Early Childhood Education & Care 2211:
Child Health, Safety, and Nutrition Online

Knowledge of health, safety, and nutrition is a prerequisite to becoming a competent early childhood professional or a confident parent. This course is designed for individuals who plan a career in preschool or early childhood education and care, or for parents who want to better understand their children.

Course Description

This course provides students with a comprehensive overview of the basic and changing health, safety, and nutritional needs of growing children. Appropriate methods to meet these basic needs of young children in group care settings will be emphasized. Because we in the ECEC department think that the ability to apply knowledge is crucial to an early childhood professional's abilities, you will be required to observe children during this learning process. You will also become aware of the influence family, community, and culture has on a child's health and safety.

Upon successful completion of this course the student should be able to do the following:

1. Describe health and safety licensing requirements for child care settings
2. Describe safety guidelines for toys and equipment
3. Describe record keeping and parent communication in relation to the child’s safety
4. Recognize screening procedures to assess a child’s health status
5. Describe signs and symptoms of childhood illnesses and chronic health conditions
6. Identify sources of nutrients and appropriate meal planning
7. Identify signs of child abuse and neglect
8. Describe the role of the child care provider in reporting suspected child abuse and/or neglect

Course Requirements

There are no prerequisites for this course though it is a prerequisite for other ECEC course and certificates. As in every ECEC course, observation of children is an integral part of the learning. You will observe children for a total of 30 lab hours. In addition to completing written lab assignments, students will complete unit exams, discussion and reflection questions, covering textbook information. You will have to purchase the textbook required for the course.

Structure of the course

This course is delivered totally online. Computer knowledge, access to a computer, having an Internet service provider (such as AT&T, Comcast, etc.), and knowing how to operate a computer are necessary to link to this course and do web searches. Course content is broken into units and assignments will be due at the end of each unit. A schedule will be supplied when the student signs online to the course. Students taking this course have diverse knowledge, all participants are encouraged to regularly share their ideas and experiences.

How do I enroll?

Prior to registration, it is strongly suggested that all students access each area in COD Online to see if online learning is suitable for them. Students meeting the requirements can enroll by calling the College of DuPage at 630.942.2377 or register online.

For more information about the Early Childhood Education and Care Program at College of DuPage, refer to our Early Childhood Education and Care website.