FARE: Food Allergy Research & Education

FARE: Food Allergy Research & Education http://allergyready.com/courses/ANAPH-2014-v3/index.html http://www.foodallergy.org/resources/child-care-facilities http://www.foodallergy.org/its-not-a-joke Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies in Schools and Early Care and Education Programs. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/foodallergies/pdf/13_243135_A_Food_Allergy_Web_508. pdf Pgs 77-85. Putting Guidelines into Practice: Actions for Early Care and Education Administrators and Staff

Allergy Ready.com http://allergyready.com/ National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education www.nrckids.org Caring For Our Children, 3rd Edition Standard 4.2.0.10: Care for Children with Food Allergies

When children with food allergies attend the early care and education facility, the following should occur: a. Each child with a food allergy should have a care plan prepared for the facility by the child’s primary care provider, to include: Written instructions regarding the food(s) to which the child is allergic and steps that need to be taken to avoid that food; A detailed treatment plan to be implemented in the event of an allergic reaction, including the names, doses, and methods of administration of any medications that the child should receive in the event of a reaction. The plan should include specific symptoms that would indicate the need to administer one or more medications; b. Based on the child’s care plan, the child’s caregivers/teachers should receive training, demonstrate competence in, and implement measures for: Preventing exposure to the specific food(s) to which the child is allergic; Recognizing the symptoms of an allergic reaction; Treating allergic reactions; c. Parents/guardians and staff should arrange for the facility to have necessary medications, proper storage of such medications, and the equipment and training to manage the child’s food allergy while the child is at the early care and education facility; d. Caregivers/teachers should promptly and properly administer prescribed medications in the event of an allergic reaction according to the instructions in the care plan; e. The facility should notify the parents/guardians immediately of any suspected allergic reactions, the ingestion of the problem food, or contact with the problem food, even if a reaction did not occur; f. The facility should recommend to the family that the child’s primary care provider be notified if the child has required treatment by the facility for a food allergic reaction; g. The facility should contact the emergency medical services system immediately whenever epinephrine has been administered; h. Parents/guardians of all children in the child’s class should be advised to avoid any known allergens in class treats or special foods brought into the early care and education setting; i. Individual child’s food allergies should be posted prominently in the classroom where staff can view and/or wherever food is served; j. The written child care plan, a mobile phone, and the proper medications for appropriate treatment if the child develops an acute allergic reaction should be routinely carried on field trips or transport out of the early care and education setting. Parents of the three million or so kids in the US who have been diagnosed with food allergies whose kids have severe food allergies know they can’t be too careful. One bite of the food they are allergic to could be deadly. Indeed, according to the CDS, more than 200 people with food allergies die every year as a result of anaphylaxis. Now, Michele Walsh, a mother of three from Baltimore, has created SafetyTat to help remind teachers, classmates and babysitters to be extra careful.

The safety tats are brightly colored temporary tattoos or long-lasting write-on stickers that can be placed prominently on a child’s arm, with information such as “ALERT: NUT ALLERGY” or other critical information. When you leave a child in someone else’s care at school or camp, “no matter how many times you fill out the forms, you’re still taking a leap of faith,” Walsh says. “This is like my voice with my son when I’m not there. It’s almost like teaching them ‘stop, drop and roll…’ They know exactly what to do.” Another company – Allermates offers allergy education tools, stickers, alert bracelets and other products for kids. Allermates was created by Iris Shamus, inspired by her son’s multiple allergies and an incident at school. “When you have a child with a food allergy, you’re always worried. It’s just part of your life,” she says. “I wanted to have something a little more personalized for him to remind teachers and babysitters.”

It began with a fun necklace, then a wristband and a large selection of products accompanied by cartoon characters such as Nutso, a charming peanut, to help her son understand, remember and confidently discuss his allergies. “It makes me feel so much more secure,” she says. “I know you can’t be there all the time when you’re a mom, and this gives you peace of mind.” “Anything that can help educate the patient about their problem and continue to make them aware about it is helpful whether it’s a temporary tattoo or a warning bracelet,” says Stan Fineman MD, immediate past president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. “The important thing is for people to accurately find out what they’re allergic to and then make sure to take the appropriate precautions,” Fineman says. He says parents of kids with severe allergies should keep EpiPens on hand, check school policies, talk to school officials and bring in treats their kids can eat for special events.

Betsy Shea of Chicago says both of her boys, 4-year-old Colin and 2-year-old Emmet, have nut allergies, and Colin wears Allermates’ green snap-on wristband featuring Nutso. She’s thinking about trying temporary tattoos for Emmet. Having allergies herself, she remembers having to wear the traditional metal medical alert band, which made her feel different and self-conscious. But Colin “loves that band. He wears it with pride and thinks it’s just so cool. We couldn’t get him to take it off for a while,” she says. We thinks it’s pretty cool too!