Sickness and Health - Rotavirus

What is Rotavirus? Rotavirus is a virus that causes severe acute diarrhea.

Will antibiotics cure rotavirus? Antibiotics will not help because it is a virus.

Is rotavirus dangerous? Rotavirus infection may or may not be serious. Dehydration from the diarrhea is a serious concern, especially for young children.

How can I prevent rotavirus? The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that use of the vaccine be stopped because it caused serious illness in some children. The most effective prevention is hand washing!

Safety - Violence Prevention

Can childcare providers help prevent development of violent behavior? Young children are greatly influenced by the people who care for them. By modeling and encouraging appropriate social behavior, you can help them develop lifelong characteristics.

What should I model and teach children? Children need to see and practice working together, sharing, ways they can help others, problem solving skills, decision making skills, and vocabulary and language to communicate.

What are some activities that help children learn to work together? Activities such as painting murals, writing stories, creating picture books, and taping videos can all be completed as a group, with each child contributing to the process.

How can children learn problem solving skills? Children can be asked to think of many ways they can move from one place to another (crawling, hopping, running, walking); asked to identify which learning center they want to go to and activity they want to do when they get there; and asking children to help solve "real problems" as they arise, such as what to do when a box of crayons drops and spills, or what to do inside when they can't go outside because of the weather.

Nutrition - Getting picky eaters to pick less and eat more:

Should children eat everything on their plate? No, children should eat when hungry and stop when full. Overeating in childhood can lead to adult obesity. Offer nutritious choices, and encourage children to taste everything at least once.

What if a child does not like the food I serve? Tastes are developed over time. A child may need to try a food 10-20 times before he truly decides if he likes or dislikes it.

What about a child who does not eat vegetables? Both vegetables and fruits contain a variety of nutrients. Encourage children to eat many different foods and they will get a variety of nutrients.

Should I withhold dessert until after a child eats his vegetables? Food should never be used as a punishment or reward! If your program uses USDA funds, then all food components must be served at the same time. It is okay to eat the sweeter food (fruits are good) first!

Medicine Chest - Television and Healthy Behavior

I have heard television is bad for children. Is this true? Television should not be used as a "babysitter" because children should be physically active and socially interaction with other children and adults. Also watching violent behavior on television can have a negative impact on some children.

When is television good for children? Television shows that model appropriate behaviors, such as kindness and healthy habits can be beneficial to children.

What are some ways to use the television in childcare? Television programming can be used to train staff, present health and other topics to children in an interesting format, and demonstrate hands-on activities for children.

What are some guidelines to follow when using television? Choose only appropriate programming that can supplement your teaching activities; take simple activities from the television programming and use them in the real world setting; and encourage staff and parent involvement.