UW-Madison Department of Pediatrics & School of Human Ecology

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The PDG partnership with UW–Madison reaches across two schools, the School of Human Ecology (SoHE) and the School of Medicine and Public Health’s Department of Pediatrics. A team led by Dr. Dipesh Navsaria – who has faculty appointments in both schools – aims to improve the quality of and access to early care and education programs for Wisconsin’s children and families through Child Care Health Consultation (CCHC) based on the gaps identified in a scan of early care and education (ECE) policies and procedures. Dr. Navsaria’s team will ascertain, evaluate, and establish the basis for health consultation initiatives in Wisconsin to increase support for early care and education providers to help achieve the goal of flourishing, thriving children, particularly in the areas of health and well-being.

PDG funds:

  • Were used in Phase 1 of this project to perform a scan of the policies and procedures related to health, safety, and well-being from ECE providers statewide, survey ECE providers, and produce an analysis of gaps and inconsistencies that impact child and family access to ECE programs.
  • Will be used in Phase 2 to create and disseminate information to ECE providers and child care regulators on health information including (but not limited to) child development, feeding and nutrition, medication administration, and some common chronic childhood illnesses.
  • Will also be used in Phase 2 to develop a plan for a sustainable health consultation in a state-wide model, offering a friendly, supportive access point for ECE providers to ask and receive high-quality answers to their questions. Read about the piloted website in specific areas of Wisconsin, below.

Early Childhood Health Consultation Website

In continued collaboration with UW-Madison School of Human Ecology (SoHE) and the School of Medicine and Public Health’s Department of Pediatrics, our partner at UW-Madison launched the Early Childhood Health Consultation (ECHC) website. The ECHC program is led by Dr. Dipesh Navsaria and aims to improve the quality of and access to early care and education programs for Wisconsin’s children and families through Child Care Health Consultation (CCHC). Dr. Dipesh Navsaria is a pediatrician at American Family Children's Hospital and is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

The Early Childhood Health Consultation (ECHC) is a free program that provides Wisconsin’s early childhood care and education providers with information on best practices related to child health and safety. Currently, the ECHC program offers ongoing support and guidance statewide through an on-demand resource library, monthly webinars and podcasts. Tailored consultation services are currently targeted in the following service areas:

  • Adams County
  • Ashland County
  • Clark County
  • Crawford County
  • Door County
  • Douglas County
  • Florence County
  • Iowa County
  • Kewaunee County
  • Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
  • Lafayette County
  • Langlade County
  • Menominee County
  • Pepin County
  • Pierce County
  • Potawatomi County
  • Price County
  • Richland County
  • Rock County
  • Sauk County
  • St. Croix County
  • Taylor County
  • Vernon County
  • Walworth County
  • Washburn County
  • Washington County

While the goal is to offer tailored services state-wide, this program is currently operating in the service areas listed above. In the meantime, anyone outside of these areas can access the ECHC Resource Library for free.

PDG funds were used in Phase 1 of this project to perform a scan of the policies and procedures related to health, safety, and well-being from ECE providers statewide, survey ECE providers, and produce an analysis of gaps and inconsistencies that impact child and family access to ECE programs.

The ECHC team created an ECHC website and resource library and has disseminated information to ECE providers and child care regulators on a variety of health-related topics through live and recorded webinars and podcasts. Through this program, early care and education (ECE) providers can receive free health consultations, on-demand training, and tailored resources surrounding best practices for health and safety needs at their child care facilities.

The team continues working on the development of a child health policy template to assist providers in communicating best practice related to child health. The ECHC team is also in collaboration with Wisconsin Department of Children & Families licensing & regulation and Wisconsin Department of Health Services to build better understandings related to communicable disease and when children may or may not need to be excluded from ECE settings.

For more information we invite you to visit the ECHC website, webinars, and podcasts.

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