October 2024  

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Environmental Risks - 

Here's where you can learn more.

The Washington State Department of Health has a voluntary program available to child care and early learning providers called Washington Choose Safe Places (WCSP). Their goal is to identify and address possible environmental concerns near child care facilities. Maybe you are considering a move to a new building - do you know what was in the building before? Certain businesses like former or current dry cleaners or stained glass studios can leave harmful residues behind. Is there a business nearby that you fear could be impacting the environmental conditions - old cars, pesticide overspray from farms, fumes from a nearby printshop?  Here is a factsheet to learn more about the program.

Download and complete WCSP's Child Care Property Checklist in English, Spanish, or Somali. You can send your completed checklist to wcsp@doh.wa.gov to get a free consultation.

SIDS AWARENESS MONTH

October is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month. Infant care providers can join Safe to Sleep and its partners to encourage safe infant sleep and help raise awareness about strategies to reduce the risk of SIDS.

Check out this toolkit for more information and resources: SIDS Awareness Month Toolkit | Safe to Sleep® (nih.gov).

Nutrition to help Moms maintain adequate breastmilk supply or increase a waning supply

Child care providers play a large role in the support of mothers reaching or exceeding their breastfeeding goals. Infants may receive up to half of the daily breastmilk intake during the time they are at their child care program. It can feel overwhelming for working families to provide adequate expressed breastmilk during this time or to visit the child during working hours to breastfeed their infant directly. Pregnancy and lactation is a unique time in women’s lives when they require additional nutrition. Following a nutrient dense and balanced diet can play a part in achieving an adequate milk supply. Nutrient dense foods and beverages provide vitamins, minerals, protein, unsaturated fats and carbohydrates with little added sugar, saturated fat and sodium. Some examples include, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and seafood.  

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020[1] suggests lactating women consume an additional 330 calories/day during the first 6 months postpartum and 400 additional calories/day during months 6-12 postpartum. Lactating women should aim for 2.5-3.5 cups of vegetables/day, 1.5-2.5 cups of fruit/day, 6-10 ounces of grains/day, 3 cups of dairy/day and 5-7 ounces of protein/day. Families can work with a Registered Dietitian and/or their health care providers to determine their specific dietary needs. They can also visit https://www.myplate.gov/life-stages/pregnancy-and-breastfeeding for helpful information and guidance.

Families should consult with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) to explore any milk supply concerns (https://ilca.org/why-ibclc-falc/). One aspect that may be discussed are galactagogues. Galactagogues are foods or supplements that may increase or maintain milk production. Some examples are oats, brewer’s yeast, green leafy vegetables, quinoa, and barley.  

Child care providers can direct families to these resources. In addition, the Snohomish County Health Department has a new lactation support program. We are currently piloting the Lactation Friendly Feeding Environment (LFE) program. LFE recognizes child care providers as supporting lactating families and can be used as a great marketing tool. We would love to speak with anyone interested in learning more about participating in the program. Please email lactation@co.snohomish.wa.us to learn more!

COVID-19 Information and Resources

Remember to report all cases of COVID that occur at your child care via our website.

Take a look at our Snohomish County Health Department webpage for COVID-19 resources for schools and child care. Choose the “Child Care (staff)” tab.

The website contains current guidance for child cares and a simple pathway for reporting COVID-19 cases directly to the Washington State Department of Health (through an application called FONT). Please use the spreadsheet on our website when reporting case(s). A link for reporting through the FONT tool is available on the website.

Guidance and assistance are available from the staff of the Child Care Health Outreach Program at the email address and phone number listed below:

Email:  shd.childcarehealth@co.snohomish.wa.us

Phone: 425-252-5415