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Click here to visit our website                                            October 2023  
Ill child

Protecting Kids Against Fall IllnessES

The season of colorful leaves, crisp mornings, and earlier sunsets has arrived.

Unfortunately, it is also the season of sniffles, sore throats, and other symptoms.

Respiratory viruses tend to spread in fall and winter. Usually, catching one means feeling crummy for a while and recovering at home with rest, fluids, and maybe some over-the-counter medicine.

While anyone can become seriously ill, there is higher risk for infants and young children, older adults, and people with underlying health complications. We have lost lives to flu, COVID, and RSV in Snohomish County over the years.

There are now protective immunizations available for all three of these illnesses. Flu and COVID vaccines are recommended for everyone, while RSV vaccines are recommended for higher risk groups. Immunization lowers the chances of becoming ill and, if you do get ill, reduces the severity. It can be the difference between recovering at home and ending up in the emergency department.

For the full article and to learn more about fall immunization recommendations please see the link below:

Blog • Snohomish County Health Department, WA • CivicEngage (snohd.org)

For assistance in completing your child care’s immunization tracking report please reach out to our team at 425.252.5415 or by email at shd.childcarehealth@co.snohomish.wa.us.

Additional Resources for Illness Prevention

Here are a few additional resources that you may find helpful as we head into fall. 
Announcement of CDC website for respiratory virus updates

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is providing updates on respiratory viruses each week on their website. To see these updates, visit: https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/whats-new/
Image of DOH respiratory illness data dashboard

For more local information, the Washington State Department of Health has launched a new Respiratory Illness Data Dashboard that allows people to track COVID-19, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity across the state.
Respiratory Illness Symptom Comparison Chart

Many illnesses share common symptoms. The linked symptom comparison chart includes influenza, norovirus, RSV, the common cold, and COVID-19. This chart is meant for educational purposes and awareness, not for diagnosis. Always refer families to their health care provider to get a diagnosis. 

Symptom Comparison Chart (snohd.org)
AAP poster for child care image

The American Academy of Pediatrics has a poster that child cares can put up asking parents to check their child for symptoms before dropping off. You can find this poster and other information on Snohomish County Health Department's COVID information page for child care providers: COVID-19 Info for Schools and Child Care | Snohomish County Health Department, WA (snohd.org)
COVID germ

COVID-19 INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

Our COVID-19 child care team has reported a slight increase in the number of cases in child care centers in Snohomish County.

Child cares in Snohomish County are still required to report every case to the Snohomish County Health Department. 

Please contact the Snohomish County Health Department to report cases at the Call Center (425-339-5278) or email SHD.ChildCareHealth@co.snohomish.wa.us
Image of COVID letter

Parent notification letter - The child care licensing regulations require that families be notified of exposures to communicable diseases, including COVID-19. We have a parent notification letters that providers can use for COVID-19 and other conditions. 

Remember to report cases of COVID-19 in children and staff to the Snohomish County Health Department.
Washington State Department of Health Decision Tree

Decision tree - Continue to follow the Washington State Department of Health decision tree for children or staff members with symptoms. Individuals with respiratory symptoms should test for COVID. See below on how to get tests for your child care to distribute to families who may need them. For additional guidance, continue to use the Washington State Department of Health Guidance to Prevent and Respond to COVID-19 in K-12 Schools and Child Care
Image of COVID test

Free test kits for each family - Encourage families to have COVID tests available should their child develop respiratory symptoms. Every family is eligible to receive 4 free tests from the US government by going to https://www.covid.gov/tests. 

Free test kits for child cares - In addition, child cares can request COVID tests to share with families at no charge through the Snohomish County Health Department. To request your kits and discuss the pick-up process, you must call the COVID-19 Call Center (425-339-5278) or send an email to SHD.ChildCareHealth@co.snohomish.wa.us.
  
Tests are NOT available on a drop-in basis. Test kits can be picked up at our downtown Everett office or delivered to the child care facility.
Children Brushing Puppet Teeth

Oral Health Activites for Times of High Community Illness

Oral health is part of everyone’s overall health; you can’t be healthy without a healthy mouth. Dental caries, or cavities, are the most common chronic disease in children - four times more common than asthma.

The impacts of tooth decay on children are more severe than you might expect. Therefore, it is important to understand the importance of oral health, including ways to prevent childhood caries.   

Toothbrushing and oral health activities should occur daily in child care. For some children, this may be the only time they brush their teeth in a day. The table method for group toothbrushing is recommended for child care providers as caregivers can model brushing and supervise more closely for sanitation purposes.

