Making early childhood environments safe and healthy

Community and Public Health supports health, wellbeing and safety in early childhood settings by providing:

• Advice on strengthening early childhood settings as healthy environments where children, whānau and staff can flourish. This includes supporting a strong cultural identity, positive mental wellbeing, being active, healthy eating and good oral health.
• Health and safety assessments on new or existing centres as requested under the Ministry of Education’s Early Childhood Centres Regulations. This assessment is from a public health perspective – looking at compliance with legislative requirements and assessment of health risk. Please note: there is a charge for this assessment.
• Health and safety advice to early childhood centres, including for new proposed centres or renovations to existing centres.
• Advice on placement of childhood centres.
• Specialist advice on public health issues such as water, disease outbreaks, and chemical hazards.
• Support to promote good oral health in Canterbury and South Canterbury.

• Wellbeing and Vitality in Education (WAVE) is involved with early childhood settings in South Canterbury.

Effective interventions to support healthy environments in early childhood settings

Development during early childhood lays the foundation for health, education, social, employment and economic outcomes throughout the life course. Many young New Zealand children spend time in early childhood education (ECE) settings, making them an ideal location for health promotion.

Community and Public Health has undertaken evidence reviews on the effectiveness of health promotion interventions in several areas delivered in ECE settings.

• Preschoolers missing the opportunity to thrive: A case study (Community and Public Health 2021).
• Health promotion in early childhood education settings: rapid evidence review (Community and Public Health 2018 – 1.62MB].
• View a one-page summary of “Health promotion in early childhood education settings: rapid evidence review” [40KB].

Protecting under fives from infectious diseases

Early childhood centres present health risks to children, staff and other people who spend time at the centre. There is potential for disease transmission because:

• Children under five years (because of their developmental stage) are likely to have poorly developed personal hygiene habits;
• There is a high level of physical contact between children;
• Nappy changing is considered to be a high risk activity;
• Food may be shared; and
• Children tend to place items in their mouths and may contaminate those items – spreading the risk of disease.

Disease transmission within early childhood centres may have implications for the wider community, particularly parents, caregivers and friends of children attending. Health and safety risks in early childhood centre environments will be reduced by maintaining effective public health oversight through assessment, enforcement and health promotion.

• Community and Public Health’s Early Childhood Centre Information Pack (revised January 2018 – 902KB PDF) is specifically developed for those planning to establish a new centre.
  It covers health requirements relating to design, physical environments and health policies that will be necessary to consider at the planning stages for a new centre. The pack provides the necessary information to ensure that a centre will meet the health component of the licensing requirement.
• Download Cleaning and Disinfection Guidelines for Gastroenteritis Outbreaks.
• Download an example of a Cleaning Schedule for Early Childhood Centres – updated from that included in the Information Pack [75KB DOCX].
• Download a pamphlet on keeping healthy in early childhood centres for staff and parents.

• Find out more about Community and Public Health’s response to infectious diseases.

Documents

• Navigating wellbeing services when a child or family presents in crisis to an ECE setting (Futures Network 2023).
• New Vaping Law and Regulations for Schools, Kura Kaupapa Māori, Kōhanga Reo and Early Childhood Education and Care Centres (Ministry of Health 2021).
• Well Child Tamariki Ora Review Report (Ministry of Health 2021).

• Health-related parenting behaviours across early childhood: Evidence from the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study (Ministry of Social Development 2021).
• Learning in a COVID-19 World: The Impact of COVID-19 on Early Childhood Education (Education Review Office 2021).
• Reducing food-related choking for babies and young children at early learning services (Ministry of Health 2020).
• Healthy Food and Drink Guidance – Early Learning Services (Ministry of Health 2020).
• The First 1000 Days: A South Island report for the Hauora Alliance (Community and Public Health 2018).

• Sit Less, Move More, Sleep Well: Active play guidelines for under-fives resources (Ministry of Health 2018).
• Nourishing Futures with Better Kai (Community and Public Health 2017).
• Active movement activity guides for children 0-5 years (Sport New Zealand 2017) – available in Te Reo Māori.
• Strong Foundation: Getting it Right in the First 1000 Days (Centre for Community Child Health – Murdoch Children’s Research Institute 2017).
• Growing up in NZ Study – Now we are four: Describing the preschool years (Growing Up in New Zealand 2017).

Downloads

Download or order resources from the Community Health Information Centre.

• Eating for Healthy Babies and Toddlers: From birth to 2 years old.
• Ka Pai Kai: Easy steps to great lunches!
• Headlice.

Links

• All Right? Parenting Hub.
• Be You (formerly the Australian Childhood Mental Health Initiative).
• Well Child | Tamariki Ora Programme (Kids Health).
• Kids Health.
• Healthy Kids.
• Early Learning (0 to 6 years) (Ministry of Education).
• Poisonous plants in New Zealand (Landcare Research).

Mindful Eating Activity Resource

This resource provides mindful eating activities for four-year olds, including colouring sheets for tamariki and whānau. Notes for kaiako are also provided.

• Download a copy of Mindful Eating Activities [1.29MB PDF].

Early childhood teachers in Canterbury showing the way in sun protection

All settings spoken with in a 2018 survey with health promoters had sun protection policies, and provided spare hats to children. 96 percent provided a broad spectrum SPF 30+ sunscreen and ECE managers self-reported that 96 percent of staff model sun protective behaviour very well. Few early childhood settings knew about the new Cancer Society PD module for early childhood educators.

• View a summary infographic on survey of sun protection in early childhood education settings [582KB PDF].
• View the SunSmart Module for early childhood educators from the NZ Cancer Society.
• Download recommended sun protection resources for early childhood settings – updated November 2023 [181KB PDF].