Competence of kindergarten teachers toward healthy and safe kindergartens

Early childhood is the foundation period for the life-long development of an individual’s physical, psychosocial, emotional, spiritual health and well-being. A healthy and safe environment in kindergartens is essential. However, kindergarten personnel receive little training for school management to ensure a healthy and safe environment. This study aims to design a training program based on the concept of Health Promoting School to transfer knowledge and program designing skills in the area of health education and promotion to the kindergarten industry. A mixed method research design was used to study the competence of 65 teachers from four kindergartens through a train-the-trainer programme. The knowledge level of trainers and trainees was increased. A sharp increase for the competence level in implementing a health and safety programme of trainers but not the trainees was found. Effective partnership with principals and teaching staffs was needed to design their healthy and safe kindergartens in the planning process.