San Fernando Valley Cultural Care Au Pairs Focus on Household Poisoning Prevention!

According to Safe Kids USA, for every 10 poison exposures in children, approximately nine occur in the home. These accidents are due, more often than not, to common household items that parents overlook when childproofing their home.

"Young children are especially at risk for poisonings because of their curiosity and their tendency to get into everything that they shouldn't," said Local Childcare Coordinator Suzy Price. "It's important for parents to trust that their childcare provider knows the proper safety procedures in case of a poisoning incident, so we teach our au pairs what household items could be toxic and what to do in the case of an emergency."

In 2012 there were approximately 80,000 children treated for non-fatal household poisoning incidents in emergency rooms. Of those treated around 70% were under the age of 5 years old.

"Household cleaning agents, the medicine cabinet, cosmetics and other personal products, even poisonous plants, all provide a potential danger to children,"  said Suzy.

Cultural Care Au Pair's ongoing Continuing Safety Education Program (CSEP),  requires local childcare coordinators to review safety education with au pairs throughout their year-long stay in the United States. It is designed specifically to provide their au pairs in the community with ongoing training in the area of child safety.  Suzy Price, as the Local Childcare Consultant  for the areas of Tarzana, Encino, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, North Hollywood and Toluca Lake plans and executes three au pair meetings during the year dedicated to the CSEP curriculum: household poisoning, water safety and fire prevention are covered in 3 of the monthly meetings that au pairs are required to attend during their time working as live-in childcare providers in their 12 -2 4 months with families in the USA. Au pairs also learn safety protocol during their initial 4-day stay at the Cultural Care Au Pair training school in New York before they arrive at their host families' homes.

Suzy used her April Au Pair meeting to look at and discuss hazards in the home. The au pairs were all given a customized pack that contained information on potential hazards, details of the national help center for poisoning emergencies with the emergency telephone number 1-800-222-1222 clearly highlighted, together with visual aids of commonly used liquids and tablets that can often be mistakenly ingested by children, plus preventative tips and hints.

The au pairs in Suzy's group are all placed with families in the cities of Tarzana, Encino, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, North Hollywood, Toluca Lake and surrounding environs along the Ventura Blvd. corridor.

Suzy Price, a resident of Encino, helps families considering an au pair for their live-in childcare / nanny needs, guiding families through the process of choosing and welcoming an au pair into their home and then services and supports the families and au pairs during their program year.

Suzy provides these safety tips for local families:

• Ensure that all medications and household products are locked out of sight and out of reach
• Always read labels, follow directions and give medicines to children according to their weights and ages
• Buy products in child-resistant packaging
• Discard expired medicine on a regular basis
• Never refer to medicine as "candy"
• Keep potentially poisonous plants out of reach

Suzy Price
Local Childcare Consultant
Cultural Care Au Pair
Office:  818 646 8145
Cell: 310 908 3975
Email: suzy.price@lcc.culturalcare.com
http://sprice.aupairnews.com

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