacture or assembly, the operator of the motor vehicle shall have the child properly secured in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions on a booster seat that meets federal motor vehicle safety standards.

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