Sickness and Health - Runny Noses

What causes a runny nose? Allergies and the common cold are the two most typical causes.

Is green or yellow mucus more contagious than clear mucus? Colored mucus is no more contagious than clear mucus, and may be even less contagious.

When are children contagious? Often, children are contagious even before the symptoms appear.

When should the parent contact the child's doctor? If a young infant has a fever or any illness symptoms; child is lethargic, irritable, or having trouble breathing; fever or more than 101 degrees; child has rash with fever; child has earache; child has redness, sores, and crusting of skin around nose and mouth; other symptoms of severe illness.

Safety - Preschool Safety Education

Why is safety education important? Learning safe habits during early years may have life long benefits. Also, safety information may prove particularly important during potentially dangerous situations.

What are some daily routines that involve safety education? Counting children when unloading/loading the bus, taking attendance, and checking for all children before leaving the playground lets children know you care about their safety.

What are some safety habits that children should learn? Children can clean up spills, push their chairs under the table, and walk - not run - when indoors.

What are items to include in learning centers? Unconnected telephones to practice dialing 911; life jackets and floats; crossing guard vest; helmets, knee pads, elbow guards; seat belts.

Nutrition - Family Style Eating

What is Family-Style eating? This means the adults and children eat together, sharing the same menu, and talking in an informal way.

Should children serve their own foods? Self-serving helps children develop skills. Children can serve foods that are not warm, or individually packaged foods, such as milk or crackers. Assist children to prevent spills or sharing germs.

What about table manners? Teach children how to use their utensils and napkins, and encourage words such as "please" and "thank you."

What are activities to promote family style eating? Allow children to help set the table, make choices (such as which cup to use), and help clean up after eating.

Medicine Chest - Naptime and Sleep Habits

How much sleep do babies need? Newborns need 16-20 hours of sleep each day; Babies need about 15 hours of sleep; Toddlers need about 10-13 hours of sleep.

Do preschoolers need to take a nap? Preschoolers need about 10-12 hours of sleep each night, and may or may not need a nap. If they take a nap, about 45 minutes is usually enough.

Should I tire the children with exercise before naptime? No. Avoid exciting or tiring activities before naptime or bedtime. It is better to have a routine of quiet activities to relax the child before naps or bedtime.

Should I let a child cry himself to sleep? Children do need to learn to go to sleep on their own; however, if a child is crying, there may be something wrong. If you don't see anything wrong, then let the child cry for a few minutes. Never let a child cry longer than 10-15 minutes.

Staff Health - Breast Cancer

Are all lumps cancerous? Lumps can be caused by scar tissue (fibrosis) or cysts. Some lumps are "tumors" (abnormal growths), but they may be benign (noncancerous).

What does malignant mean? Malignant means "cancer." A malignant tumor can grow and spread cells (metastasize) to other parts of the body.

How can women detect breast cancer? All women over age 20 years should do monthly breast self-examinations to feel for any lumps.

What is a mammogram? This is an X-ray picture of the breast. Women ages 20-39 should have a mammogram every 1-3 years and women over the age of 40 should have a mammogram every year.