Child w/CF in Kindergarten Classroom

[allisonl]

Hi!<br>
I am a kindergarten teacher and this year we have a child with CF
in our class. I look forward to working with this student and his
family. They have given me some great ideas on how to keep the room
and the students on top of germs (i.e. continually using hand
sanitizer), however, I was wondering if there are any other good
ways to help keep him safe from illness. If you have any
suggestions, I would love to hear them! Thank you for your
time!!<br>
Allison

 

[anonymous]

Hi Allison,

Wow...that student is very lucky to have you as their teacher. For you to be concerned enough to come here looking for answers is very impressive. Handwashing and hand sanitizer is the best tool against germs. The next best thing you can do for your student...just try to treat him as normal as any other student. In my opinion, kindergarten sets the foundation for how he will feel about school. Best of luck. I hope that you have a terrific year!

 

[ReneeP]

Allison,

I'm very glad you took the time to do this research. It says a lot about what kind of teacher you are. I wish you were my child's teacher (mine are out of kindergarten so I know you aren't...lol). I have two daughters with CF and I only hope their teachers will even bother to read the pamphlets I take to school.

As far as what you can do, the only things that come to mind right away are the hand sanitizer, encouraging hand washing as well, always allowing the child to go to the bathroom when he/she needs to, allowing snacks as needed, making sure the CF chilld isn't seated right next a child who has constant colds and snotty noses, etc. We all know that in Kindergarten there are always those couple of kids who seem to always be sick. Just try to seat the CF child on the opposite side of the room. But above all, don't treat the child any different. Don't baby him/her. Just take a few extra precautions. And always feel free to come here with questions or concerns.

And thanks for checking. It is good to know that you are going above and beyond to do your part in caring for your students.

 

[julie]

Hi Allison,

WOW, what a great teacher you are!!! Amazing that you are here, major props to you!!!

I don't personally have any other recommendations other than what's been mentioned thusfar like sanitizer, hand washing and such.

I can envision you having more questions about this child and their CF as the year goes on... please please, I would love to have you come here for your questions and guidance. We don't know everything, but we are here to help and support eachother, which includes CFers and those who are their "support network". What a wonderful person you are to come post here with these quesitons.

If the child has digestive problems, he/she might need to use the bathroom a lot so just be aware of that. Also, with digestive problems comes the need to eat a lot so I'm not sure how Kindergarden works with snacks and such (i recall getting one when I was in Kindergarden) but make sure that he/she is getting the snacks they need and maybe a trip to the nurses office to have an additonal snack or two (based on what the parents discuss with you as to his/her needs).

That's all I can think of for now...

 

[coltsfan715]

That is so great that you are here and seeking information.

I do not have any kids, let alone a kid with CF (I have CF). I do remember things that helped me when I was in school though. Everyone is right about allowing the child to use the bathroom when needed, also allowing him to go to the nurse if he needs meds or an extra snack.

I also thought of this. I remember being in elementary school and having recess. I would always catch colds if we went out when it was really cold or windy (rainy too, but I think recess was always cancelled if it was raining). I am not necessarily saying don't allow him outside if it is cold, but to just maybe keep an eye on him. If he seems to be shivering or anything maybe offer to go inside or something. I had a hard time with this through High School because my teachers tended to think I was making excuses to go inside. I know a kindergartener probably won't fuss about it too much, but it still may be an issue.

Hope that you have a great year and I am sure things will go great.

Lindsey

 

[lightNlife]

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has put together a little
publication called "A Teacher's Guide to CF". It includes
a section called "infection control" which has the
information you are looking for. You can download the pdf version
<a href=
"http://www.cff.org/UploadedFiles/publications/files/TeachersGuide1-05.pdf">
here</a>.<br>
<br>
As a personal note, I applaud you for wanting to be a well-informed
educator who cares not only for the scholastic needs of your
students, but for the overall health and well-being.<br>
<br>
I would like to share with you something I wish one of my teacher's
had known when I was quite a bit younger. I wish a certain teacher
of mine had not shared information about my condition with the rest
of the class. The choice should have been mine as to who I told
about CF and who I didn't. That's not lying, that's being discrete.
As a child (and even now as an adult) it is very painful to pointed
at for being different. I actually had a girl come up to me once
after years of friendship and tell me that her mom had told her not
to make friends with me because I was going to die. I don't know
which was more disgusting: her mother for saying that, or her for
passing along the info.<br>
<br>
Best of luck with your new crop of students!

