Toolkit for Integrating Healthy Physical and Mental
Development in Early Learning Guidelines
Health and Safety Topic #9: Vision
Caring for Our Children (CFOC) Standards and Healthy Kids, Healthy Care Links [Tips for Parents]
Selected States' Early Learning Guidelines
State Assessment

CFOC Standard(s):

Routine Health Supervision-3.003

The facility shall require that the children have routine health supervision by the child's health provider, according to the standards of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Such health supervision includes routine screening tests, immunizations, and documentation and plotting on standard growth (if younger than 24 months of age) graphs of height and weight assessment and head circumference.
School health services are acceptable to meet this standard if they meet the AAP's standards for school-age children and if the results of such examinations are shared with the child care provider as well as with the school health system. With parental consent, pertinent health information shall be exchanged among the child's routine source of health care and all participants in the child's care, including any school health program involved in the care of the child.

Contents of Child's Health Report-8.048

The file for each child shall include a health report of an age-appropriate health assessment completed and signed by the child's health care provider. Preferably, this report shall be submitted prior to enrollment, but it shall be submitted no later than 6 weeks after admission. The health report shall include the following medical and developmental information:
  1. Records of the child's immunizations;
  2. A description of any disability, sensory impairment, developmental variation, seizure disorder, or emotional or behavioral disturbance that may affect adaptation to child care (including previous surgery, serious illness, history of prematurity, if relevant);
  3. An assessment of the child's growth based on the percentile for height, weight, and, if the child is younger than 24 months, head circumference;
  4. A description of health problems or findings from an examination or screening that needs follow-up;
  5. Results of screenings-vision, hearing, dental, nutrition, developmental, tuberculosis, hematocrit or hemoglobin, urine, lead, blood pressure and so forth;
  6. Dates of significant communicable diseases (such as chickenpox);
  7. Prescribed medication(s), including information on recognizing, documenting, reporting, and responding to potential side effects;
  8. A description of current acute or chronic health problems and a special care plan that defines routine and emergency management that might be required by the child while in child care. The care plan for the child with acute or chronic health problems shall include specific instructions for caregiver observations, program activities or services that differ from those required by typically developing children. Such instructions shall include specific teaching and return demonstration of the ability of caregivers to provide medications, procedures, or implement modifications required by children with asthma, severe allergic reactions, diabetes, medically-indicated special feedings, seizures, hearing impairments, vision problems or any other condition that requires accommodation in child care;
  9. A description of serious injuries sustained by the child in the past that required medical attention or hospitalization;
  10. Other special instructions for the caregiver.
The health report shall include space for additional comments about the management of health problems and for additional health-related data offered by the health care provider or required from the facility.
The health report shall be updated at each age-appropriate health assessment by supplemental notes dated and signed by the child's health provider on a copy of the previous health report or by submission of a new report and whenever the child's health status changes.

HKHC Link(s):

Sources of Health and Dental Care

Child- and Program-Focused Example
Alaska's Early Learning Guidelines (p.36)

Domain 1: Physical Health, Well-Being, and Motor Development
Sub-Domain: Motor Development
Sensorimotor Skills
Goal: Children use their senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, to guide and integrate their interactions
Birth to 18 months
Some Indicators for Children:
  • Responds by turning toward sound, movement, and touch
  • Focuses eyes on near and far objects
  • Coordinates eye and hand movements (e.g., puts objects into large container)
  • Explores and responds to different surface textures (e.g., hard top tables, soft cushions)
Some Strategies for Caregivers:
  • Make sure child receives routine vision and hearing screenings
  • Place a mobile near infant's crib, but safely out of reach of, to stimulate vision and other senses
  • Provide materials and objects of various textures, shapes, colors, smells, and sounds
  • Talk with child about the colors, sounds, temperatures, tastes, and smells of things during daily activities

For references to the state early learning guidelines used see State Early Learning Guidelines Used in Examples
Vision Content:

Content absent

Content to be strengthened

Content approaches CFOC
Action Plan
     


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