But what activities can be done when toothbrushing is paused during times of high illness in the community, such as flu and cold season?

  • Add oral health words to your vocabulary lessons.
  • Demonstrate the difference between sticky foods and foods that clean teeth:
    Have children eat a cookie or crackers and look inside their mouths using a mirror. Then give them apple slices to eat. The apples will help remove the sticky food from their teeth!
  • Create oral health art or mobiles to display around your child care rooms.

For more information on toothbrushing or ideas on activities to use during times of high illness in the community see our class: Tiny Bites: Oral Health in the Child Care Setting
Tiny Bites Class Announcement
Lead Poisoning prevention week poster image

Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is Coming October 22-28, 2023

There is no safe level of lead! Lead is toxic, especially in children under the age of 6. When lead is breathed in or swallowed, it can result in damage to the brain and nervous system, learning and behavior problems, slow growth and development, and hearing and speech problems. The good news is that lead poisoning is preventable. Here are some things you can do as a child care provider:

  • Learn about lead - take our free online training to learn more about preventing lead poisoning. Child care providers can earn 2 continuing education credits in MERIT.
  • Spread the word about the importance of testing with your families. We will be happy to provide a packet of free materials to your child care for you to share. Please send an email to the address below to request your free child care lead poisoning prevention packet.
  • Check your environment - you can't see lead - you have to test for it. It can be in the water, soil, paint, and other places in a child care. Washington State Department of Health has a program which allows you to test your child care's water for free. Our program is able to test soil samples or check toys in your child care. Please send us an email if you are interested.

Please contact us for more information: shd.childcarehealth@co.snohomish.wa.us.
Child washing hands
Young child at the doctor
Person scraping chipping paint from windowsill

Speaker available for parent education

Does your early learning program have parent education nights? Snohomish County Health Department has a speaker available to provide information on lead poisoning prevention at family education events. The majority of our availability is for online learning, although we do have some slots available for in-person trainings. Please contact us at shd.childcarehealth@co.snohomish.wa.us or 425-512-5249 to get more information. 
Child Care Health & Safety Classes Logo
instructions for learning portal
LMS
learning portal

We appreciate your patience as we continue to update our courses to enhance your learning experience. Classes are being offered AT NO COST at this time. 

 For questions about our online classes, contact our team at SHD.ChildCareHealth@co.snohomish.wa.us or via phone at 425.252.5415.

This Month's Featured Classes
Girl brushing her teeth

Tiny Bites: Oral Health in the Child Care Setting


The most common chronic disease in children is tooth decay. This is especially true in underserved populations. This course will focus on the importance of dental health in children, pediatric oral health recommendations, and how to be an oral health advocate in the child care setting. Information and guidance is provided on nutrition, oral health practices, alternative oral health activities, and methods for toothbrushing in child care. 


Register Here
Child chipping paint off a window frame

Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention


Lead remains a problem in Washington State and Snohomish County. This course is designed to educate child care providers and staff on how to keep children and families safe from the harmful effects of lead. Did you know there is no safe level of lead? In this course you will learn where lead was historically used, where it is currently still found and simple steps you can take to protect children and families from the effects of lead poisoning.


Register Here
Mother breastfeeding a baby

Lactation Feeding Friendly Child Care (LFE) 

We recognize that one of the barriers that families face when they return to work is how to continue to provide human milk to their child. Understanding the value of human milk for young children, we have created a program to recognize child care facilities that have taken specific steps to make their program a lactation feeding friendly environment (LFE). We are offering a lactation and feeding-friendly child care environment course to promote inclusivity and support for parents who wish to continue breastfeeding, ensuring that child care providers are knowledgeable and equipped to create a comfortable and accommodating environment for breastfeeding and bottle-feeding infants. By offering this course, we aim to empower child care providers with the necessary skills and understanding to meet the unique needs of lactating parents and their babies, fostering a nurturing and inclusive child care setting. 


This program and course have been developed by the Snohomish County Health Department in partnership with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), the Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington, and with the participation of King County Public Health.


Register Here

Contact Information

Snohomish County Health Department
3020 Rucker Ave., Ste. 202, Everett, WA  98201
                                                                                     
Email: SHD.ChildCareHealth@co.snohomish.wa.us

Program Phone:  425.252.5415

Website:  http://www.snohd.org/238/Child-Care-Providers 

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The Child Care Health Outreach Program staff are available to consult with you on these and other health, safety, and nutrition topics by phone, by email, or at your child care. 
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Snohomish County Health Department
3020 Rucker Ave., Everett, Washington
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