However, like BPA in baby bottles, it’s also a topic where a little bit of information can be a bad thing. Nobody wants to think of their kids being exposed to some sort of “super germ” in their school…I know my first reaction would be to keep my daughter at home if I learned of a case at her daycare. Of course, that would be a complete over-reaction on my part. One in three people are estimated to be carriers of the staph virus, but the percentage of those carrying MRSA is much lower. And, like “normal” staph infections, the risk of MRSA being passed between people is very low and can be greatly reduced with simple precautions. I’m not sure that makes me feel better, but it does help keep things in perspective.

Here’s a quick overview of MRSA as well as some additional links to help you learn more:

What is MRSA?
In short, MRSA is a strain of staph bacteria that is resistant to all but the most powerful antibiotics. Often found in hospitals or nursing homes, the growth of MRSA outside those areas has been linked to the increased use of antibiotics. There are two types, hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA) and community-acquired (CA-MRSA). Other than the source of the infection, the two are very similar.

How is MRSA Transmitted?
Skin-to-skin contact, or contact with items that have come in contact with someone else’s infection

Symptoms
According to the CDC: “Staph or MRSA infections in the community are usually manifested as skin infections, such as pimples and boils, and occur in otherwise healthy people.”

Treatment
Currently MRSA can be treated with more powerful antibiotics like vancomyacin. However, increased use of these antibiotics could lead to bacteria becoming more resistant to them in the future. Wounds may also be drained by a physician.

Prevention
The best ways to prevent MRSA infections are the same things you would use to prevent other infections: Wash hands regularly, keep wounds covered, and don’t share personal items.

Additional Links

• MRSA in Schools – CDC
• Overview of Community-Associated MRSA – CDC
• MRSA Infection – Mayo Clinic
• MRSA: Understand your risk and how to prevent infection – Mayo Clinic
• Hand washing: An easy way to prevent infection – Mayo Clinic
• Wikipedia entry on MRSA
• Understanding MRSA – WebMD
• School aid and student have MRSA – The Telegraph
• N.H. official answers staph questions – Concord Monitor

Let me know if you have any other links that would be useful to SNHParents.

Second, today marks the launch of our first guest article, “Bringing the Balance Back into Your Family’s Life” by Lorrie Ferraro. In it the author explains the benefits of an in home au pair and provides useful information for families considering this child care option.

Please let us know what you think of the new features, suggest an article topic, or inquire about writing one yourself.

Poor Behavior Linked to Time in Day Care

Wow, now there’s a headline that should stop a lot of parents in their tracks. Several thoughts went through my mind when I read it:

• Wait, my daughter is in day care! What have I done?
• Is it too late to save her? Should I pull her out now??

Ok, take a deep breath. As the first paragraph says, a study did find that “keeping a preschooler in a day care center for a year or more increased the likelihood that the child would become disruptive in class—and that the effect persisted through the sixth grade.”

Gosh, that sounds bad. But wait, here comes the second paragraph to explain further:

The effect was slight, and well within the normal range for healthy children, the researchers found. And as expected, parents’ guidance and their genes had by far the strongest influence on how children behaved.

Wait, that doesn’t sound so bad. Actually, it sounds like this really is a non-issue. However, the hits keep coming:

On the positive side, they also found that time spent in high-quality day care centers was correlated with higher vocabulary scores through elementary school.

Confused yet? Let me break it down: the study found that there’s a slight chance that day care might contribute to a child being disruptive in class. However, this chance was “well within the normal range for healthy children,” so it’s not as if you’d be able to determine which kids in a classroom went to day care. Many other factors contribute, like parents’ guidance and genetics. Oh, and kids who go to day care tend to do well on vocabulary tests. So where’s the negative again?

What bothers me about this article is not the story, but the headline. It’s disheartening that the New York Times, a leader in “respected” media, has resorted to using misleading headlines, something I’d expect something like this from a television news show. In fact, a friend told me he’s already seen this story on TV (“Is Day Care Hurting Your Kids? Tune in at 11:00 to find out!”).

The issue of day care versus home care is right up there with disposable versus cloth diapers. There are valid points on both sides and it’s important that families have as much information as possible so they can choose the solution that works for them. But we need facts, not Chicken Little warning us about falling skies. Would I keep my daughter home if I could? Sure, in a perfect world where her mother and I didn’t have to work. Heck show me a parent who wouldn’t want to spend more time with his child. But in the real world, we’ll keep sending our daughter to the day care center we researched and evaluated before sending her. The same center whose staff we trust and respect and the same center where she gets to spend time with other children.

So, no the sky isn’t falling. And, yes, it’s still up to parents to guide children as they figure out their places in the world. But somehow I doubt we’ll be seeing that story on the 11 o’clock news.

In an earlier blog post I noted the DHHS’s site and how you could go there to get a report about your licenced childcare provider. The article in Sunday’s paper talks about why they are doing that and provides more information about how to get a report.

You can also go to www.nashuatelegraph.com/childcare to see if there have been any critical violations reported on your daycare. You have to register with The Telegraph – which is a hassle – but it runs down every licenced childcare provider in the state in nice comprehensive reports. Those who are doing Daycare research should definately check it out.

I think it was interesting for me to note how criminal matters that DHHS doesn’t deal with (but law enforcement would) won’t be listed on these reports. For example, the report for the Circle of Learning center in Nashua (who was found to employ a man who was later criminally charged with molesting 12 children) has 28 critical violations on their report – none of which are related to this man. Just goes to show how important it is to be an active and sometimes nosey parent!