LaGuardia Community College
City University of New York
Department of Natural and Applied Science
Practical Nursing Program
SCL 116 – Pediatric Nursing, Fall I 2007
Reading and Written Assignment on a Community Outreach
Description: Make a visit to a community outreach facility or organization
for children and adolescents. Submit a 3-4 pages type written
report of your visit.
By
Anaise Ikama
On Monday, November 19, 2007 at 11:00 AM, I had the opportunity
to meet Ms. Anshoo Luthra, the director of the All Children’s Child Care
located on 35-01 24 street Astoria. The day care is to some extent large
enough to carry approximately 100 children. The facility located between
35th avenue and 24th street is a one floor level building with a basement;
next to the building is the school’s playground. From the main entrance, one
could see the office. On the left side from the office, there are three
classrooms. When you leave the admission office, looking at your right hand
there are two classrooms, and between the two classrooms is hallway that
leads to the basement. Downstairs, there are three additional classrooms, the
kitchen and the restrooms.
The purpose of this day care, according to the Director of the
program, Ms. Anshoo Luthra, is to facilitate and enable working parents to
return to their outside work while providing alternate care for their children
without worrying about the safety of their children, knowing that they are in
a good environment. The facility makes it a suitable experience for the kids
by enhancing their social skills, encouraging creative expression, improving
their language, literacy, math, and science skill through the use of a wide
variety of age - proper activities. The All Children’s Care is open to infants
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from 6 months, toddlers and preschoolers. The facility also provide an after
school program for school age children. Hours of operation are Monday
through Friday from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM. According to the school’s
director, Ms. Anshoo Luthra the child-care has been operating since 1998
and was finally accredited by National Association for the Education of
Young Children of August 2006.
Though, the day care provides education for most of the stages of
growth and development, my visit, to the facility, was to observe the
interaction of preschool children, which is from 3 to 5 years of age. By
knowing the preschoolers’ general characteristic and tasks that need to be
master to enter school, I believe the program is providing a wonderful help
for these children and parents. Besides, these children are not only meeting
their physical, mental, emotional and social development, they are also
mastering their major tasks as preschoolers such as “preparation to enter
school, development of a cooperative-type play, control of body functions,
acceptance of preparation, and increase in communication skills, memory,
and attention span” (Leifer, pp 414); which could have been probably hard
for the parents to achieve due to stressful lives outside home.
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Seeing that we are not only dealing with the preschoolers in this
facility, but also infant, toddlers and the school age, the Licensed Practical
Nurse could assist with the day-care by stressing the importance of the
immunizations before admission, to prevent the risks of serious diseases.
Teach key to effective discipline, by sending of clear message with love and
respect to the child. Teachers can be helped by the LPN to identify
willingness for toilet training. The nurse can also emphasize the importance
of toys inspection before exposing them to the children for safety. Finally,
the nurse can evaluate if the day-care is providing the number of caloric
required per unit of body weight, and adequate protein intake. By identifying
the children’s needs of nutrients, instant nursing implementation could take
place.
After visiting the facility, I was amazed by the wonderful
opportunities that the Director of the All Children’s child Care and her staffs
are providing to our community. As a future health care provider, I believe
that their discipline procedures, environmental safety and nutrition served to
the facility make the school an appropriate social environment for working
parents who seek a nursery school for their children.
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Worked Cited
Leifer. Introduction to Maternity & Pediatric Nursing. 5Ed. (2007).
Saunders Elsevier. Philadelphia, PA. (Pp. 414.)
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