First Aid for Early Childcare Settings

• First aid in early childcare settings aims to preserve life, prevent worsening conditions, and promote recovery, incorporating basic life support and emergency procedures until professional help arrives

Roles and Responsibilities

• Principals seek health information for each child and work with families to create health support plans
• They must ensure staff training, adequate facilities, and equipment standards are maintained and that staff training is continuous
• The coordination of first aid procedures delegated, staff with first aid qualifications identified, and first aid kits stocked and updated
• Teachers need to provide basic first aid, know individual health support plans, and maintain contact with families
• Teachers should plan and provide first aid and include safe and effective provisions of first aid in the curriculum

Crisis Management Plan

• Must include assessing potential occurrences, necessary actions, and responsible parties
• Interventions recorded in the first aid log
• An accident/injury report completed if hospitalization or complications are anticipated

First Response

• Early childhood educators must actively check on child well-being as part of standard first aid, due to limited vocabulary, children may not be able to communicate discomfort or the nature of their injury
• Emergency services should be promptly contacted for help, emergency numbers displayed for reference
• When calling, clearly state the child's location and condition
• Comfort and reassure the child, also gather information for emergency personnel
• Medical assistance should be sought if the first aider determines it is needed

When to Call an Ambulance

• Call for ambulance assistance if pain is severe and persistent, or if there is persistent shortness of breath
• Also call if the child has lost consciousness, has difficulty breathing, is in a state of shock. If there is severe bleeding or blood vomiting, slurred speech, injury to head or neck, or signs of broken bones.

Contacting Parents

• Education and childcare workers should inform parents/guardians about first aid given
• For minor injuries in older students, they inform guardians directly while schools use diaries or notes for early childhood learners
• Parents must be informed when there is head injury or an asthma attack requiring first aid
• Staff and families can discuss how and when to inform parents/guardians of first aid for children with potential needs for diabetes, seizures, asthma, and anaphylaxis
• An ambulance must be called if staff are unsure about providing adequate emergency assistance

First Aid Kits: Key Features

• First aid kits should be fully stocked and readily available, with additional kits in larger centers, accessible to providers but out of children's reach
• Storage should be in locked boxes that can be transported easily

First Aid Kits: Essential Items

• Disposable, non-porous gloves
• Adhesive bandages of assorted sizes
• Sealed alcohol or antiseptic wipes
• Scissors
• Tweezers
• Thermometer
• Bandage tape
• Sterile gauze pads (2" and 3")
• Flexible roller gauze (1" and 2" widths)
• Triangular bandages
• Small splints
• Cold pack
• Safety pins
• Eye dressings
• Syrup of ipecac (and instructions)
• Insect sting preparation
• Re-sealable plastic bags (one gallon size) for soiled materials
• Pen/pencil and notepad
• Current First Aid Guide
• Emergency phone numbers
• Emergency medications/supplies prescribed for children with special needs

First Aid Essentials

• Supplies should be replenished immediately after use, with monthly checks for outdated or expired items
• An extra kit per child care group should be available for field trips
• Vehicles transporting children should have a complete first aid kit and emergency contact information

Additional Essential Items For First Aid Kits

• Tweezers, 1% hydrocortisone cream, calamine lotion, alcohol wipes, oral antihistamine, non-latex gloves
• Acetaminophen/ibuprofen, non-mercury thermometer, triple-antibiotic ointment, hand sanitizer
• Blanket, bottled water, instant cold compress

Basic Life Support

• Involves assessing for signs of life: responsiveness to stimuli, normal breathing (not gasps), or spontaneous movement.

What To Do When A Child Is Choking

• Babies and young children can choke on anything smaller than a D-size battery
• Prevent choking by keeping small objects out of reach, cutting food into small pieces, and supervising children during eating, especially if they're under five years old
• If a baby shows signs of choking, call an ambulance immediately and follow the steps to clear a blockage instructed by the operator on the phone
• If a child displays choking signs, stay calm and encourage coughing to dislodge the object, following steps to clear a blockage if that doesn't work

Clearing a Blockage Technique (Babies Under 1 Year)

• Hold the baby facedown on your forearm, use the heel of your hand to give five firm back blows between the shoulder blades, checking between each blow
• Clear any blockage from the baby's mouth
• If the blockage persists, lay the baby on their back, put two fingers in the center of the chest, and perform five chest thrusts, check to see if the blockage has cleared between each thrust
• With baby still choking check to see that 000 has been called and alternate five back blows and five chest thrusts
• Start CPR if the baby becomes unconscious

