By Denise Bodart, Realityworks RealCare Product Manager
Did you know that November is Child Safety & Protection Month? Initiated to create awareness about the potential dangers our children face every day, this month is a good reminder for everyone – parents and caregivers, as well as educators and students – of the importance of keeping our children safe at all times. In fact, our Basic Infant Care curriculum (which comes with RealCare Baby) features a robust section on Infant Health and Safety. Keep reading to access five free downloads from that section you can use in your classroom immediately!
The following statistics from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention‘s Child Injury Report are a sobering reminder why we need to keep a watchful eye on children of all ages:
- An estimated 9.2 million children annually have an initial emergency department visit for an unintentional injury.
- On average, 12,175 children 0 to 19 years of age die each year in the United States from an unintentional injury.
- For children less than 1 year of age, two–thirds of injury deaths are due to suffocation.
- Drowning has been the leading cause injury death for those 1 to 4 years of age.
The following topics link to FREE downloads that we took directly from our Basic Infant Care section on Infant Health and Safety. Click to download and use them in your FACS, child development, parenting or child care class to supplement lessons or discussions on infant safety:
Looking for more resources as you recognize Child Safety & Protection Month? I recommend the following websites:
- http://www.safekids.org/
- http://www.nationalchildsafetycouncil.org/
- http://www.childrenssafetynetwork.org/
- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childsafety.html
How will you incorporate Child Safety & Protection Month into your classroom this year? Share your feedback in the comments!
