Care of Children with Diabetes in the School and Day Care Setting

Diabetes in a Classroom Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood, with a prevalence of 1.7 affected individuals per 1,000 people aged less than 20 years. In the US, 13,000 new cases are diagnosed annually in children. There are about 125,000 individuals less than 19 years of age with diabetes in the U.S. The majorities of these young people attend school and/or some type of day care and need knowledgeable staff to provide a safe school environment. Both parents and the health care team should work together to provide school systems and day care providers with the information necessary to allow children with diabetes to participate fully and safely in the school experience. The American Diabetes Association takes the position that children with diabetes should be allowed to make blood sugar checks at school. As legal precedent, they cite the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1973 (IDEA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibit discrimination in all schools and daycare centers except religious schools and facilities against children with disabilities, including diabetes. Any schools that accept federal funding must follow IDEA and Section 504 laws. The association encourages parents to use the laws to ensure that their kids can participate in all school activities while caring for their medical needs. Children with Diabetes suggests that it's the responsibility of the parents or student to let the school know he or she has diabetes, to provide documentation to that effect, to make a written request for accommodations, and to request a meeting to discuss a 504 plan or IEP. The American Diabetes Association recommends that your written...

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...l writer with a master's degree in biology. He is a contributing editor at Consumer Health Interactive, and was the staff writer at Hippocrates, a magazine for physicians. He has also covered science issues for Time Inc. Health, WebMD, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. His reporting on occupational health earned him an award from the northern California Society of Professional Journalists. References Care of children with diabetes in the school and day care setting. (2000). Diabetes Care, 23(1), S100-S103. Gaede, R.A. (1995). Knowledge of diabetes among elementary school teachers. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Diabetes Educators, Boston, MA. Lindsay, R., Jarrett, L., & Hillam, K. (1987). Elementary schoolteachers' understanding of diabetes. The Diabetes Educator, 13, 312-314.