CHLD 144: Health, Safety and Nutrition for Young Children

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2025
Credits: 3
Total Contact Hours: 54
Lecture Hours : 54
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 108
Total Student Learning Hours: 162
Strongly Recommended: ENGL C1000.
Transferable to CSU: Yes
Transferable to UC: No
Grading Method: Standard Letter

Catalog Course Description

This course introduces the laws, regulations, standards, policies, procedures, and best practices related to health, safety, and nutrition in care and education settings for children birth through middle childhood. Includes the teacher's role in prevention strategies, nutrition and meal planning, integrating health, safety, and nutrition experiences into daily routines, and overall risk management. 54 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • Define the broad concepts and practices of health, safety, and nutrition.
  • Identify laws and regulations related to health, safety, and nutrition.
  • Identify health and safety risks, and prevention strategies in care and education settings.
  • Describe a caregiver's role and responsibility in modeling good health, safety, and nutrition habits.
  • Describe culturally responsive strategies for partnering with families and the community in support of a healthy and safe environment for children.
  • Explore community resources available to support children and families.
  • Apply the recommendations for children's nutrition to the development of healthy and economical meals and snacks based on the age and individual needs of children.
  • Plan developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive learning experiences and environments that support topics of health, safety, and nutrition.

Major Course Content

  1. Interrelationships between health, safety, and nutrition through middle childhood
    1. Defining physical and mental health
    2. Defining safety
    3. Defining nutrition
  2. Laws, codes, regulations, and policies
    1. Fire and health codes
    2. Title 22
    3. Title 5
    4. Emergency Medical Services Authority
    5. Local requirements
    6. Food programs
    7. Child abuse and neglect
      1. Mandated reporting
      2. Prevention strategies
      3. Community resources
  3. Safety management
    1. Safe environments
    2. Accommodations for special needs
    3. Injury prevention and care
    4. Emergency preparedness response and recovery
    5. Car seats
  4. Health management
    1. Universal precautions
    2. Daily health check
    3. Food safety
    4. Communicable diseases
    5. Infectious process
    6. Illness and exclusion policies
    7. Common health issues such as pink eye, lice, runny nose
    8. Chronic and acute illnesses such as allergies, mental health, obesity
    9. Sleeping and napping
    10. Diapering and toileting
    11. Health assessment tools
    12. Staff safety and well being
      1. Risk management
      2. Employee policies
        1. Physical health
        2. Mental health
  5. Teachers and Caregivers Roles
    1. Teachers as role models of best health, safety, and nutrition practices
    2. Collaboration with families and other professionals to promote health, safety, and nutrition
    3. Communication
      1. Families
      2. Other health professionals
    4. Community resources for children and families at risk
      1. Housing and food insecurity
      2. Foster care/child welfare
      3. Incarceration
      4. Trauma and abuse
      5. Medically fragile
  6. Meals and Snacks
    1. Nutrition guidelines
    2. Diet analysis
    3. Mealtime policies and regulations
    4. Menu planning
    5. Budgeting
    6. Culture, traditions, and family choices
    7. Allergies and food sensitivities
    8. Special feeding needs
    9. Sanitary food handling
  7. Planning Learning Experiences in Health, Safety and Nutrition
    1. Developmentally sound practices
    2. Cultural, linguistic, and developmental differences of families, teachers, and children
    3. Learning opportunities integrated during daily routines
    4. Physical fitness
    5. Use of instructional technology
    6. Accommodations for children with special needs

Suggested Reading Other Than Required Textbook

The following web link provides useful additional information: https://www.choosemyplate.gov/

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

Example #1: Develop a pamphlet of nutritional guidelines for parents of young children.
Example #2: Develop age-appropriate health and safety curriculum for use with preschoolers and/or early school age students.

Examples of Outside Assignments

Example #1: Observe and evaluate health and safety practices at a local preschool/daycare.
Example #2: Observe and evaluate the emergency preparedness practices of staff at a local preschool/daycare.

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture