Generally, the interview answers correspond with my own beliefs in keeping children healthy. I agree that children should be vaccinated, practice proper hygiene, stay home when they are sick and that classrooms and toys should be cleaned every day and agree with the ways child care workers should be aware of when preventing communicable diseases. However, I’d like to add the non-supervised access to bodies of water (swimming pools, water tables, etc.) and non-age-appropriate furniture to the biggest health hazards in group child care.
The necessity to vaccinate children in the earliest possible age has an important reason. According to American Academy of Pediatrics, “Babies are hospitalized and die more often from some diseases, so it is important to vaccinate them as soon as it is safe” (“The Childhood Immunization Schedule: Why Is It Like That?” 1). Furthermore, the effectiveness of the vaccine depends on the state of the immune system, and the state of the immune system depends on the age of a child. They also prove the necessity to practice proper hygiene and to stay at home being sick, as these are the effective ways of infection control and limiting of the spread of diseases. As American Academy of Pediatrics writes, “Influenza viruses are shared or “transmitted” in droplets that . . . land directly on another child’s mucous membranes” (“Influenza Prevention and Control” 2). The exclusion of a child from childcare groups also helps the child to rest and to recover and keeps other children from the infection. The AAP also highlights the importance of preparedness of childcare programs to the pandemic of influenza and the necessity of “Early education and child care programs . . . to be aware of existing mechanisms for information dissemination and decision-making” (“Preparing Child Care Programs for Pandemic Influenza”).
Works Cited
“Influenza Prevention and Control.” American Academy of Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics, n. d. Web. PDF. Accessed 13 May 2016.
“Preparing Child Care Programs for Pandemic Influenza.” American Academy of Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics, n. d. Web. Accessed 13 May 2016.
“The Childhood Immunization Schedule: Why Is It Like That?” American Academy of Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics, n. d. Web. PDF. Accessed 13 May 2016.
