Child Care Health Consultation: An Ecological Model

Abstract

ISSUES AND PURPOSE. To present an ecological model of child care health consultation that defines the role of the health consultant as a resource and advocate within child care programs, as well as a supportive link among families, child care providers, and the healthcare system. CONCLUSIONS. Nurses have provided health consultation to child care programs for more than 30 years and represent the majority of health consultants nationally. Pediatric nurses and advanced practice nurses are well prepared to shape and lead the development of this emerging role. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS. With expertise in caring for children, understanding families, and care across systems, pediatric nurses and advanced practice nurses should engage in current state and national efforts to develop child care health consultatits.

Opportunities for Health Promotion Education in Child Care

“…Similarly, in Connecticut, some child care directors did not understand their nurse consultant's abilities and so were not using them fully, 21 whereas others valued their consultant highly as an effective means of promoting children's health and development in child care. 14 To improve the quality of child care health consultation, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health initiated training sessions for child care health consultants. The training materials and curricula were based on information from the National Training Institute for Child Care Health Consultants (NTICCHC) at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.…”

“…11 Subsequent studies described the importance of health professionals' collaboration with child care professionals to improve health. [12][13][14][15] Small, targeted health interventions in child care centers have been reported to be useful by child care professionals and, in some cases, have been associated with improved health knowledge and healthful behavior. [16][17][18][19][20] Many states, including Massachusetts, have developed regulations that require child care centers to have a health professional serve as a health consultant.…”

Family Child Care Providers' Experience in Health Promotion

“…8 The interview guide was piloted using 3 family child care providers and the instrument was refined accordingly (Table 1). One investigator carried out each face-toface, in-depth interview using open-ended questions to generate case-oriented narratives.…”

“…In this model, the wellbeing of the child and the family is viewed within the context of the concentric circles: healthcare providers are only one of a number of resources in the community, child care providers serve as another potentially important resource, and coordination across these settings facilitates child and family health and development. 8 In the United States, approximately 12 million children, or 60% of children younger than 6 years, routinely spend part of their week with nonparental child care providers. 9 Child care settings may be ideal sites to promote children's health, manage illnesses, and provide health education for families of young children.…”

Young Children's Health and Wellbeing Across the Transition to School: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis

“…This conceptualisation builds on Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecology systems model which has inspired ecological perspectives on the transition to school such as the Ecological and Dynamic Model of Transition (KraftSayre & Pianta, 2000;Rimm-Kaufman & Pianta, 2000). This view of children and their experiences acknowledges the interrelated nature and impact of family, childcare/early learning, community, and health services on children, and the need to support children and families in ways that recognise the totality and complexity of children's experiences (Crowley, 2001). …”