Staff Health Records

Staff Health Records It is also important for records to be kept to document the health of all staff in an early care and education program. Here again, each state has different regulations on what staff health records need to be kept on file. The requirements usually include, but are not limited to, a health screening report, TB Clearance5, and vaccination report.

The Importance of Keeping Staff Healthy A culture of wellness is a working environment where an employee’s health and safety is valued, supported, and promoted through worksite, health and wellness programs, policies, benefits, and environmental supports. A culture of wellness for staff is really going to be the foundation for creating a culture of health and safety for children. Staff have health problems such as obesity and depression at rates above the national average. Early care and education salaries are often low, creating personal financial stress. Staff turnover rates are high. In general, early childhood educators are undervalued for the important and high- demand work they do. Staff wellness and stability will affect the quality of services a program is able to deliver to families and children. Children need consistent, sensitive, caring, and stable relationships with adults. Adults who are well, physically and mentally, are more likely to engage in positive relationships. When we support staff well-being, we strengthen early care and education. Programs can use the CDC’s Workplace Health Model to support the health of their staff.6 It is outlined in this image (and a link is provided in the Further Resources to Explore feature at the end of the chapter).