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Indian Health Service: The Federal Health Program for American Indians and Alaska Natives
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IHS Head Start Program
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Families - Environmental Health

The following information is designed with you, your family's primary caregiver, in mind. The Indian Health Service (IHS) Head Start Program looks forward to being your family's partner in health. Together we can improve the health of our children and families -- today and in the future.

Environmental Health

Safety, cleanliness, air quality and control of infection at home and at school are the basis of a healthy life. The following are helpful resources for creating healthy environments where your children can live, learn and play and grow.

Disaster Preparedness

Every child deserves to be safe in all situations. This is why the IHS Head Start Program wants to help you to be prepared for a disaster or emergency situation, such as a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, flood or fire. Whether you have to stay in your home without electricity or are forced to leave, there are certain steps you can take to prepare yourself and your family. These steps include:
  • Talking to your family about what can happen in an emergency and what each family member should do. Help your child feel safe by talking about who he or she can go to for help, including neighbors, teachers, police officers and firefighters.
  • Making a "Ready-to-Stay Kit" in case you have to stay in your home.
  • Making a "Ready-to-Go Kit" in case you have to leave your home.
  • Writing down a list of the contact information you will need in an emergency, and placing this information by each telephone in your home. It's also a good idea to save all necessary contact information in each family member's cell phone.

A Ready-to-Stay Kit should include:

  • Three gallons of water for each person
  • Canned food and snacks for at least three days
  • Unscented bleach to treat unsafe water
  • Toilet paper
  • Blankets
  • A first aid kit
  • Flashlights with batteries
  • Radio with batteries
  • Books, games, paper and pencils to keep busy
  • Pet food and water, if you have pets

A Ready-to-Go-Kit should include these items in an accessible container:

  • One gallon of water for each person
  • Food that doesn't need refrigeration
  • A manual can opener
  • Plastic or paper plates, cups and utensils
  • Flashlights with batteries
  • Radio with batteries
  • A first aid kit
  • A change of clothing for each family member
  • Personal hygiene items such as soap and toothpaste
  • Store medications you take regularly near your kit, so they can be packed quickly

Disaster Preparedness Resource

Asthma

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that causes wheezing, breathlessness, tightness of the chest and coughing, and it's on the rise in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) children. Asthma is often made worse by allergies and by viral and bacterial infections. Respiratory illness (often complicated by asthma) is currently the leading cause of hospitalizations for AI/AN children. Proper medical care and a clean and healthy home will help lessen the effects of asthma in children.

Asthma Tips and Resources for Head Start Families

Additional Environmental Health Link

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Head Start. Start Healthy. Grow Healthy.
woman holding young boy
Children need clean, smoke-free environments if they are to thrive. Make clean air quality a priority for your family. If you or another adult in your household smoke, do so outside of the home to decrease the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. For the increasing number of AI/AN children with asthma and related health problems, it's especially important that their homes be clean and free of dust and other allergens.
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