Best Practices

Standards

• Oregon Child Care Administrative Rules
  See OARs related to child care.

• Caring for Children, National Health and Safety Performance Standards Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs
  Health and safety standards for child care. Download this resource from the web or order a paper copy.

• Stepping Stones to Caring For Our Children, 3^rd Edition
  138 essential standards intended to reduce the rate if morbidity and mortality in early care and education settings.

Model Policies

• Model Child Care Health Policies

• Safe N Sound Child Care Health and Safety Tips (pdf)
  Child care health and safety policies based on best practices and created by Multnomah County Health Department for use in early care and education settings

Emergency Preparedness

• Fema course IS-366: Planning for the Needs of Children in Disasters
  Now published and available in the FEKC and on the Emergency Management Institute.

• American Red Cross
  First aid and disaster classes, educational materials and supplies

• Institute for Business and Home Safety
  Educational materials and resources, including a disaster planning toolkit, 1-877-580-8885 

Environmental Health

• Eco-Healthy Child Care
  A link to help early care and education providers reduce children’s exposure to toxic hazards common to the early learning environment.

Injury Prevention and Response

• Safe Kids: Oregon 
  Prevention of unintentional injuries to Oregon’s kids

• Policy Statement SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths
  Expansion of Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

• Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards
  Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs, Third Edition Scheduled rest periods and sleep arrangements. Search for “sleep.” 

Illness Prevention and Infectious Disease

• Sanitizing and Disinfecting in Child Care
  Sanitizing and disinfecting safely and effectively.

• Oregon Child Care Food Handler Certification
  Online Food Handler Certification

Immunizations and ALERT

• ALERT IIS makes records available to health care providers; provides official records for school, child care, college and employment; and reminds individuals or parents when shots are due.

• Oregon’s child care immunization law and rules - search numerically by rule #.

Oral Health

• Oregon Oral Health Program
  Bright Smiles, Bright Futures

Mental-Behavioral Health

• Department of Human Services Office of Mental Health and Addiction Services
  Oregon’s state agency administering programs for people with mental health conditions and developmental disabilities.

Nutrition and Healthy Weight Promotion

• Child Care Wellness Warehouse
  An online resource with evidence based tools, curricula, and sponsor-developed materials related to five key strategies.

• Let’s Move Child Care! - healthy kids, healthy future
  Website of the Let’s Move! initiative for early care & education

• Bright Futures in Practice: Physical Activity
  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health, Georgetown University  

• MyPyramid for Kids 2 to 6 years old

• TV Parental Guidelines
  Includes descriptions and explanations of ratings and other information in Spanish and English

Special Needs

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information
  Information for early care and education providers

• National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC)
  NCCIC offers an array of information resources and for specific disabilities for early care and education providers.  Toll-free number 1-800-616-2242.

• Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities - Inclusive Child Care Program 
  The Inclusive Child Care Program helps lower-income working families of children with disabilities, emotional/behavioral disorders or special health care needs. Services include a supplemental subsidy to help with higher-cost care.
  Portland: 971-673-2286
  Toll-free: 1-866-837-0250
  E-mail: contact.iccp@dhsoha.state.or.us