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.
• General health and safety advice to early childhood centres, including for new proposed centres or renovations to existing centres.
• Assistance with Resource Management Applications for early 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’s 2018 rapid evidence review presents evidence on the effectiveness of health promotion interventions in several areas delivered in ECE settings.

• View a one-page summary of “Health promotion in early childhood education settings: rapid evidence review” [40KB].
• Download “Health promotion in early childhood education settings: rapid evidence review” [1.62MB].

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 December 2017 – 1.34MB) 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 an example of a Cleaning Schedule for Early Childhood Centres, which is included in the Information Pack [46KB DOC].
• 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

• 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 Foundations: Getting it Right in the First 1000 Days (Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne 2017).
• Growing up in NZ Study – Now we are four: Describing the preschool years (Growing Up in New Zealand 2017).
• The Best Start in Life: Achieving effective action on child health and wellbeing (National Health Committee 2011).

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!
• Keeping Healthy in Early Childhood Centres
• Cleaning and Disinfection Guidelines for Gastroenteritis Outbreaks
• Headlice

Links

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

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].
• View the SunSmart Module for early childhood educators from the NZ Cancer Society.
• View short videos of educators sharing tips on sun protection in their early childhood settings (YouTube).
• Download recommended picks for sun protection resources for early childhood settings [1.6MB].