DCF Health, Safety, and Nutrition
What are the qualities of a Healthy Environment? ANS: Clean work and play area, proper hygiene
practices, implementation and routine practice of a writen health policy.
Why establish and follow a written health policy? ANS: It is an effective way of maintaining a safe and
healthy child care program.
How do you know if your program has a written policy? ANS: Ask your VPK program director and it
usually posted in various areas like sink, kitchen, table
Why should policies be written? ANS: 1. To ensure parents and child care professionals are aware of
procedures 2 to make sure everyone follows same rules.
How is each sense used to observe a child (touch)? ANS: Check for too much warmth or coldness.
How is each sense used to observe a child (smell)? ANS: Check for a bad smell or a change of smell.
How is each sense used to observe a child (taste)? ANS: Ask child if they taste something funny
How is each sense used to observe a child (sound)? ANS: Check for breathing is it easy or ragged, etc.
How is each sense used to observe a child (sight)? ANS: First observation of seeing a child's appearance
and check all areas from head to toe.
The three A's of a healthy child are ANS: Appetite, Appearance and Activity
Appetite signs of a healthy child are ANS: Can eat an appropriate amount of food at meal times. Will
Consume a variety of foods. Is interested in eating? Appears content after meals/snacks.
,Appearance signs of healthy child are ANS: Has clear, bright eyes, clear skin, age appriopiate muscles,
gains steadily in height/body weight
Activity signs of a healthy child are ANS: Has plenty of energy (not hyperactive), is alert, sleeps soundly
and has few aches and pains.
Emotional health of a healthy child are ANS: a child who usually reflects happy, cheerful feelings
Social health of a healthy child are ANS: a child who is friendly most of the time, interacts with other
children and enjoys quiet activities that require concentration.
Menal health of a healthy child are ANS: a child who is interested in new experiences and is usally
confident and adaptable.
Is a child with short-term emotional illness or disability a child with special needs. ANS: No
Can you give examples of short-term illness or disability? ANS: Ear infections vs. hearing loss; cold vs.
asthma; sprained ankle vs. foot deformity; distress over fight vs. depression
What can you do to know what is normal for a particular child? ANS: Ask the parents for signs of well-
being and their child normal displays.
Daily checks are a good way of: ANS: preventing, identifing and controlling illness in a child care
environment.
Signs to observe in a daily health check in Behavior is: ANS: general mood (quiet, irritable, drousy,
restless), unusual behavior, activity level, breathing difficulities, severe coughing, sneezing, hoarseness.
, Signs to observe in a daily health chec in Face and Body: ANS: Skin color (flused, pale, dry, clammy, hot),
unusual spots, raches, swelling or bruises, sores, discharge from nose, ears, eyes, red look to eyes,
irritated sensitive to light.
Signs to observe in a daily health check in general: ANS: bowel movements (change in color, oder,
frequency), pain (screaming, crying, head-rolling), skin marks (rashes, bruises, cuts)
Appetite ANS: desire to eat
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrom (AIDS) ANS: A virus infection that renders the body incapable of
fighting off the most common diseases and is usually fatal. This is considered to be the end stage of a
HIV diagnosis.
Clean ANS: To remove dirt, debris and germs by scrubbing and washing with soap (or detergent) and
water. The process does not necessary kill germs, but lowers the risk of spreading infection.
Communiable Disease ANS: Disease that can be spread from one person to another.
Dehydration ANS: Excessive water loss from the body or from an organ or bodily part.
Disease ANS: an illness
Disinfectant ANS: To kill germs on surfaces or objects by using chemicals to lower the risk of spreading
infection
DTP ANS: A vaccine for three diseases: diphtheria, tetanus (lockjaw) and pertussis (whooping cough)
Evacuation Plan ANS: Procedures for getting children and staff out of the building; applied during the
fire drills and any other emergency situation.
What are the qualities of a Healthy Environment? ANS: Clean work and play area, proper hygiene
practices, implementation and routine practice of a writen health policy.
Why establish and follow a written health policy? ANS: It is an effective way of maintaining a safe and
healthy child care program.
How do you know if your program has a written policy? ANS: Ask your VPK program director and it
usually posted in various areas like sink, kitchen, table
Why should policies be written? ANS: 1. To ensure parents and child care professionals are aware of
procedures 2 to make sure everyone follows same rules.
How is each sense used to observe a child (touch)? ANS: Check for too much warmth or coldness.
How is each sense used to observe a child (smell)? ANS: Check for a bad smell or a change of smell.
How is each sense used to observe a child (taste)? ANS: Ask child if they taste something funny
How is each sense used to observe a child (sound)? ANS: Check for breathing is it easy or ragged, etc.
How is each sense used to observe a child (sight)? ANS: First observation of seeing a child's appearance
and check all areas from head to toe.
The three A's of a healthy child are ANS: Appetite, Appearance and Activity
Appetite signs of a healthy child are ANS: Can eat an appropriate amount of food at meal times. Will
Consume a variety of foods. Is interested in eating? Appears content after meals/snacks.
,Appearance signs of healthy child are ANS: Has clear, bright eyes, clear skin, age appriopiate muscles,
gains steadily in height/body weight
Activity signs of a healthy child are ANS: Has plenty of energy (not hyperactive), is alert, sleeps soundly
and has few aches and pains.
Emotional health of a healthy child are ANS: a child who usually reflects happy, cheerful feelings
Social health of a healthy child are ANS: a child who is friendly most of the time, interacts with other
children and enjoys quiet activities that require concentration.
Menal health of a healthy child are ANS: a child who is interested in new experiences and is usally
confident and adaptable.
Is a child with short-term emotional illness or disability a child with special needs. ANS: No
Can you give examples of short-term illness or disability? ANS: Ear infections vs. hearing loss; cold vs.
asthma; sprained ankle vs. foot deformity; distress over fight vs. depression
What can you do to know what is normal for a particular child? ANS: Ask the parents for signs of well-
being and their child normal displays.
Daily checks are a good way of: ANS: preventing, identifing and controlling illness in a child care
environment.
Signs to observe in a daily health check in Behavior is: ANS: general mood (quiet, irritable, drousy,
restless), unusual behavior, activity level, breathing difficulities, severe coughing, sneezing, hoarseness.
, Signs to observe in a daily health chec in Face and Body: ANS: Skin color (flused, pale, dry, clammy, hot),
unusual spots, raches, swelling or bruises, sores, discharge from nose, ears, eyes, red look to eyes,
irritated sensitive to light.
Signs to observe in a daily health check in general: ANS: bowel movements (change in color, oder,
frequency), pain (screaming, crying, head-rolling), skin marks (rashes, bruises, cuts)
Appetite ANS: desire to eat
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrom (AIDS) ANS: A virus infection that renders the body incapable of
fighting off the most common diseases and is usually fatal. This is considered to be the end stage of a
HIV diagnosis.
Clean ANS: To remove dirt, debris and germs by scrubbing and washing with soap (or detergent) and
water. The process does not necessary kill germs, but lowers the risk of spreading infection.
Communiable Disease ANS: Disease that can be spread from one person to another.
Dehydration ANS: Excessive water loss from the body or from an organ or bodily part.
Disease ANS: an illness
Disinfectant ANS: To kill germs on surfaces or objects by using chemicals to lower the risk of spreading
infection
DTP ANS: A vaccine for three diseases: diphtheria, tetanus (lockjaw) and pertussis (whooping cough)
Evacuation Plan ANS: Procedures for getting children and staff out of the building; applied during the
fire drills and any other emergency situation.
