Reach for the Stars! 2017 NC CCHCA Conference begins

The 2017 North Carolina Child Care Health Consultant Association Conference began Wednesday afternoon, March 8th, with an introduction to Dr. Tamar Ringel-Kulka, the new Project Director and Jacquie Simmons, the new Project Coordinator for the North Carolina Child Care Health and Safety Resource Center.

Dr. Tamar Ringel-Kulka

Jacquie Simmons

The conference continued with a session with updates and new initiatives from the Division of Child Development and Early Education, led by Lorie Peugh and Laura Hewitt.

Lorie Peugh

Initiatives presented were the Race to the Top / Early Learning Challenge Grant results, Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) requirements, and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultantion grant.

The Child Care Commission and their relationship with the child care rules were explained in detail, and a special emphasis was made on the important role of the voices of Child Care Health Consultants to the rule making process during public hearing and public comment. They continued with a discussion of the temporary rules put in place in September 2016 to meet CCDF requirements and the relationship to the permanent rules which will be put into place spring 2017. The tentative date for the public hearing of rules is May 8, 2017. The Resource Center will send a notification to all CCHCs when the permanent rules are published (in April) and details about the process of public comment and public hearing.

They also introduced DCDEE WORKS - a new Workforce Online Reporting and Knowledge System which will function as a single portal of entry for workforce education and professional development to collect, report, and track child care workforce information needed to support education requirements

Pitt County CCHC's participate in a healthy eating celebration!

Children at KinderCare on Red Banks in Pitt County had an opportunity to learn about My Plate, healthy eating and portion sizes. The child care center invited Kristey Coulter and Terry Quinn Child Care Health Consultants for Pitt County to assist in  their nutrition activity.

 The child care center provided a healthy snack to children and parents as they were leaving for the day. The CCHC's gave out information leaflets from www.choosemyplate.gov/  to the parents on healthy lifestyles.

www.mppfc.org/  and www.facebook.com/pittcountyhealthdepartment

CCHCs are keeping child passengers safe!

On June 7th-10th, Tonya Moss - CCHC in Catawba County - assisted in the facilitation of a Safe Kids Child Passenger Safety Technician Training in Lincoln county. 

Christine Rosinski - CCHC in Gaston County - participated in the training where she earned her Child Passenger Safety Technician Certification.  Shown here, Christine, Tonya and Juliana Whitaker - CCHC in Lincoln County - participated in a car seat check on June 10th in Lincolnton, NC.

The car seat check was open to the public and organized by Juliana.  The check was successful and allowed the participants of the week long technician training to put their skills to the test. 

For more information on becoming a nationally certified Child Passenger Safety (CPS) technician, click here.

Success of NAP SACC means good health for nation’s children

Spring 2016 Carolina Public Health magazine.

Included in the Spring 2016 Carolina Public Health magazine is a photo of our very own child care health consultant (CCHC) Terri Walls as she plays on homemade drums with children at Ms. Jackie’s Place Family Child Care Home in Craven County, N.C.

The entire Spring 2016 Carolina Public Health magazine is posted at: http://sph.unc.edu/cphm/cph/.

Child Care Health Consultant Bonnie Garner facilities delivery of WHEE wagons to programs in Buncombe county!

 The WHEE Wagons have arrived!  Children at Irene Wortham Early LearningCenter now have the opportunity to receive IV medication and/or g-tube feedings from a little red wagon.  WesternCarolina University School of Nursing students and faculty delivered five red WHEE Wagons to a developmental day program for children. 

Bonnie Garner, RN, Child Care Health Consultant with MAHECand Buncombe Partnership for Children has been providing intensive health consultation and coaching to Irene Wortham Early Learning Center, a developmental day program for children with special health needs.  As an advocate for children and promoting a healthy and safe environment, the CCHC was looking for opportunities to support the health needs of several medically fragile children and to help the staff meet the developmental needs of the child.  Bonnie collaborated with the Pediatric faculty and students from Western Carolina University’s School of Nursing who have developed the WHEE Wagon Program.    

This  service learning program seeks to provide specially equipped IV Pole Radio Flyer wagons for children with medical needs. The team has witnessed the joy that a simple wagon ride can bring to a medically fragile child, and evidence shows that play can have a significant impact on pediatric health status. The group feels it is vitally important that children who have complex health needs to be able to enjoy the same experiences that other children do, and feel a wagon ride is just the way to do this!

A WHEE Wagon is just like a normal red wagon that kids ride and play in every day, but these wagons are specially equipped with an IV pole attached to the front. The IV pole attachment on the wagon ensures that the medically fragile children can have the opportunity to transport the children’s feeding pump or other medically required equipment. Rather than being stuck in a wheelchair, a WHEE Wagon is a more engaging mode of transportation for the children. The wagons can be used while the children play, are transported from the classroom to the OLE or provide the opportunity to be on eye level with other children. 

The WHEE Wagon program will allow kids to reconnect with the normal everyday world of just being a child, at a time when they may feel cut off from that world due to acute or chronic illness. These WHEE Wagons, could enrich the life of a specific medically fragile child through freedom of mobility and the basic joy of play. The five WHEE Wagons were donated to Irene Wortham, with the belief that a simple wagon ride could potentially touch the lives of ill children.

NC CCHCA Conference 2016 - NC CCHC Certification Pilot

NC CCHC Certification (CCHC-C) project was presented this morning at the annual Association conference. The goal of building the first in the nation Child Care Health Consultant Certification process to address the need for qualified on-site support for health and safety in child care programs in NC was discussed by a panel: Dr. Jonathan Kotch discussed the importance of high quality CCHC services to the health and safety of young children and how North Carolina is leading the way nationally. 

Christina DiSalvo from the North Carolina Partnership for Children talked about the infrastructure in North Carolina that supports CCHCs, including the CCHC Practice Model, the NC Child Care Health and Safety Resource Center and coaching supports, and the state CCHC nurse and Association. 

Debra Torrence from the NC Institute for Child Development Professionals discussed the importance of certification and what certification will mean for Child Care Health Consultants in North Carolina. 

Read more about the Child Care Health Consultant Certification Pilot Project here: http://ncicdp.org/certification-licensure/cchc-c/

Amy Petersen, the chair of the CCHC Association told us more about the actual details of the project and who has been involved so far. 

And Erin Belford talked more about the pilot project and what the benefits of certification will be for CCHCs, including the Rewards and Benefits options: http://ncicdp.org/certification-licensure/eecrewards/ 

Update! Slides from this presentation are now available on the Association's OneDrive.

CCHC of the year!

Terri Walls of Craven County has been chosen for the North Carolina Child Care Health Association Achievement Award for 2016. Congratulations Terri!!