Early Care and Education Providers – on the Frontlines of Public Health | Early Care and Education Portal

Protecting children from diseases and injury

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, ECE providers played a major role in protecting children from diseases and injuries.  ECE providers can help make sure that their programs are located in safe places, keep children safe from serious injuries and harm while in their care (such as ensuring playground safety and water safety), and protect children from poisoning.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that ECE providers can take many precautions to keep infections from spreading, for example, by improving ventilation and hygiene. In ECE settings, caring for young children means holding them, as well as assisting with diapering, feeding, and tooth brushing. This means many ECE staff are coming into close contact with children and need cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfection tools to help protect the health of children in their care as well as themselves and their own families. By carefully planning and following guidance, ECE programs can prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases such as shigellosis.

ECE providers can teach foundational skills about staying healthy and keeping safe from germs. Many parents get great support from ECE providers around teaching children toileting, hand hygiene, and respiratory etiquette skills. ECE providers can also play a role in protecting children during disasters by planning and preparing for emergencies. ECE providers can also watch for signs that children are not supported at home and protect children by connecting them to child protective services.

Supporting parents

In their role as nurturers, ECE providers often feel like part of the child’s extended family. As a trusted professional, ECE providers can provide tips on positive parenting and family engagement healthy habits, and important ways to protect children’s health–like getting regular well-child checkups. Some ECE programs such as Head Start can also help parents get connected to other services such as food assistance through WIC and SNAP.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of staying up to date on vaccinations to protect everyone from vaccine-preventable diseases has become very clear. ECE providers can promote vaccines by