Health & Safety Tips
Communicable Illness/Childhood Immunizations/Childhood Disease
COVID-19
Information for Parents:
- Cloth Face Coverings (CDC)
- Talking to your children about Coronavirus Disease (CDC)
- Click here for the latest Centers for Disease Control (CDC) information
- FAQ's regarding COVID-19 (CDC)
- Know the Facts about COVID-19 (CDC)
- Tips on how to protect your family (CDC)
- Social Distancing-What is is, and how to protect yourself (IDPH)
- Advice for Teens and Social Distancing (AdvocateAurora Health)
- Tips to keep children healthy while school's out (CDC page with helpful links to numerous resources)
- How to Clean and Disinfect your Home (CDC)
- Staying safe while using home cleaning products (Illinois Poison Center)
- How to Wear a Face Mask (IL. Department of Public Health)
- Poster: How to wear a non-medical face mask (World Health Organization)
- How to safely wear and take off a face mask (CDC)
- Holiday gatherings, social events, entertaining: Tips to protect from COVID-19
Information for Students:
- All about Coronavirus: A Video for Kids (University of Michigan, School of Public Health)
- Handwashing video for kids (BrainPop Jr.)
- Coronavirus video (BrainPop)
- Coronavirus: What Kids can Do (Kidshealth.org)
Seasonal Influenza Information
- Information for D64 Families: What You Need to Know about the Yearly Flu Season
- The Flu: What to Do If You Get Sick
- Flu Facts from Cook County Department of Public Health
- CDC's "The Flu: A Guide for Parents"
- Is it a cold or is it the flu? Find out more.
- Preventing the Flu: Resources for Parents and Child Caregivers. The American Academy of Pediatrics presents current information.
Pneumonia
Meningitis
- Meningitis facts from the American Academy of Pediatrics
- What you should know about meningitis vaccination
Tick Bites/Lyme Disease
- Find out how to protect your family from tick bites and Lyme disease.
- D64 Letter regarding tick removal
- IDPH Tick Flyer
Chicken Pox
- Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC): Chicken Pox
Pertussis
- What is pertussis or "whooping cough"?
- Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) Pertussis
- Coughs are a common childhood symptom. Learn about the varied causes here.
Measles
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC) measles website
- Information for parents about measles
Viral Gastroenteritis
- Surviving the Stomach Bug: Truths and Tips
- Gastrointestinal Illness: "Stomach Flu"
Immunizations
- Learn about the history of vaccination, how vaccines work, and other interesting facts.
- Vaccines for your Children (CDC)
- Immunization information from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
- Why Vaccinate Infants?
Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy. With diabetes, the body doesn't make enough insulin or can't use it as well as it should. When there isn't enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays in the bloodstream. Over time, that can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease.
#SeeTheSigns - Learn the Commonly Missed Symptoms of Diabetes. These are the four primary warning signs of diabetes. If you #SeeTheSigns in yourself or anyone you know, see a health care provider right away and get a simple blood sugar check:
- Thirsty all the time - feeling dehydrated, unquenhable thirst all the time, waking up at night to drink, frequently asking for something to drink
- The need to urinate too frequently- feeling like you're peeing all the time, even getting up at night, children past the bed-wetting phase may start again
- Exhaustion - tired, low energy, unusually fatigued with no reason why and can lead to irritability and mood swings
- Losing weight but not trying to or faster than can be explained
Other common symptoms include: blurry vision, numb or tingling hands or feet, very dry skin, cuts or sores that heal slowly, frequent UTIs, frequent yeast infections.
More information:
- CDC Diabetes information (Type 1 and Type 2)
- Breakthrough Type 1 (formerly JDRF) - Type 1 Diabetes basics
- Beyond Type 1- School resources
- Mayo Clinic Explains Diabetes (Youtube Video)
Safety and Wellness
Handwashing
- Learn about When and How to Wash your Hands
- Information on Hand Sanitizers and Hand Washing
Vaping/E-Cigarettes
- How to talk to your teen about e-cigarettes
- Quick facts on the risks
General Safety
- It's cold out there!! Information on frostbite and hypothermia
- AVOID, SPOT, TREAT! Tips to prevent frostbite
- An Ounce of Prevention...Tips for keeping germs away in your home
- CPR/AED training video is available for viewing on the Illinois High School Association's website. View here
- Easy tips to fit a bike helmet and where to buy low-cost helmets and have them custom-fitted locally from Advocate Lutheran General Hospital.
- Do you know what the Thor Guard lightning horn means? Find out here
- Sun safety is so important! Click here for tips on sun protection and prevention of skin cancer.
Concussions
- Heads Up! Comprehensive information about preventing, recognizing, and responding to a concussion
- Information from the CDC regarding Baseline Testing for Young Athletes
- Concussions - Learn more about signs, symptoms and prevention.
Insect/Bug Bites
- Mosquito bites: symptoms, treatment, and when to call your healthcare provider
- Learn more about bee/yellow jacket stings.
Food Allergies
- Information about Common Food Allergens and Food Sensitivities
- Get an overview of food allergies by visiting the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology (AAAAI) website.
Grief Issues
- Helping your child cope: Tips for parents
- Rainbow Hospice - When Your Child Faces Grief: Information for Concerned Parents
- Bereavement resources for families
Head Lice
- District 64 Head Lice Brochure for parents
- 14 Day Treatment schedule brochure
- Local lice removal services
- General information about head lice
- CDC Head Lice information for parents
- Video on how to check for and identify lice
- Video on how to get rid of nits
Nutrition and Physical Fitness
- Make healthy choices throughtout the year! MyPlate.gov.
- Learn more about nutrition for school-aged children.
- Nutrition information for preschoolers
- Nutrition for children with food allergies
- Snacking Do's and Don'ts
- Helping kids plan healthy lunches
- Tips on how to get your kids more active outdoors
- Learn about the basics of healthy weight.
- Practical ways to reduce screen time
- What kids drink can affect nutrition-More on sports and energy drinks here
- Other wellness resources for students and parents
- The Health Risks of Energy Drinks (Thanks Tyler and the Bay Minette Troop for this resource!)
This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.