Choking and CPR Response

It was 12:36 pm and as always my teacher assistant and I were sitting eating with Head Start students. It was then that an incident with my youngest, a 3 year old started to choke as he was clutching his throat. I immediately went to help the child and check if air was flowing. I was telling the child that he was going to be fine and then told the other teacher to help the other students calm down. As the assistant helped the rest of the children she called the health coordinator to make them aware of the situation. I was able to free the object from the child’s throat with a thrust on the back. As I observed and comforted the child, I made a phone call to the parents to see what they prefer to do in this situation. They agreed to pick up their son with a half hour for a checkup. As we waited, I stood by the child, covered him and filled out an incident report. With careful study every step was followed according to procedure, but serving spaghetti is prohibited. The steps taken to help the child were recommendations from NAEYC for emergencies, which are the same steps that I would take for the following incident (Robertson, 2010, p. 178-179).

One of the favorite times of the day for the children is during center time. This is when the teachers give the children a choice to make in what area they would like to play in. It tends to be a bit crazier since this is when noise and movement is elevated, yet it is teacher planned and directed. It was during this time that a devastating incident occurred when a child was choking on a small Lego, which is not usually present in the classroom. I immediately separated the other children to another area and the assistant took over on calming down the class without me having to instruct her. The same training and recommendations are followed by all teachers and assistants. Next, since my attention was on the child I was able to help her to calm down. Soon the child was unconscious and with my cell phone in hand I called 911. The teacher assistant called the Health Coordinator to speak with the 911 personnel. I immediately started to perform CPR on the child who had no sign of breathing. Soon after the ambulance came and took over. They started to use their defibrillator when they felt any pulse. I was afraid for sure; but I could not show that to the children. When the child finally responded the emergency crew took the child to the hospital. The Health Coordinator already notified the parents and I went to the hospital to be a support to the parents. When I was able to leave, I went to the school to fill out the incident report. By analyzing the situation I found out that the Lego was brought in from the house by the same child who suffered the incident. My next step is to notify parents in helping me check that their children do not carry with any toys from home on a daily bases to prevent future occurrences.

Advanced planning helps to organize for any emergency situation. It helps us to be prepared and stay aware of our surrounding. Also, with advanced planning we can be equipped with the proper first aid kit and filled with needed supplies. Updated information is also an advantage of advanced planning. Staff should be certified with CPR cards that will help them have the training and recognize any signs for emergency actions (Robertson, 2010, p. 178).

 Parents and teachers are partners and this is another step that should be implemented. Parents can discuss with their children safety procedures and proper eating habits to avoid an incident or confusion if an occurrence were to happen. With this emergency contacts should be available at all time and up to date. Teachers should take extra precaution to make sure that there are no objects or foods that can be life threatening to children. This includes allergy causing foods and things such as dust that can cause a reaction that may even prevent air flow.

Reference

Robertson, C. (2010). Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education (4th ed). Belmont: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning