School Health Education Programs

The Milford School Nurses provide the Open Airways for Schools Program annually for students with asthma.  The Open Airways for Schools Program is an asthma self-management education program for students with asthma and is sponsored by the American Lung Association. The six session interactive program for children ages 8-11 teaches children with asthma how to recognize the warning signs of asthma, how to identify their asthma triggers, how to use asthma action plans and peak flow meters and what to do if they do not get relief from their asthma symptoms.

 

“Open Airways for Schools is the most widely recognized asthma management program for children in the nation, and a proven-effective way to improve asthma self-management skills, decrease asthma emergencies and raise awareness among families and school personnel.”(American Lung Association).

 

Participants in the program receive a peak flow meter and instructions how to use the peak flow meter and an Open Airways tee shirt. The multi-session classes culminate in a graduation ceremony and a celebration on World Asthma Day in May.

 

The Get In Touch Girls’ Program is a breast health awareness program that teaches girls the importance of performing self-breast examinations throughout their lives. The Get In Touch Foundation provides a Daisy Wheel for every girl in grades 5-12, every year. The Milford School Nurses provide annual instruction for the girls on how to use the Daisy Wheel for self- breast exam through “8 Tips” on the Daisy Wheel.  

 

The Milford School Nurses were honored to be the first school district in the nation to kick off the Get In Touch Girls’ Program in May 2009. The program is a global initiative; they aim to put a Daisy Wheel in the hands of every girl in the world. The Get In Touch Girls’ Program has been so successful it is now being provided to girls in 46 states and 13 countries and growing.  

 

“Don’t get sick. Wash up quick!” is the message that Scrubby Bear provides to young students in grades PreK-2. Scrubby Bear is an American Red Cross Program that emphasizes good hand washing as a way to prevent communicable diseases such as colds, flu, diarrhea and hepatitis A. Through songs and classroom activities, Scrubby Bear is a fun way for young students to learn about the importance of hand washing to help prevent the spread of germs.

 

The Milford School Nurses provide the Scrubby Bear program in grades PreK-2 as well as other programs for older children on preventing the spread of illness through hand washing, covering your cough and sneezes and staying home from school when you are ill.