Health & Safety Program
Child Care ProvidersBANANAS Health & Safety Classes
This curriculum is used to train child care providers who are new to the field or experienced early care and education professionals who are taking the course to refresh their knowledge and keep their certification current. This training curriculum provides the eight hours of EMSA approved CPR/First Aid training required to obtain a child care license.
Coming soon- a training path for parents and other caregivers like FFNs.
CPR/First Aid
This training curriculum meets the 8-hour California State regulations for child care providers. Though the curriculum will discuss CPR/First Aid from ages birth to adult, the emphasis is placed on pediatric CPR/First Aid. The 8 hours are broken-down to 4 sessions. You will first participate in 3 two-hour live-virtual evening classes from 6:30pm-8:30pm via Zoom. Please note that there is a live licensed instructor from whom you will learn the material from at each session. Therefore this is not considered to be an online course. Next, you will practice life-saving, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and care for choking on manikins in-person at our BANANAS building on a Saturday morning in one of the following two time slots assigned to you by the instructor: 9am to 11:00am OR 11:10am to 1:10pm. Days vary by month. Please visit the workshop calendar to find dates that match your need and to register for this course. You must attend ALL four sessions to receive the certification, no exceptions. This is a 2-year certification.
Preventive Health
This training curriculum provides the eight hours of EMSA approved, Preventive Health training required for child care licensing.
The core content of the Preventive Health and Safety training curriculum (excluding Pediatric CPR and First Aid) is arranged into three modules. Module 1: Prevention of Infectious Disease; Module 2: Prevention of Injuries; and Module 3: Nutrition. Click-through the tabs below for a breakdown of each module. The curriculum is used for training child care providers who are new to the field or experienced early care and education professionals who are taking the course to refresh their knowledge and ensure they are up-to-date. This curriculum contains the required lead poisoning prevention and nutrition content required for child care licensing. This training is broken-down into 2 four-hour sessions from 9am-1pm. Days vary by month.
Please visit the workshop calendar to find dates that match your needs and to register for this course. This course certification has no expiration date.
For more information about the BANANAS Health & Safety Program, please contact Gabriela Meneses. Se habla español.
PREVENTIVE HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING CURRICULUM (excluding Pediatric CPR and First Aid)
Module 1: Prevention of Infectious Disease
Section 1: Understanding the Spread of Disease
- What Is a Communicable Disease?
- How to Prevent the Spread of Illness
Section 2: Preventing the Spread of Infectious Disease
- The Daily Health Check
- Standard Precautions
- Hand Washing
- Use of Disposable Gloves
- Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting
- Disposal of Garbage
- Diapering/Toileting
- Food Safety
- Oral Health
- Open Space and Healthy Air
- Water Supply
- Pets, Pests, Pesticides, and Integrated Pest Management
- Sandboxes and Sand Play Areas
Section 3: Policies to Prevent the Spread of Infectious Disease
- Health and Safety Policies
- Health History and Emergency Information Policy
- Immunization Requirements and Policy
- Keeping Health Records
- Excluding Children Due to Illness
- Staff Health Policies
- Communicating about Illness in Child Care
- Caring for Children with Mild Illness
- Medication Administration Policy
- Children with with Disabilities or Special Health Needs
- Emergency Illness and Injury Procedures
- No Smoking or Use of Alcohol or Illegal Drugs
Module 2: Prevention of Injuries
Section 1: Understanding Childhood Injuries
- Understanding Injuries in the Child Care Setting
- Risk of Injury at Developmental Stages
Section 2: Preventing Childhood Injuries
- SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths
- Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma
- Brain Injury and Concussion
- Child Abuse Prevention
- Burns and Fire
- Heat-related Illness
- Choking, Suffocation, Strangulation, Entrapment
- Falls
- Poisoning, Lead Poisoning
- Drowning
- Young Children and Disasters
- Child Passenger Safety
- Field Trip Safety
- School Bus Safety
Section 3: Safety Policies and Routines
- Active Supervision
- Regular Safety Checks Inside and Outside
- Safe Playground Habits
- Safety Policies and Behavior Management
- Back Injury Among Providers
- Forms and Checklists
Module 3: Nutrition
- Understanding Why Child Nutrition Is Important
- Nutrition Laws and Regulations for Child Care
- Infant Feeding
- Serving Age Appropriate Healthy Food and Drinks to Children
- Food Safety
- Nutrition Facts Labels and Ingredients Lists
- Children with Special Dietary Needs
- Healthy Feeding, Eating Behaviors, and Habits
- Individual and Cultural Preferences
- Child Engagement
- Policies for Feeding Children in Child Care
- The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
- Nutrition Resources
Gabriela Meneses
Additional Health & Safety Resources:
Child Abuse Mandated Reporter CA Training
Tool Kit for Child Care Programs in Alameda County
Safe Sleep Resources: Reducing the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) – CDC Information
Alameda County Public Health Department information
Protect Against Flu and Whooping Cough
Health & Safety Events
Health Heroes for Child Care Program
Under the supervision of a Registered Nurse Supervising Faculty Member, Two (2) Samuel Merritt University student nurses will be assigned per center or family child care.
SMU student nurses will support child care providers and staff with current best practices regarding: infection control, CDC and Public Health guidelines, social distancing, and health practices.
Details about the Health Heroes program:
- The program runs in Cohorts
- Each Cohort runs for 3-4 weeks
- Onsite support visits 1-2 days per week (sites may also choose remote support via teleconferencing, phone, etc.)
- 3-4 hours per visit