Inside_Cover

Caring for

Our Children:

National Health and Safety Performance Standards;

Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs,

Third Edition

A Joint Collaborative Project of

American Academy of Pediatrics

141 Northwest Point Boulevard

Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-1019

American Public Health Association

800 I Street, NW

Washington, DC 20001-3710

National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education

University of Colorado, College of Nursing

13120 E 19th Avenue

Aurora, CO 80045

Support for this project was provided by the

Maternal and Child Health Bureau,

Health Resources and Services Administration,

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

(Cooperative Agreement #U46MC09810)

American Academy of Pediatrics

American Public Health Association

National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education

Second printing with minor corrections noted by asterisks (in print version), August 2011.

Go to http://nrckids.org for future changes/additions to this publication.

All rights reserved. This book is protected by copyright. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including photocopying, or utilized by any information storage and retrieval system without prior written permission from the publisher.

To request permission to reproduce material from this book, please contact the Permissions Editor at the American Academy of Pediatrics by fax (847/434-8780), mail (PO Box 927, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-1019), or email (marketing@aap.org).

Suggested Citation:

American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education. 2011. Caring for our children: National health and safety performance standards; Guidelines for early care and education programs. 3rd Edition. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics; Washington, DC: American Public Health Association.

Also available at http://nrckids.org.

The National Standards are for reference purposes only and shall not be used as a substitute for medical or legal consultation, nor be used to authorize actions beyond a person’s licensing, training, or ability.

ISBN 978-1-58110-483-7 (American Academy of Pediatrics)

MA0552 (American Academy of Pediatrics)

Printed and bound in the United States of America

Design & Typesetting: Lorie Bircher, Betty Geer, Susan Paige Lehtola, Garrett T. Risley