As a mother of a two-year-old, Jessica Flahive knows all too well about the importance of learning first aid in the case of an emergency.
But what if the tables were turned, and it was the children being taught how to help save lives?
Ms Flahive, centre director at Goodstart Hughesdale, said she’d often seen stories of how a four-year-old had helped saved their mother’s life by calling triple zero.
So when a company emailed her about their Cool Kids First Aid courses, she jumped at the chance to host them.
“I have never seen anything like this before and I just thought it would be a fantastic skill for our kindergarten three to five year olds to learn,” Ms Flahive said.
The session will be held at the centre on July 16 and will teach children how to recognise an emergency, how to call 000, how to put a person in the recovery position, basic bleeding control and basics about asthma and anaphylaxis.
All children will receive a certificate of participation and the centre will receive a children’s first aid book and a basic first aid kit.
Cool Kids First Aid’s Angela Quinn, a former early learning centre director, and her sister Natascha Mazurek, a registered nurse, said the courses had already been booked by eight Goodstart centres after they launched four weeks ago.
Ms Quinn said she had worked with children throughout her career, so realised how important it was to present the information in a way children could understand.
“Children are amazing learners and we wanted to give them the opportunity to get the best out of every single situation,” Ms Quinn said. “By teaching them how to call triple 000, they are ensuring they have access to care, as well as getting care for the injured person,” she said.
Ms Mazurek also has an in-depth understanding of the importance of early education in first aid after working as an emergency nurse for many years.
The sessions also cover physical and sexual abuse – outlining what is appropriate behaviour for themselves and others, and also how to get help.
“These sessions have been designed specifically for children aged 3-5 years old in the hopes that we can give them the small steps they need to help save a life.”
But what if the tables were turned, and it was the children being taught how to help save lives?
Ms Flahive, centre director at Goodstart Hughesdale, said she’d often seen stories of how a four-year-old had helped saved their mother’s life by calling triple zero.
So when a company emailed her about their Cool Kids First Aid courses, she jumped at the chance to host them.
“I have never seen anything like this before and I just thought it would be a fantastic skill for our kindergarten three to five year olds to learn,” Ms Flahive said.
The session will be held at the centre on July 16 and will teach children how to recognise an emergency, how to call 000, how to put a person in the recovery position, basic bleeding control and basics about asthma and anaphylaxis.
All children will receive a certificate of participation and the centre will receive a children’s first aid book and a basic first aid kit.
Cool Kids First Aid’s Angela Quinn, a former early learning centre director, and her sister Natascha Mazurek, a registered nurse, said the courses had already been booked by eight Goodstart centres after they launched four weeks ago.
Ms Quinn said she had worked with children throughout her career, so realised how important it was to present the information in a way children could understand.
“Children are amazing learners and we wanted to give them the opportunity to get the best out of every single situation,” Ms Quinn said. “By teaching them how to call triple 000, they are ensuring they have access to care, as well as getting care for the injured person,” she said.
Ms Mazurek also has an in-depth understanding of the importance of early education in first aid after working as an emergency nurse for many years.
The sessions also cover physical and sexual abuse – outlining what is appropriate behaviour for themselves and others, and also how to get help.
“These sessions have been designed specifically for children aged 3-5 years old in the hopes that we can give them the small steps they need to help save a life.”