Welcome to our new Behavioral Health Specialist!

My name is Emily Greenleaf. I am thrilled to be joining the team as the new Behavioral Health Specialist. I provide consultations with child care providers on a range of social, emotional, and behavioral issues. Some examples include stress, separation anxiety, Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sensory Processing Disorder, aggressive behaviors, biting, difficulty transitioning, and toilet training.

I bring with me a strong clinical background in working with young children experiencing atypical development and challenging behaviors. My passion is in identifying strengths, minimizing barriers, and providing support to promote the healthy development of our children. Considering biological, psychological, and social factors, I advocate a whole person approach when identifying and addressing challenges in mental and behavioral health. I strive to provide up to date, helpful information and tangible tools that can be implemented in your daily child care routine. I also will work to connect families with community resources. I look forward to visiting your child care and/or consulting via phone, video call, or email to address any questions or concerns.  You can contact me at 425-252-5415 or by email at childcarehealth@snohd.org.

Be on the look-out for new online courses which provide DCYF in-service (STARS) hours on many of the aforementioned topics as I will be creating content with tips and resources! New courses will be announced in this newsletter. If you received this as a forward, make sure you are on our mailing list by signing up at www.snohd.org/notifyme. 
 

COVID-19 Update: Rise in Cases and Omicron Variant

On December 29, 2021, the Washington State Department of Health issued a news released related to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Washington State and the emergence of the Omicron variant. To read more information about this, please go to:
https://www.doh.wa.gov/Newsroom/Articles/ID/3037/COVID-19-cases-spike-significantly-in-the-past-week
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New Year … New Health Policy Templates – Is it time for an update?

Child care programs must have a current, written health policy. These policies are important for ensuring all health and safety requirements are being met, helping in training staff and informing parents, and keeping things operating smoothly and consistently. Policies should be reviewed at least annually and revised periodically to make sure they meet the most current regulations and best practice guidance. We recommend updating your policy at least every 3 years.
 
Our Child Care Center and Family Home Health Policies have been updated to reflect the 2019 update to WAC 110-300 and the most recent best practice standards outlined in Caring for Our Children, National Health and Safety Performance Standards, 4th Ed.

The School Age Health Policy has been updated to reflect new school age regulation, WAC 110-301, effective June 2021. You can access the health policies on our website or through the links below.

• Child Care Center Health Policy (updated December 2021) 
• Family Home Health Policy (updated December 2021)  
• School Age Health Policy (updated December 2021)  
• COVID-19 Health Policy Addendum (updated December 2021) 

 
While it is no longer required to have a health professional’s signature on your policy, having this type of review helps ensure that your policy meets the requirements. For Snohomish County child care providers, the Child Care Health Outreach Program staff will review and sign your health policy at no cost, provided that you use the most current template. Once you have finished filling in your policy, email the document to us.
 
If you haven’t looked at your child care’s health policy recently, start the new year off with an update to your policy and a review by our team. 

ABCs for Healthy Kids

Healthy kids lead to healthy communities. For 2022, Snohomish Health District is spotlighting various children’s health topics each month. We will be sharing these in our child care provider newsletters. We hope that you will partner with us in promoting children’s health topics by sharing this information with the families you serve through your newsletters, parent information boards, and emails.

You can learn more at www.snohd.org/healthykids and by watching this video - https://youtu.be/NpXDexqbG_8

Importance of a Medical Home

A medical home is a primary health care provider or medical office where children and families can receive safe, quality care leading to better health outcomes. With a medical home, children have access to a medical provider who is familiar with their health history and as a result can help them best deal with medical issues as they arise. All children, including those with special health needs should have a consistent provider who oversees their care and individualized health plans. Child care providers should check each child’s records to ensure a primary care provider is listed. If not, encourage the parent to establish care right away. The pandemic has resulted in many families putting off regular health care including seeing a health care provider for routine visits. Check with the parents if their child has had a well-child check in the past year.
 
One thing that is typically done at well-child checks is reviewing standard childhood immunizations. Staying up-to-date on vaccinations is very important. It is the best way to protect children and families from getting sick if exposed to illness. Ensuring that children stay up-to-date with their vaccinations protects them from serious illnesses and helps keep these vaccine-preventable diseases out of the child care setting. Child care providers must track immunization records as children need to be current on their immunizations to be enrolled. Keeping well-documented records of children’s immunization status can encourage parents to get their kids vaccinated, leading to an increased vaccination rate.
 
If you would like to get more information on helping families find a medical home or need assistance with reviewing immunization records, please contact the Child Care Health Outreach program at 425-252-5415 and we will gladly assist you.

Vroom - Small Moments Count

Working parents sometimes lament that they don’t have many waking hours with their child. Vroom® helps parents make the most of the time they do have and helps them understand that even small moments make a big difference for a child’s brain development. Whether they are driving home with their child, making dinner, or tucking their child into bed, there are Vroom Tips for those times.

Here is a Vroom Information Card that you can share with parents (available in 17 different languages).

As a child care provider, your days tend to be extremely busy. But even just a small interactive moment shared with each child at some point during the day, such as while you are putting on their coat before going outside, sitting next to them at snack time, or changing their diaper, can help a child’s brain development.

Lists of Vroom Tips can be found at www.vroom.org.

Here are a couple of tips to try.

Preparing for the Flu

Harm from influenza disproportionately affects young children. This class provides both basic and advanced information regarding influenza. In this class, participants will identify the difference between flu and other viruses it may be confused with, learn about how seasonal influenza is different from pandemic influenza, and find new strategies to avoid influenza illness. We’ll cover everything from the virus that causes flu to the global impact of influenza pandemics. This is a level 1 to 4 basic class. Click here to register.