How to help your caregiver with this topic

• Teach your child to stay calm in an emergency. Show them calm behavior when there are injuries at home.



• Teach your child how and when to dial “nine one one”.



See Nemours Foundation Kids Health --Talking about 911 with Your Child http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/emergencies/911.html

Note: Always say it like it’s dialed, “nine one one”, not “nine eleven” –there is no number eleven on the telephone’s keypad and a child could waste time looking for "eleven" in an emergency.


• Give your caregiver(s) scholarships to attend First Aid and CPR (including infant and child CPR) classes.



• If your child received first aid while in the program, stay calm and get all the facts--- what happened, when and how first aid was given. See your child’s doctor if follow-up care is needed. Let your caregiver know what your doctor recommended and what to watch for, if appropriate. Thank the caregiver for their quick response!



• If you are called to come for your child because of an accident or injury, get there right away. Some injuries may require medical attention, but not a call to 911. If the injury requires a doctor’s care, your caregiver cannot be expected to drive your child to a doctor or dentist; s/he has other children that require attention.



There are situations that make a child extremely uncomfortable that are not really emergencies, but that caregivers are not allowed to treat. There may be injuries that the child will only allow the parent to treat.

Example:

Your child gets a deep splinter, and caregivers may not be allowed to remove a splinter with a needle (considered an “invasive procedure”). Your caregiver has made good and reasonable efforts to treat it using:

Tweezers.
Cold pack.
Pain relieving gel.
Distraction with games, meal preparation and eating.

But an hour after the injury, your child hardly ate lunch and is still crying, so she calls you to come. If this happens, be supportive of the caregiver’s decision to call.


• If you notice something lacking from the first aid kit, buy it for the program.



• Be sure your caregiver has a fresh supply of your child’s medicine. Find out what method they use to ensure that the medicine goes with them if they go on an outing.