Drafter
Clerk 05/02/2012
Title
A RESOLUTION supporting the inclusion of health-related best practices in state standards for child care.
Body
WHEREAS, there are approximately fifty-five thousand children in licensed child care in King County, some of whom eat the majority of their meals and spend the majority of their waking hours in care, and
WHEREAS, childhood and especially early childhood, which is ages zero to six, is a critical time for the development of lifelong health habits, and research has shown that children who have the benefit of healthy child care environments have better health outcomes, and
WHEREAS, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association and the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education have developed "Caring for Our Children," the gold standard for best practices on health and safety in child care, and
WHEREAS, these best practice standards recommend, among other things: limiting screen time; providing healthy food and beverage choices; restricting access to sugary drinks; providing active opportunities for physical activity; ensuring safe sleep practices; eliminating exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke; adopting injury prevention policies; ensuring communicable disease prevention; promoting breastfeeding; ensuring infectious disease control; practicing integrative pest management; promoting oral health; and ensuring overall quality of the outdoor and indoor environments, and
WHEREAS, in Washington state, child care is regulated and licensed by the Washington state Department of Early Learning, which promulgates regulations that establish standards for child care providers in family home settings, child care centers, and before/after school care, and
WHEREAS, the Department of Early Learning is currently seeking input on changes to the center-based and school-aged child care regulations in anticipation of revising the standards therein, and
WHEREAS, the Depar...
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