ECELS - Healthy Child Care PA

04/27/2026

April is recognized as National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and this week is National
Youth Violence Prevention Week. Child abuse and neglect can have profound, long-term physical and emotional effects. It is the collective responsibility of all adults to safeguard every child. Refresh your awareness skills at https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dhs/resources/keep-kids-safe

04/20/2026

It's National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW)! The AAP recommends 9 vaccines by 9 months, including HepB (starting at birth), RV (starting at 2 months), DTaP, Hib, PCV, IPV, plus flu, COVID-19, and RSV protection. Talk to your provider and ask for all 9 vaccines.

04/14/2026

🌻Spring is in bloom, and with that comes seasonal allergies! 🤧 An estimated 7.1 million kids in the United States deal with environmental allergies. For more information, check out this health tip from CHOP on how to keep seasonal allergy symptoms in check: https://www.chop.edu/news/health-tip/seasonal-allergies-keeping-symptoms-check

04/08/2026

April is Autism Acceptance Month and we want to support parents, families, and ECE providers as they live and work with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Take a look at these toolkits filled with resources from the American Autism Association to support providers and caregivers in this important work: https://www.myautism.org/information-kits

03/23/2026

Superheroes don’t skip breakfast. Make sure you and your family fuel up with a nutritious morning meal to help kickstart and power your day! Check out these super tips: sm.eatright.org/powerupbfst

03/16/2026

Use laundry detergent packets? They could be a bigger risk to your kids than you realize. The highly-concentrated detergent in laundry packets is more poisonous than regular liquid or powder detergent. Save the national poison help line number (1-800-222-1222) in your cell phone and post it near your home phone. Call right away if you think a child has come in contact with laundry detergent packets.

03/11/2026

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and Abusive Head Trauma (AHT) – formerly known as shaken baby syndrome – can cause serious head injuries in young children. The Period of PURPLE Crying is an effective, evidence-based prevention program that aims to support caregivers in understanding the normal period of increased infant crying (approx. 2 weeks to 3 months old) to reduce incidence of AHT. Check out this graphic and more information at https://dontshake.org/purple-crying

03/04/2026

: By 5 years of age, 1 in 40 US children will visit an emergency room due to ? Norovirus is highly contagious and is the leading cause of vomiting, diarrhea, and foodborne illness, affecting roughly 21 million people in the US each year. Washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water is the best way to protect yourself and others from norovirus; hand sanitizer is NOT an effective way to kill the virus. Learn more at www.nfid.org/norovirus

02/23/2026

Measles is a very serious and contagious vaccine-preventable disease that has been in the news recently. Check out this carousel from the AAP filled with facts about this disease and how to best protect your child!

02/18/2026

February is National Children's Dental Health Month! Did you know, that until children can tie their shoes (about age 8), they need help brushing their teeth? Your children’s teeth deserve the best protection against tooth decay and using toothpaste with fluoride is the best way to prevent it! Brush up on oral health at https://headstart.gov/oral-health

02/11/2026

February is American Heart Month ❤️The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and The Children’s Heart Foundation are teaming up to advance lifesaving research on congenital heart defects—the most common birth defect. They’ve also created an animated video to help families explain congenital heart disease to siblings and show kids how they can support a loved one with a special heart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbLBEofXId0

Congenital heart disease is complicated and can be hard to explain to the sibling of a child born with a special heart. The American Heart Association and th...