Well Beings: A Guide to Health in Child Care, 3e ed.
Rinaldi, Christina
Danielle Grenier, Denis Leduc (Eds.), Ottawa, ON: Canadian
Paediatric Society, 2008; 448 pp., CDN $69.95
The third edition of Well Beings is an up-to-date resource guide on
health and safety in child care. The book is primarily written for child
care and public health professionals, however it would be an invaluable
resource for early childhood education instructors and their students.
As well, any professional working with young children and families in
Canada (e.g., public health nurses, child and educational psychologists,
physicians, mental health practitioners) would benefit from adding this
publication to their resource library. Most importantly, public health
professionals who license and set policy on child care in their
respective regions would be well served by having a national resource to
supplement their specialized and local knowledge base. Finally, although
parents are not the target audience, many of the topics reviewed for
best practice in caring for young infants and children would be highly
beneficial for parents, first as a personal resource, and second as a
guide to facilitate child care discussions between parents, early
childhood educators, and health practitioners.
The text is written in an informative, straightforward and
practical way allowing a wide variety of audiences to access the
information presented. Well Beings is divided into 16 chapters,
beginning with an introductory description to the early learning and
child care field and covering topics focused on health and safety issues
such as: nutrition, dental health, safety standards, prevention,
response and treatment of injuries, infections, emergencies, and medical
conditions. Reflective of current issues in both research and practice
in child care is the inclusion of chapters dealing with: children's
emotional well-being; how to be knowledgeable and supportive of
including children with special needs in child care settings; protecting
children from maltreatment; and two chapters addressing caregivers'
physical and emotional health needs (a necessary addition for a field
with excessively high staff turnover). Surprisingly, very little
attention was given to the promotion of early social development and
care. In addition, more detailed information could have been placed on
early childhood mental health and early intervention with the provision
of current references pertaining to social and emotional development and
well-being. One other specific area that could have been further
enhanced is parent-practitioner communication. The message to
communicate and build partnerships with families is strongly endorsed
throughout the guide, however a full chapter could have been dedicated
to this vital relationship. Well Beings provides a solid overview of the
topics as they relate to early child care and lists additional resources
encouraging further and ongoing independent learning
(www.caringforkids.cps.ca).
In sum, this book makes a valuable contribution to the child care
field by combining evidence-based and practical information for its
broad audience. The editors have managed to use an extensive team of
contributors and reviewers from across multiple disciplines related to
child care development, health, and safety and the guide keenly embodies
this expert knowledge. The most important "take-home" message
is that children do not grow and develop in isolation, and this book is
a testament to those who work in the early child care profession, and
who help shape the lives of young infants and children in their care
every day.
Christina Rinaldi, PhD, RPsych
Professor, Educational Psychology
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB