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Dear Child Care Partners,
The Child Care Health Program (CCHP) recently partnered with the Institute for Child Success (ICS) to complete a comprehensive evaluation of our program. Thank you to all early learning educators who shared your feedback. We were thrilled to learn that 93% of participants reported being satisfied or very satisfied with CCHP services and consistently described CCHP consultants as supportive, trustworthy, and respectful. The evaluation also provided insights into areas where we can improve and make an impact. For those interested in learning more, please read this attached summary of the evaluation report.
This month’s email from the Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) CCHP includes the following topics:
Health & Safety Information for Child Care Providers
Information to Share with Staff & Families
Continuing Education & Training Opportunities
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Health & Safety Information for Child Care Providers |
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CCHP and DCYF Co-Branded Care Plans
The CCHP is proud to announce that DCYF has endorsed our care plan packets (Care Plan Documents - King County, Washington) for programs across the state to use. The updated care plans are now co-branded with the PHSKC and DCYF logos, and they satisfy WAC requirements for medical care plans in early learning programs.
New Fillable Forms – Available Now and More Coming Soon!
You asked, we answered! We recently made many of our forms and all of our care plan checklists fillable PDFs so they are easier for programs to complete. You can now type directly in forms like the Incident/Injury Log, the Tracking Form for Food Allergies, Intolerances, Preferences, and Special Diets, and the Care Plan Tracking Form, which you then can save onto your computer or print. We plan to convert more forms to be fillable, so please check our website often.
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It’s Peak Season for Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease
Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is most common in the summer and early fall in the United States. And right on time, many programs have shared with us that they’ve had an increase in cases of HFMD, especially among infants and toddlers. Here are a few reminders:
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Who it affects: HFMD is most common in children under 5, but anyone can get it.
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Symptoms: Low-grade fever and rash that begins as red spots and often develops into fluid filled blisters on the hands, feet, and mouth.
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How it spreads: It’s very contagious for 7-10 days through saliva, mucus, sneezing, and stool.
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What to do:
- Make sure staff and children wash hands frequently.
- Thoroughly clean toys and other objects children put into their mouths with soap and water, and then sanitize.
- Have sick kids stay home.
According to WAC, a child must stay home if they:
- have mouth sores with drooling,
- have a fever (temperature of 100.4⁰F [38º C] or higher) along with other HFMD symptoms,
- have oozing, fluid-filled blisters, or
- do not feel well enough to participate in classroom activities (for example: unusually tired, cranky or fussy, or crying more than normal).
For more information on HFMD, see our program’s HFMD Notification Letter.
You might also find helpful reminders of ways to reduce illness spread in your program in these Illness Prevention Checklists for Administrators and Teachers.
Immunization Requirements for Child Care and Early Learning Programs
Child care and early learning programs play an important role in helping children catch up and stay up to date on their childhood vaccines. Since August is National Immunization Awareness Month, here are some reminders to help you prepare for the upcoming school year:
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This handout tells families what documentation your program needs each year and why (also available in Spanish). Be sure to let families know when these documents are due each year.
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Children who are RETURNING to a child care or early learning program need to submit an updated medically-verified record each year showing they have received all required vaccine doses for their age.
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Children who are NEW to a child care or early learning program may only begin attending if:
- they have all of the required vaccine doses they are eligible to receive for their age, and
- the program receives their medically-verified record (see list below) on or before the first day of attendance.
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A medically-verified immunization record can be:
- a current immunization record printed from either the WA Immunization Information System (WAIIS) or MyIR Mobile,
- a handwritten Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS) completed and signed by the health care provider, or
- a handwritten CIS completed and signed by the parent or guardian with the vaccination records attached.
- Children without medically-verified records, or a Certificate of Exemption (COE) excusing them from vaccinations they don’t have, cannot start child care until the paperwork is turned in, unless they are in foster care or experiencing homelessness.
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Reminder: Children who are 4 years old or older on September 1st need to have a booster dose of DTaP, polio, MMR, and varicella vaccines.
Still have questions about what’s required for child care and early learning programs? Check out these resources:
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A Toolkit for Child Care and Early Learning Providers in Washington State is available in English, Chinese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. This resource will help you feel confident when you talk with families. It includes information about vaccines and the diseases they prevent, the vaccines required in child cares, and tips for communicating with families.
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MyIR Mobile allows parents to view and print their children's official immunization records.
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Required Postings in Child Cares
Did you know many of the documents needed to meet the WAC postings requirement can be found on the CCHP website? Postings on early learning premises must be clearly visible to parents, guardians, and early learning program staff and include:
- Handwashing practices at each handwashing sink, such as:
- Diapering procedures at each diapering station (available on this webpage and in multiple languages)
- Emergency numbers and information and the location of emergency medical information for children and staff
- "No smoking" and "no vaping" signs:
One exception is that dietary restrictions, allergies, and nutrition requirements must be posted in a location easily accessible for staff but not available to anyone other than the parents or guardians of the enrolled child. To help meet this WAC, you can use the Tracking Form for Food Allergies, Intolerances, Preferences, and Special Diets, which now includes a cover sheet to help keep protected health information confidential.
This is not an all inclusive list of required postings in early learning programs. To view other requirements, review WAC 110-300-0505.
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Information to Share with Staff & Families |
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Video Series on Measles: Q & A with Dr. Ben Danielson
There's a lot of information out there about measles and the MMR vaccine. In this series of videos, Dr. Ben Danielson sits down and answers questions about measles and MMR vaccine.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvdmG8argQHkgXWI9oQTjScJQD-x7lNtl.
Where To Find Free or Low-Cost Vaccines for Children
All children ages 0 to 18 in Washington can receive all routinely recommended vaccines at no cost from a healthcare provider that participates in the Childhood Vaccine Program (CVP). You may be charged an administration fee (a charge for delivering the vaccine), but you don’t have to pay if you can’t afford it. There are about 300 CVP providers in King County, and most require that a child enrolls as a patient to get services.
To find a CVP provider near you, visit: King County vaccination locations for children and uninsured adults or visit kingcounty.gov/findaclinic for other resources.
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Continuing Education & Training Opportunities |
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DCYF Complex Needs Training Series – Back-to-School
DCYF is offering FREE trainings to support child care workers who care for children ages 0-5 with complex needs. These virtual trainings, facilitated by the UW Haring Center, will be in September and October. STARS credits will be available.
Topics include classroom routines, transitions, classroom management, and supporting multilingual learners.
Please see the attached flyer for registration details and a complete list of topics. For questions, please email Phoebe Yeung at pcyeung@uw.edu.
Seattle Children’s In-Person Course on Diabetes, Sept 6
Do you have a child enrolled who has diabetes? Seattle Children’s offers 2-part series on diabetes care and management for caregivers called Parent-Designated Adult (PDA) classes. A PDA is someone who has been trained to provide care for patients who need medical attention in a school setting.
The class covers:
- Basic information about type 1 diabetes
- General information about insulin pumps
- How to use a glucometer
- Recognizing the signs and symptoms of low/high blood sugars
- How to treat low/high blood sugars
- How to administer emergency medication in case of severe hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
This certification includes two sessions, and participants must complete both to become certified as a PDA.
- Part 2: Attend an in-person skills verification session to demonstrate knowledge. This session is next being offered on Saturday, September 6, 2025, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Sand Point Clinic.
Email for more information and to register for a time for the skills verification session.
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