Clearing a Blockage Technique (Children Over 1 Year)

• Bend the child forward and use the heel of your hand to administer sharp back blows between the shoulder blades, checking each time to determine whether the blockage has been removed
• Perform five chest thrusts if the blockage hasn't cleared after the back blows
• If abdominal thrusts are unsuccessful, continue alternating between back blows and chest thrusts, seeking medical assistance

Wounds Treatment

• In case of bleeding, apply pressure to the wound with a clean cloth for 3-15 minutes, followed by cleaning with lukewarm water and gentle patting to dry
• With broken skin, apply a thin layer of over-the-counter antibiotic ointment and cover with a bandage
• For animal bites with deep cuts, seek medical evaluation, and if a large piece of skin is removed, it wrap in a moist clean cloth and place the bag over ice
• For non-stopping bleeding, seek for medical aid

Nosebleed Treatment

• Position the child upright, avoid tilting the head back, loosen tight clothing around the neck, and pinch the lower nose, lean forward for 5-10 minutes
• If the nosebleed is the result of trauma, apply an ice pack to reduce swelling

Splinter or Glass Treatment

• Washing the area with soap and water, use disinfected tweezers to remove splinters, watch for infection even if the splinter is got
• Washing area with soap and water, wrapping area and seeking Dr. X-ray, if a child steps on glass

Eye Trauma Treatment

• Observe the child to observe if he/she had severe pain, constant tearing, light sensitivity, or blurry vision
• Hold a cloth over area and head, seek medical attention
• If chemicals is in the child's eyes, hold lid open and flush with lukewarm water

Burn Treatment

• Burns starts with cooling to lower temperature, run water/cold towel until the subsided. Small blisters should be covered with bandage or gauze/tape
• Seek a doctor for immediate appointment for face, hands, or genitals, or any burns larger than 1/4 of sizes
• Don't ice, iced water, lotions, moisturizers, oil, ointments, creams or powders the burns, do not use butter or flour
• Ambulance needed for burns on child's face, airway, hands or genitals and burns on a larger size of the child's hand
• Go to the hospital if the burns are from a 20-cent piece or larger, or deep, raw, angry or blistered

Poisoning Causes and Symptoms

• Poisoning is the leading cause of injury to young children
• Most happen from household chemicals, cleaners and medicines
• If there is diarrhea, vomiting/nausea, skin rashes, difficulty breathing, blue lips, fever, double vision, Abdominal/chest pain, Palpitations/Irritability, Numbness, Seizures, Weakness
• Inhalation position seek immediate help, hold a cloth to cover nose and mouth

Steps To Avoid In Handling Poisoning

• Keep area open with all doors and windows open
• Take deep breaths, Don't light a match, check breathing, do CPR, prevent choking
• Do not give an unconscious child anything orally. Do not induce vomiting unless told by a medical personnel. Do not give any medication to the child unless directed by a doctor. Do not try to neutralize the poison with limejuice/honey

Tips To Prevent Poisoning

• Keep all potentially poisonous substances out of children's reach and teach children the need to exercise caution
• Lock medicines, detergents, paints, and mosquito repellents and clean the place with care
• Teach children that poisons can injure the eyes, nose, mouth, or skin and products may look like good things to eat or drink
• Always ask and check with and adult before tasting

Outdoor Poisoning

• Avoid bites, sticky thorns, stingers, fangs
• Always look instead of touch to avoid

Insect Bites and Stings

• If the sting is visible try gently to scrape the skin with clean fingernail or a credit card, or seek medical attention

Heatstroke or Sunstroke

• Flushed Skin, High Fever Rectally, Absence of Sweating, Confusion, Heatstroke

Heat Exhaustion

• Symptoms include pale skin; usually no fever but can temporarily be elevated, profuse sweating; Nausea, dizziness, fainting, or weakness
• Symptoms from Dehydration

First Aid for Heatstroke or Sunstroke

• As they wait for medical help, cool the child down rapidly as possible, move him shady/airy place
• Cooling, sponging, fanning, and elevating feet

First Aid for Heat Exhaustion

• Put the child in a cool shady place and lie elevated, so the body give off heat from feet, and to medical practitioner

Cold Reactions

• Hypothermia develops when temp falls in to (95°F). Moderate hypothermia can usually be completely reversed
• If it is not treated, patient will start : shivering, pale skin, disoriented, impared, slow and shallow breathing

Calming the Child and Injury

• You are now ready to cover wounds with a cloth, distract with toys, and use words where people feel better
• As the children age into 6-12, make them feel in control by talking, playing music, and always be honest