Safety first! One of the most vital roles that early childhood teachers, educators, administrators, and caregivers have is to keep the children in their care safe, and promote their health. Safe and healthy environments allow kids to freely learn and play. Health and safety not only involves emergency or crisis preparedness, but also the daily promotion of healthy habits, hygiene, nutrition, fitness, injury prevention, transportation and pedestrian safety, mental wellness, and more. In the list of resources below, you will find guidelines, strategies, procedures, and activities for keeping children healthy and safe in your environment so they can be happy and healthy as they learn and grow!
Preschool Health and Safety Matters
This easy-to-use manual provides educators with the information they need to ensure that the children in their care are safe, while they learn the best practices to stay healthy for life.
Body Care
A Whole Health Curriculum for Young Children series
This health curriculum introduces positive body care habits that will help children learn ways to feel good about themselves and their bodies, prevent the spread of disease, and gain a measure of independence and control in their lives as they learn about body parts, the five senses, hand washing and hygiene, oral health, avoidance of germs, and taking medicine.
Fitness and Nutrition
A Whole Health Curriculum for Young Children series
This curriculum provides more than 30 developmentally appropriate activities that introduce important health concepts including physical activity, rest and relaxation, and nutrition and eating habits.
Safety
A Whole Health Curriculum for Young Children series
The earlier children learn about safety, the more naturally they will develop habits that lead to lifelong patterns of safe behavior. The activities in this book introduce topics such as seat belt use, fire and burn prevention, and tobacco and alcohol awareness, & many more developmentally appropriate ways to help children take care of themselves.
Preschool Preparedness for an Active Shooter
Recent tragic events illustrate a clear and imminent need to prepare educators for these threats such as an active shooter. Preschool Preparedness for an Active Shooter, the first book in the new Preparing for the Unexpected series, you will learn how to develop situational awareness, create rings of security in your facility, promote a culture of safety, respond in an emergency, conduct drills, and instill emergency practices in children that will last a lifetime.
Preschool Preparedness for an Emergency
Preschool Preparedness for an Emergency, the second book in the Preparing for the Unexpected Series, will train you for worst-case scenarios such as storms, flooding, earthquakes, epidemics, tornadoes, and fire. Emergency-preparedness expert Andrew Roszak will teach you how to develop and test emergency action plans, reduce potential harm or damage, and satisfy licensing and other regulatory requirements.
The Crisis Manual for Early Childhood Teachers
How to Handle the Really Difficult Problems
This go-to book teaches effective strategies for addressing the most challenging problems you may encounter as a teacher, such as the death of a family member, domestic violence, substance abuse, sex abuse, homelessness, natural disasters, and children with HIV/AIDS. Chapters for each crisis include describing the problem, insights from child development, when to seek help, how to respond, and suggestions of organizations and individuals you can turn to for help.
Encouraging Physical Activity in Infants
This book reveals how caregivers of infants can encourage muscle development as well as strength and balance with simple activities done with infants as young as six weeks old. Learn how your active involvement in simple activities can help infants: develop their senses of hearing, sight, and touch; keep their bodies healthy and active; and develop good posture, strength, balance, and tracking skills.
Encouraging Physical Activity in Toddlers
While toddlers are on the move constantly, this book reveals how adults can model new movements and skills to lay the foundation for them to enjoy physical activity as they grow and develop. Encouraging Physical Activity in Toddlers shows parents and caregivers how they can help toddlers develop important physical skills through structured and unstructured play—skills that will last a lifetime!
Encouraging Physical Activity in Preschoolers
This book guides teachers and caregivers in providing preschoolers with instruction in physical skills so that they can grow strong bodies, enjoy physical activity, use motor skills to move around their environment, interact with others, play games confidently, learn, and move with assurance toward a healthy lifestyle.
Up and at ‘Em
Easy Ways to Get Fit and Eat Right
Up and at ‘Em: Easy Ways to Get Fit and Eat Right is designed to provide a fun, easy way to get students moving, increase their energy, and improve their coordination and gross motor skills as they learn to work cooperatively. The flexible nine-week curriculum integrates physical activity and nutrition into any after school program.
A Moving Child is a Learning Child
How the Body Teaches the Brain to Think (Birth to Age 7)
Grounded in best practices and current research, this hands-on resource connects the dots that link brain activity, motor and sensory development, movement, and early learning. Teachers, parents, and caregivers will find a wealth of information, actionable tips, and games they can use to support children’s healthy development—all presented in a lively, full-color format with demonstrative diagrams and photos.
Move, Play, and Learn with Smart Steps
Sequenced Activities to Build the Body and the Brain
Build the body-brain connection with step-by-step activities that help children develop physical, cognitive, social, and emotional foundations for early learning and school readiness. Early childhood educators will find clear information on creating the move-to-learn environment, managing safety, and optimizing the connections between language development, movement, and readiness for formal learning.