 

[damiensmom]

What a woman. I Think compassion and understanding is one of the best things you can do to sooth a mothers fears of starting school for there baby that takes a little more care than most. I have a 11 month old and I think about school and the challenges my son will face. God please give Damien one like her.Teacher that is.

 

[damiensmom]

What a woman. I Think compassion and understanding is one of the best things you can do to sooth a mothers fears of starting school for there baby that takes a little more care than most. I have a 11 month old and I think about school and the challenges my son will face. God please give Damien one like her.Teacher that is.

 

[Liza]

Hi, I just want to add to the praise for you taking the additional steps to find out what you can about CF. My daughters were lucky enough to have caring teachers such as yourself all throughout school. I am sure that the parents of your new CF student have given you the pamphlet on having a student with CF in your classroom. If school hasn't started yet, or you haven't met with the parent(s) and student give them a call and set up a meeting. I met with my girls' new teachers every year through out elementary school before school started. If you are a full day Kindergarten school and will possibly take field trips, find out if your student can swallow their enzymes since you will be the one dispensing them. As someone mentioned before, although it is by law now, do not mention to other students or parents that this child has CF. I preferred to tell only my daughters close friends parents. That was a personal decision on our part. We did not want our girls to be singled out as "different". I don't believe that there is anything special you need to do in your classroom to accomadate a child with CF. All kindergarteners should be washing and using tissues to prevent the spread of illnesses. If you live in a hot climate (like Arizona, Texas, Nevada) be aware that the CF child dehydrates a little quicker than a non CF child. Be sure they take in extra water and maybe some pretzels to replace the extra loss of salt after recess. As everyone else has mentioned, bathroom. When a CF child has to go they can be pretty well trusted that they have to go and that usually means NOW not in just a minute. My daughters teachers always allowed them to go freely. Raising the hand while you are talking and getting up to let you know during work time. One last thing my daughters teachers did for me was to let me know when/if they noticed they were using the bathroom more than usual or if they were coughing more than usual. It was a huge help because we as parents may not notice these changes as quicky when they are in school.

You'll do great and thanks for being such a caring teacher!

Liza
(mom of 2 teen girls w/CF)
( ages 19 & 16)

 

[anonymous]

I always ask my son's daycare teachers to be sure that he washes his hands (or uses hand sanitizer) when he comes in from the playground. He loves to dig in the dirt on the playground which is full of bacteria (and we all know how 4 yr olds love to put their hands in their mouths). I also tell him to tell his teacher when he gets a cut (no matter how small) so that they can clean it good with soap and water. Your student is lucky to have you for a teacher.

 

[izemmom]

I just posted to the thread in Adults about the college roomate with cf. I got all teary thinking about Emily going off to college in 18 short years. Now I come here and I'm bawling all over the place because she go to Kindergarten in FOUR years! Thank you for being such a caring teacher. My fingers are crossed that we'll get teachers like you! Good luck with your class!

 

[thefrogprincess]

I wish that I'd had more teachers who were so proactive! I applaude you. Keep in mind that he may need to go to the restroom frequently (although I would hope that any kindergarten teacher would not restrict bathroom usage). He may also need to snack more frequently too. In addition to hand sanitizer I would also suggest a surface disinfectant like Lysol or Clorox wipes to use on common areas of the class room and any toys.

 

[Mommafirst]

My oldest son (no CF) is going to Kindergarten next week, and it
has brought up sooo many issues that I know I'll have to face with
my daughter.  Thanks for being such a good teacher, I pray my
kids have someone like you.  I worry so much that she will be
made to feel like an oddity, or that she will get sick from the
careless germ passing of other kids.

 

[fourkidsmom]

My son started kindergarten yesterday and his teacher too seems very interested in knowing about his illness and what needs to be done. I really appreciate you taking the time to inquire about kids with cf. Your little cf'er in your class is very fortunate!

Fourkidsmom

 

[anonymous]

Allison -
How beautiful it is that you have sought "counsel" here at www.cysticfibrosis.com. The outpouring of support, encouragement and well-wishers are just the typical responses from this family of CFers! Your special student is lucky to have such a warm and hospitable kindergarten environment. May YOU also learn from this student and family. Teach all that you can, observe all that you can and be thankful for this opportunity to be enlightened and enriched.

God Bless you and the work that you do.

Sarah Katopodis
www.cysticfibrosis.com administrator