Oh ya! Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) recently released their hot off the press brand spanking new FARE Education Network Materials: Food Allergies: Keeping Students Safe and Included. The purpose of the Education Network is to create a strong volunteer network of people who are able and ready to help provide schools with evidence-based materials and education directed at school and administration. School nurses, teachers, parents and safety advocates are all invited to download the free materials which cover all areas of managing food allergies in the school setting. I personally encourage everyone to take a look at the program and share the information with your school or consider offering the training yourself, if applicable, to your local schools. In my state of Nevada, only school nurses are able to present anaphylaxis related materials. I have already emailed this program to our Department of Student Health Services.
FARE shares the following on their website:
Presentation Objectives
- Improve understanding of food allergies and anaphylaxis.
- Identify laws that protect individuals with food allergies.
- Identify ways that school staff can create a safer and more inclusive school environment for students with food allergies.
- Learn how to PLAN for, RECOGNIZE and RESPOND to a food allergy reaction.
In my former life I was a trainer and one successful element of any training program is consistency. Having a standardized set of medically vetted tools is simply critical in our food allergy world. The FARE Education Network program includes a powerpoint presentation, a 27-page companion guide and a powerful Quiz.
I’m a huge fan of quizzes as a tool to wash out trainees who might believe they already know the material. The quiz gives them the privacy to be wrong and to realize what they don’t know. How many time have you and I heard, “Oh, I already know all about food allergies since my….” Then we go on to learn they haven’t a clue! A quiz will gracefully address these situations. I took the quiz and am fully enamored.
Two Keeping Students Safe and Included Quiz questions stood out for me…
- Epinephrine is a dangerous drug and administering it when you don’t need it could hurt a child. True? False? I don’t know?
- Home-baked goods are safe as long as the allergens are not listed on the ingredient label. True? False? I don’t know?
I believe many school staff members are afraid of harming a child by using epinephrine and I want that myth busted. Home-baked goods have caused how many reactions? This is another great learning topic. The harsh reality these days is that schools do not have the luxury of creating training and education materials. Resources like this can ease the burden and help get educated started sooner than later.
Check out the FARE Education Network for yourself and share if you see if it fits in with your school or school district!
Disclaimer: FARE did not ask me to post about these materials or program. I’m just pretty excited about it all.
One of the hardest things I find about managing both life threatening food allergies and asthma is talking to others. I hate to be the one that might be perceived as demanding, pushing or for asking too much. What I now know, fourteen years later, is that honest, clear information presented with kindness works!..
It’s nearly impossible to find well-informed people for this subject, however, you sound
like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks