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Physical Health

Preventing Infectious Diseases in Early Childhood Programs

This interactive course explores policies, practices, and environments that reduce the risk of infectious diseases in Head Start and child care settings. It presents basic infection control strategies that every early childhood educator needs to follow to ensure a healthy and safe environment for children and staff.

Log into the Individualized Professional Development (iPD) Portfolio to complete this two-part course. Continuing education units (CEUs) are available. Receive 0.1 CEUs or one contact hour for each part of the course.

Watch this webinar to learn more about this course and strategies to prevent infectious diseases.

Young girl blowing her nose into a tissue to reduce disease transmission.

Part 1: How Infectious Diseases Spread and Policies to Reduce Transmission

Learn about disease transmission routes and policies to reduce the spread of infectious diseases.
Closeup of a child washing their hands with soap and water in a sink.

Part 2: Practices to Prevent Infectious Diseases

Learn about practices, routines, habits, and components of the early childhood environment that reduce the risk of spreading diseases.

Virtual Lab School Healthy Environments Online Training 

Child washing her hands with a teacher.

Preschool Healthy Environments

Learn how to create and maintain healthy environments for all preschoolers, and how to implement hygiene practices. Find out how daily health checks, mental health support, nutrition, and physical activity prevent the spread of disease. 
A toddler turning their head to look at us.

Infants and Toddlers Healthy Environments

Healthy environments are critical for infants’ and toddlers’ development. In this course you will learn how to create and maintain healthy environments for all infants and toddlers, and how to implement hygiene practices to prevent disease.
A dining table with chairs pulled in and colorful flowers at the center.

Family Child Care Healthy Environments

Learn how to create and maintain healthy environments for children in family child care settings, and how to implement hygiene practices to prevent disease. You will learn strategies to ensure daily healthy checks, as well as strategies to support children’s and families’ mental health needs.

Read more:

HeadStart.gov

official website of the Administration for Children and Families

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