Tuesday, January 27th, 2015 | Permalink
While working on a project for one of my clients, I turned to Pinterest for some creative non-food craft ideas. I was blown away by the fantastic Valentine ideas! Here I share some of my favorites. What are your favorite non-food Valentines for school?
Follow Gina’s board Non-food Valentines for school on Pinterest.
Thursday, July 3rd, 2014 | Permalink
FREE Food Allergy Training Options for Schools
by Gina Mennett Lee, M.Ed.
FoodAllergyConsulting.com
The National Education Association Health Information Network just released a FREE, online educational video to aide in staff training so I thought this would be a good time to review all the great FREE resources available for school training. Years ago, there were few options but now there are FREE trainings to fill almost every need.
The only drawback to these trainings is that there is no personal interaction or time for questions and answers. I would recommend that when using these, you have a food allergy educator available for this purpose.
SHORT & SWEET:
The NEAHIN video is only six and half minutes long and gives a nice overview of the seriousness of food allergies.
This would be a great introduction for a more intensive workshop for school employees (that includes prevention strategies and more info regarding management and response to anaphylaxis).
The NEA HIN also provides “The Food Allergy Book” free of charge. For those looking to do school-wide education, I would recommend ordering a book for every employee to accompany training.
COMPREHENSIVE & SUITABLE FOR GROUP TRAINING:
AllergyHome Food Allergies & Anaphylaxis in School: What School Staff Need to Know
This was created by Dr. Michael Pistiner and Dr. John Lee. It can be used in a group setting and is narrated by Dr. Pistiner. At 33 minutes long, it touches on almost every aspect of food allergy management without being overwhelming. It is also in alignment with the new CDC Guidelines. AllergyHome also provides their “Food Allergy Quiz,” a multiple choice exam that can be taken after the training. A certificate of completion is available to download.
MOST DETAILED, INTERACTIVE & INDIVIDUALIZED:
This is an interactive course meant to be taken by an individual, not in a group training setting. It is longer than most trainings at about 60 minutes but it is very thorough. I like that it engages the learner in decision-making regarding food allergy management and that there is an evaluation at the end. This could be used by schools that would like their employees to have the flexibility to do the training at their discretion. A certificate of completion can be printed out and submitted to the school as proof of taking the course. (Developed by experts from across the country including FARE.)
These are the FREE training options that I have found to be most useful. Please leave a comment if you have any additional FREE training resources to share, or if you would like me to review a resource for you.
UPDATE: Michell Fogg from Utah Food Allergy Network alerted me to a program she helped develop in cooperation with the University of Utah School of Medicine. The training is called A Shot to Live. It’s focus is identifying and responding to anaphylaxis and includes training on how to use epinephrine auto-injectors. It is easy to understand and straight forward and takes about 15 minutes to complete. It does not delve deeply into prevention strategies but serves as an excellent epinephrine training course.
Again, with all of these resources, I stress the importance of having a trained food allergy educator available to answer questions and ensure that people are able to demonstrate the ability to actually use an epi trainer before being given that responsibility.
Monday, November 4th, 2013 | Permalink
Gina Mennett Lee, M.Ed.–Helping families, schools and businesses create safe and inclusive environments for those with food allergies
Gina Mennett Lee, M. Ed. is a Connecticut-based food allergy educator, advocate, and consultant. She holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and a B.S. degree in both Elementary and Special Education. She is an experienced special education, elementary and middle school teacher. She is the founder and President of Food Allergy Education Network, a Connecticut-based non-profit and Co-Founder of the National Allergy & Anaphylaxis Council, a national advocacy group.
As a mother who witnessed her daughter’s near-fatal allergic reaction, she brings real world experience to the field of food allergies. She is widely known for her common sense, fact-based approach to managing food allergies. Because of her experience and knowledge, she is in the unique position to view food allergies & anaphylaxis from the perspective of a business owner, a parent, a teacher, and a school administrator. She is dedicated to helping families, schools, businesses, and organizations create safe and inclusive environments for those with food allergies.
"One Stop Food Allergy Book Has It All!" -GratefulFoodie