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The
"Consultant in Child Care Health" Project: CINCCH
The American Academy of Pediatrics/American Public Health
Association recommends that each child care facility should
utilize the services of a health consultant to provide ongoing
assistance in the area of health. Louisiana was one of the
first states to institute such a program. By combining professional
health experience with knowledge and training in child care,
consultants work to support, assist and problem solve with
child care providers in order to achieve safer, quality child
care. They serve child care facilities as a source of education,
guidance and support; provide technical assistance; act as
health resource and referral persons; and provide access to
health care information. Our program has the advantage of
bringing together a multi-disciplinary network of both public
and private sector health professionals from a variety of
settings to address local community needs.
What is a Child Care Health Consultant?
It's a professional (usually a doctor, registered nurse,
or registered dietitian) who is certified in child care health
and safety.
What does a Child Care Health Consultant do?
- give health and safety trainings
- provide phone consultations
- explain state health and safety policies
- help centers handle outbreaks of illness
- give referrals for community resources
What can Child Care Health Consultants help with?
- care for infants
- child safety
- reducing outbreaks of illness
- nutrition and feeding tips
- how to deal with behavior problems
- normal child development
- child development concerns
- immunizations
- health screening for children
- parent education
- care for children with special needs
- healthy surroundings
- writing and safety policies
In Louisiana, The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) section
of the Office of Public Health has designed a Health
Systems Development in Child Care project built on data
from a statewide needs assessment of health and safety issues
in child care. Through a collaborative effort MCH is working
with the following agencies to link health consultants with
child care providers: Department of Social Services (Louisiana’s
child care agency), Children’s Special Health Services,
Medicaid, the state chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics,
and the Louisiana Association for the Education of Young Children
(LAEYC).
Now known as the CINCCH Project (Consultants in Child Care
Health), the goal is to produce a state plan to improve the
health and safety of child care settings. The state plan consists
of certified health consultants such as: nurses, nutritionists/dieticians,
sanitarians, health educators, social workers, and early childhood
educators. Child care health consultants are linked to child
care providers to provide education for parents, general training
in a specified area, phone consultations, and assistance with
state sanitary codes and health policies.
Contact Child Care Resources inThibodaux:1-800-577-8052
for more information.
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