Nurse Consultation Program Helps Preschoolers Stay Healthy

Before Gabriela Sanchez attended St. Joseph’s preschool, she rarely ate vegetables. But soon after she began attending, Rubi Pedrego, Gabriela’s mother, was surprised and delighted to see her young daughter eating foods that she would have never touched before - like broccoli.

St. Joseph’s preschool, an early learning program in Cottonwood, participates in the Child Care Health Consultation (CCHC), a program for child care centers and preschools that is implemented by Yavapai County Community Health Services and funded by First Things First.

Through the program, centers receive visits from a nurse who partners with child care providers to strengthen the health and safety of their program, which includes giving trainings to staff, offering resource information, and providing workshops for children. Like for young Gabi Sanchez, these trainings, which focus on things like hand-washing, oral health, sun safety and nutrition, help young kids develop healthy habits that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.



Diana Cienega and Beth Mohan meet at St. Joseph’s preschool in Cottonwood.

 

Beth Mohan is the Child Care Health Consultant at St. Joseph’s, and visits the preschool about once per month. Diana Cienega, St. Joseph’s preschool director, says that the kids use what they learn from Mohan’s trainings immediately, and that their knowledge is long-lasting. “The preschoolers that received the hand-washing training last year still remember every step of the process, such as turning off the water with a paper towel,” Cienega said.

CCHC works with each center based on their unique needs. “If [Beth Mohan] doesn’t know the answer to a question I have, she will find it,” Cienega said. Mohan has also partnered with Cienega other health-related projects, such as the creation of a resource information area for parents and a thorough policies and procedures manual for use by parents and staff. 

Cienega is looking forward to continuing to partner with the Child Care Health Consultation program. “It’s been a great help,” said Cienega.

 

CCHC is a free nurse consultation program for licensed child care centers and homes that is funded by First Things First. For more information about First Things First, please visit ReadyAZKids.com.