Early Childhood Sleep Hygiene and the Creation of a Community-Engaged Sleep Curriculum

Poor sleep hygiene (SH), which generally refers to a set of behaviors that influence the quality of one\u27s sleep (Gelllis & Lichstein, 2009), is associated with decreased immune functioning (Hall et al., 1998; Savard, Laroche, Simard, Ivers, & Morin, 2003), increased disability, higher medical expenses, greater limitations of activity (Simon & VonKorff, 1997), increased fatigue, psychological distress, and suicide risk (Riedel & Lichstein, 2000; Taylor, Lichstein, & Durrence, 2003). Although healthy SH is critical during all stages of development, children ages 3-6 in early childhood undergo a critical period in which establishing healthy sleeping habits is crucial for growth. There is a lack of research on the perceptions of childcare providers on the impacts of sleep and healthy SH for preschool-aged children. The study aims to engage the community of childcare providers at the Milwaukee Next Door Foundation by assessing their prior knowledge about SH and collaborating on a sleep curriculum for the children and families they work with. A sleep hygiene questionnaire was used to assess the prior sleep hygiene knowledge of the care providers and determine the need for heightened community SH awareness. From there, introductory sleep information was compiled and presented to the Next Door faculty and staff. A closing questionnaire will be conducted to gauge SH knowledge after the completion of the study. Initial results revealed that Next Door faculty and staff were knowledgeable about the functions of sleep, and they showed great interest in creating a sleep curriculum for Next Door children and families. After completion of the final questionnaire, childcare providers are expected to exceed their original scores. Findings show that informing childcare providers about sleep could have positive outcomes on community SH awareness possibly reducing the risk factors associated with poor sleep, leading to healthier functioning later