Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), along with Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) today introduced the Child Care Infant Mortality Prevention Act, legislation to prevent Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) by increasing provider training in sleep practices, first aid and CPR in the Child Care Development Block Grant. The bill also requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to update and provide training, instructional materials and other information on safe sleep practices and other prevention strategies to the public.

“Safety is the No. 1 concern for the millions of parents who leave their children with a child care provider each day, yet an alarming number of sudden unexpected infant deaths occur within a child care setting,” said Senator Feinstein. “Each of these incidents is a tragedy, but nearly half of these cases are entirely preventable with training in safe sleep practices, first-aid and CPR. This bill provides the critically necessary training to child care providers to reduce these preventable tragedies and give parents the peace of mind that their children are safe.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics, half of the approximately 4,500 SUID cases in the United States are entirely preventable with effective training and implementation of correct sleep practices.

Nearly 12 million children under five years old are in daily child care. It is estimated that child care settings account for 20 percent of all SUID deaths in the United States. The most commonly described and studied form of infant death is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which is most often caused by incorrect sleep practices.

According to the California Department of Social Services Community Care Licensing Division, 25 infant deaths in licensed child care facilities were attributed to unsafe sleep practices between 2009-2011. In California, current licensing regulations for child care Centers and family child care homes do not address safe sleep practices and environments.

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