All teachers or caregiver must be certified in CPR. The caregiver should organize for emergencies should be posted and plan accordingly. Emergency numbers and information should be posted and easily accessible. Every early childhood education programs should have a comprehensive first aid kit that travel with the group if they leave the site on a field trip. Every teacher should have an understanding of the steps for emergency response and be able to respond in the right order.
Good planning and preparation at a day care will help emergency situation go smoothly.
If a child is choking he or she cannot breathe. Here are the procedures for performing CPR on the three year old child. First, Ensure a child is on a firm, flat surface
If the child is unresponsive, send some to call 911 and get an automatic, external defibrillator (AED) if available. If alone, shout for help and begin CPR if indicated.
· Open airway with head tilt/chin lift.
· Look, listen, and feel for breathing for 5 to 10 seconds,
· Pinch nose and cover child’s month with your month.
· Give two breaths for 1 second each and make sure chest rises.
· Immediately begin chest compressions.
· Place the child the heel of a hand on the lower half of the lower half of the sternum between nipples.
· Keep fingers lifted off the rib area
· Keep airway open by using the other hand tom give gentle pressure tom the forehead.
· Compress the chest 30 times at a depth of ½ to ½ the depth of the chest at a rate of 100/minute’
· If necessary use two hands.
· Give two rescue breaths and continue for five cycles of CPR for 2 minutes.
· If 911 were not previously contracted do so and come back as quickly as possible.
· If an AED is present, use it after the five cycles of CPR. If not, continue CPR as needed.
If a child is choking they can cough or make sounds, let him or her cough to try to get the object out. If you are worried about the person's breathing, call 911.
If the person can't breathe, cough, or make sounds, then:
· Stand or kneel behind the person and wrap your arms around his or her waist. If the person is standing, place one of your legs between his or her legs so you can support the person if he or she faints.
· Make a fist with one hand. Place the thumb side of your fist against the person's belly, just above the belly button but well below the breastbone.
· Grasp your fist with the other hand.
· Give a quick upward thrust into the belly. This may cause the object to pop out. You may need to use more force for a large person and less for a child or small adult.
· Repeat thrusts until the object pops out or the person faints.
References
American Red Cross: Prepare for Emergencies with American Red Cross First Aid, CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Courses
(Includes descriptions of training in American Red Cross First Aid and CPR)
American Heart Association: CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care
(Includes listings for courses on CPR and emergency cardiovascular care, including Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid, which was designed specifically to meet the needs of childcare workers)