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Rationale: Optimal development can best take place when young children are safe from physical and emotional harm. Meeting the health, safety, and nutritional needs of children are critical to child growth, development, and learning. Environments for young children should be safe from hazards that can cause injuries so that children are safe and free to explore and learn. Programs should take measures to protect children from infectious diseases by implementing appropriate health, safety, and sanitation policies, procedures and daily practices. Working in partnership with families and communities to create healthy, safe, and nutritionally supportive environments helps to create a foundation for future healthy lifestyles and a pathway for lifelong health and well-being.
Level 1
Level 1
Category: Knowledge of Regulations
Category: Knowledge of Regulations
HSN 1.1 Can identify the functions of regulatory agencies (e.g., licensing, health department, child welfare) and can locate information, has knowledge of, and complies with all applicable regulations and required trainings.
Category: Health
Category: Health
HSN 2.1 Can identify the signs and symptoms of common childhood illnesses and communicable diseases.
HSN 3.1 Can identify effective health practices to maintain a clean, healthy, and sanitary environment per the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) guidelines and requirements.
HSN 4.1 Can explain how daily routines for rest/sleep and physical activity/play are developmentally, culturally and individually appropriate to children’s needs.
HSN 5.1 Can explain the basics of established medical, nutritional, and physical care plans, including the use of assistive technology. Includes an understanding of how communities of color may perceive and experience the health care system.
HSN 6.1 Describes culturally responsive curriculum-based activities that focus on the basics of nutrition, physical wellness, and health care using an anti-bias/anti-racist lens. (Connects with TP 14.1.)
Category: Safety
Category: Safety
HSN 7.1 Can describe emergency plans and drills (e.g., fire, weather-related, and lockdown), including safety procedures for children with disabilities and who may have a sensitive trauma response.
HSN 8.1 Can identify simple and unbiased safety precautions and rules for children and uses them consistently.
HSN 9.1 Can explain the importance of complying with ratio and group size requirements. Alerts the appropriate supervisor/agency when they are out of compliance.
HSN 10.1 Can identify safety requirements for all outdoor and indoor areas including the condition of equipment and materials. Can identify potential hazards.
HSN 11.1 Can describe the reporting process for suspected child abuse and neglect. Understands the reality of racial bias in reporting.
Category: Nutrition
Category: Nutrition
HSN 12.1 Can describe safe and sanitary food handling procedures when purchasing, storing, preparing, and serving meals, snacks, breast milk, and infant formula.
HSN 13.1 Can identify healthy eating habits for children that are culturally responsive and informed by research on brain development.
HSN 14.1 Can describe professional practices to ensure health hazards in meals and snacks (e.g., choking and allergies) are eliminated.
HSN 15.1 Can identify ways to communicate with families about menus, children’s eating patterns and amounts, mealtime skills and behaviors, family preferences, and cultural food and eating habits as appropriate by age and situation.
HSN 16.1 Can identify the age-related nutritional needs of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children.
Level 2
Level 2
Category: Knowledge of Regulations
Category: Knowledge of Regulations
HSN 1.2 Effectively implements all program health, safety and nutrition standards to support the optimal growth, development, and learning of every child. Uses an anti-racist/anti-bias lens.
Category: Health
Category: Health
HSN 2.2 Responds to instances of illness or injury and reports to families and regulatory agencies as required. Uses an anti-racist/anti-bias lens.
HSN 3.2 Implements effective health practices to maintain a clean, healthy, and sanitary environment aligned with CDPHE guidelines and requirements, as well as the needs of the children in care.
HSN 4.2 Implements daily routines that have a balance of rest/sleep and physical activity/play as developmentally and culturally appropriate to children’s needs.
HSN 5.2 Implements medical, nutritional, and physical care plans, including plans for assistive technology. Collaborates with families, health care professionals, early interventionists, and other specialists to implement best practices for meeting diverse special medical care requirements of children. Considers how communities of color may perceive and experience the health care system.
HSN 6.2 Implements culturally responsive curriculum-based activities focused on the basics of nutrition, physical wellness, and health care using an anti-bias/anti-racist lens. (Connects with TP 14.2.)
Category: Safety
Category: Safety
HSN 7.2 Implements current emergency procedures, drills, and safety practices including documentation of these practices; maintains an updated list of community emergency contacts.
