Healthy Child Care Programs:

Children with Special Health Needs

Approximately eight percent of preschool children, ages 0 through 5 have special health care needs. (2001 MCH/CDC) These needs may vary from administering medication daily such as giving a nebulizer treatment to providing “tube feedings” to a child who is unable to take food by mouth.

In order to provide support care effectively and successfully, the provider needs to do the following:

  1. Get all the facts in the regards to what you need to provide in support care  and develop a plan prior to providing child care. This will assure you have a clear understanding to what support care the child may need while in your care. This plan may be formal, such as one developed by a child care health consultant and/or the health care provider or a less formal document with a list of instructions provided by the parents.

  2. Get training, and/or access resources which will help you better understand the “what if’s”.  For instance, the Food and Allergy Network has an excellent site explaining the support needs of children with severe allergies. 

  3. Ask questions.  When in doubt give a “shout”, so to speak. 

Resources on Health Conditions

Asthma Management

Cerebral Palsy (PDF, 95.7 KB)

School, Childcare, and Camp Resources from The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network

Difficulty in Processing and Organizing Sensory Information (PDF; 127KB) 

Failure to Thrive (PDF, 83.2KB)

Food Allergy Action Plan (PDF; 218KB)

Minnesota Department of Health's Health Condition Fact Sheets

Responding to Life Threatening Allergic Reactions (PDF; 159KB)

Managing Students with Seizures