Blog 4

As a result of interviewing families in my chosen setting, I learned that the center sends letters home informing parents that their child needs an updated physical and dental examination. I spoke with one mother who was grateful for this service. She stated that "when she sees the envelope in her son's cubbie, she immediately schedules an appointment for him". However, another parent replied that when she reads the letters, she knows her children wont be able to attend class until the form is updated. The parents mentioned the types of meeting/workshop that the school provides once a month, which includes health and safety, nutrition, child abuse and literacy. After these trainings/meetings the program provides a nutritious meal for the family. A parent shared with me that during one of the nutrition workshops, she had her first experience tasting celery sticks.

Speaking With Director

I spoke with the director of the center. I learned that she is responsible for managing the daily operations of pre-school and school-age programs to ensure compliance of the program according to city, state, and federal guidelines and regulations.

I gained insight into how the program integrates health, nutrition and mental health into children's activities. The health, nutrition and mental health services are incorporated on a daily basis through activities, such as hand washing, teeth brushing, preparing food and talking about feelings. Teachers model good health practices and integrate then into the curriculum by talking about physical exams, dental exams and vision screenings before they occur to reduce fear.

Blog 3

I spoke with the director of the program as well as the family social worker. The director informed me that she is responsible for the operation of a comprehensive childcare program for children (2-12 years old) and related programs for their programs. She also coordinates parent-child activities, workshops and provides training to staff and and parents on parenting and child development. I asked the director about the difficulty of her job. She replied that managing the daily operations of pre-school and school-age programs to ensure compliance of programs according to city, state and federal guidelines and regulations is a tedious job. She went on to mention that she didn't mind having a difficult job because she's passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and families.

After speaking with the family social worker, she informed me that nutrition and assessments both fall under the category of health and I could use these components to focus on for my paper. This information gave me more insight into the area of health, which is the topic I chose for my paper.