HSN 8.2 Implements unbiased safety precautions and rules in the learning environment with experiences for all children regardless of developmental level or disability.
HSN 9.2 Implements appropriate ratios and group size requirements both indoors and outdoors every day at all times. Conducts frequent scans and counts to ensure that all children are present.
HSN 10.2 Implements safety requirements for all outdoor and indoor areas including assessing the condition of the equipment and materials and identifying potential hazards.
HSN 11.2 Implements state-mandated reporting requirements for suspected child abuse and neglect after reflecting to eliminate potential bias.
Category: Nutrition
Category: Nutrition
HSN 12.2 Implements practices for safe and sanitary food handling procedures when purchasing, storing, preparing, and serving snacks, meals, breast milk, and infant formula.
HSN 13.2 Implements an environment that supports healthy eating habits by providing developmentally and culturally appropriate eating utensils. Encourages culturally responsive self-help skills during meals and snacks.
HSN 14.2 Implements professional practices to ensure that health hazards are eliminated during meals and snacks.
HSN 15.2 Communicates with families in culturally and linguistically responsive ways about menus, children’s eating patterns and amounts, and other issues around food and nutrition.
HSN 16.2 Implements meals and snacks that are nutritionally sound based on program policies, procedures, practices, development, cultural and special needs of children.
Level 3
Level 3
Category: Knowledge of Regulations
Category: Knowledge of Regulations
HSN 1.3 Reviews all regulations pertaining to early childhood care and learning environments on a regular basis to ensure regulations are being followed. Adjusts as needed in collaboration with program director, licensing specialist, and regulating agencies.
Category: Health
Category: Health
HSN 2.3 Integrates policies using an anti-racist/anti-bias lens when responding to instances of illness or injury and reporting to families and regulatory agencies as required.
HSN 3.3 Integrates policies and procedures for clean, healthy, and sanitary learning environments. Reviews own practice periodically and adjusts as necessary.
HSN 4.3 Plans, implements, and monitors policies, procedures, and practices to ensure that developing children have periods of rest/sleep and physical activity/play that are culturally and developmentally appropriate to their needs.
HSN 5.3 Plans and monitors culturally and linguistically responsive policies, procedures, and practices to ensure that all medical, nutritional, and physical care plans are fully implemented in partnership with families and specialists.
HSN 6.3 Monitors and adjusts curriculum-based activities and practices that are culturally responsive, and anti-bias/anti-racist to ensure that all children have multiple opportunities to learn the basics of nutrition, physical wellness, and health care. (Connects with TP 14.3.)
Category: Safety
Category: Safety
HSN 7.3 Analyzes and plans emergency preparedness procedures in collaboration with staff and community professionals. Revises emergency preparedness procedures as needed.
HSN 8.3 Designs, integrates, and monitors unbiased safety precautions and rules in the learning environment. Adjusts as necessary.
HSN 9.3 Analyzes and integrates policies and procedures that maintain ratios and group size in accordance with recommended standards and an anti-bias, anti-racist lens.
HSN 10.3 Analyzes current research and best practices for safety in early childhood settings. Integrates strategies according to culturally and linguistically responsive practice with an anti-bias, anti-racist lens.
HSN 11.3 Analyzes and uses sources of program and community support to ensure that suspected child abuse and neglect is addressed in a timely and professional manner and is free of racial bias.
Category: Nutrition
Category: Nutrition
HSN 12.3 Plans and integrates policies, procedures, and best practices for safe and sanitary food handling in a manner that is culturally responsive.
HSN 13.3 Plans and integrates policies and procedures for creating and maintaining an environment that supports healthy and culturally responsive eating habits for all children.
HSN 14.3 Works in culturally and linguistically responsive ways, in collaboration with families and early childhood professionals, to develop policies that address the dietary requirements of children/adults in a manner that reflects family practices.
HSN 15.3 Plans culturally and linguistically responsive support and resources for families regarding developmentally appropriate nutritional habits, fresh food, and healthy food choices.
HSN 16.3 Plans and integrates policies, procedures, and practices related to food and nutrition for compliance with nutritional guidelines and licensing requirements, as well as the developmental, cultural and special needs of children. Makes changes as needed.
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