11 Preventive Measures For School-Going Diabetic Children

Being diagnosed with childhood diabetes can be a scary thing for both the child and the parents.

Multiple insulin injections, daily monitoring of blood sugars and following a healthy diet with no added sugars—these are just a few things that every diabetic child needs. 

Executing these multiple tasks can be challenging for both children and their parents. With support and guidance from their doctors, most parents and children quickly learn to work these tasks into their schedules and lifestyles at home.

However, what worries parents the most is the thought of how their child will manage at school.

As children spend a large chunk of their time in school, providing adequate support to them is crucial. This can readily be achieved by having a quick checklist for schools that can be discussed with school teachers and nursing and administrative staff.

Parents, school staff and health care providers need to work in conjunction to properly manage the condition of a diabetic child.

Here’s how that can be done:

Provide a written plan to the school on how to manage the child’s diabetes as management can vary from child to child.

Affected children should be allowed to take part in all school activities.

Taking part in physical activities is highly recommended.

When it comes to meals and snack times, consistency is crucial. Diabetic children need to eat at the same time every day.

The school should provide a designated place, where children can check their sugar levels and administer their insulin injections in privacy.

Ideally, the above should be done under the supervision of the school nurse or a staff member.

An emergency box containing juice, glucon D/sugar and a packet of Marie Gold biscuits should always be available to the teacher in the classroom.

The school needs to have contact details of parents, healthcare providers and the nearest hospital in case of an emergency.

Student-specific training programs should be carried out for a group of staff members who are involved with the child.

The training program should cover the following aspects:

- How to use a glucometer to check blood sugars.

- Administering insulin injections.

- Identifying and treating mild to moderate hypoglycemia. 

- Identifying severe hypoglycemia, giving glucagon injections and calling for an ambulance.

Parents should work with their doctor and school to create awareness about T1DM among the students, parents and school staff.