Asthma Friendly Childcare Settings

In Georgia, an estimated 9% of children ages 0-17 have asthma; among them, children aged 0-4 have the highest hospitalization rate and second highest rate of emergency room visits due to asthma.  Many of Georgia’s children aged 0-4 spend most of their day in a childcare setting.  Early childcare providers are in a unique position to contribute to the reduction in emergency room visits in this age group by understanding asthma and asthma management to address asthma-related illnesses and emergencies.  In Georgia there is a current lack of targeted, evidenced based asthma education programs designed for and effectively disseminated to early childcare and kindergarten providers.

Georgia Asthma Management Education for Childcare Settings (GAME-CS)

The GAME-CS curriculum was designed for early childcare settings to provide the knowledge and resources needed to ensure that:

• Staff are knowledgeable about asthma and prepared to deal with an asthma emergency.
• Children with asthma are identified and communication with parents about the child’s asthma symptoms and management is ongoing.
• A healthy center environment is maintained and asthma friendly.

To connect with free or low-cost local services that support chronic disease prevention, access to healthy food, healthcare, and social support programs please select the link: GA DPH FindHelp.

*Page last reviewed 4/15/26