How much should you share with the school staff about your child's needs? The younger your child, the more his school staff needs to know about hemophilia. For example, during preschool, nearly everyone on the staff needs to know - from the principal to the school secretary, to recess monitors, even bus drivers. As your child gets older, fewer people need to know because he's becoming more involved and responsible for his own healthcare needs.

The First Day

• Before your child enters a school, determine who is in charge if he becomes injured or sick. You may discover that it isn't the school nurse! Often a school secretary is responsible for calling if something happens, so it's important to tell them what to do and who to call.
  
• Emphasize the importance of identifying bleeds and treating them quickly.
  
• Point out that hemophilia is not contagious - it is a treatable condition using factor.

School Activities

• More than 200,000 children are injured each year on playground equipment - and 45 percent of the injuries take place at schools. ¹ Your child could be among the unfortunate ones - be sure to inform the recess monitor about hemophilia.
  
• While you're at it, explain why it could embarrass him to be singled out. One child became upset when he was given an orange vest to wear during recess so that monitors could always see him.
  
• Regardless of the school's good intentions, it might be unnecessary to single him out. Consult with your physician or HTC professional about recommendations for these situations.
  
• As your child gets older, educate his coaches, physical education teachers and trainers. They're often the ones who treat minor sports injuries.

By teaching the school staff about hemophilia and what to do if your child is injured, you're preparing them for the job ahead. It will also help ease your mind when he says good-bye in the morning.

Here are some resources to help:

• Provide them with this school hand-out. In addition to detailing information about hemophilia, it includes a list of what they should do if your child is injured, and a place to fill-in your contact information.
  
• For books, checklists and tips for keeping all children safe on play equipment, check-out The National Program for Playground Safety.
  
• Kidchecker makes learning about playground safety fun for kids. It includes a useful safety checklist for inspecting the play equipment in your neighborhood.
  
• Keeping Him Safe Away from Home has more on this topic.