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Child Care Workers Must Take SUID, SIDS Prevention Training

CHICAGO (STMW) - Gov. Pat Quinn on Wednesday signed legislation that aims to increase the safety of infant and newborn.

Under H.B. 2099, child care workers who care for newborns and infants will be required to complete regular training on how to prevent sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), a release from the governor's office said.

It requires all licensed child care facility employees who care for newborns and infants to complete training at least every three years on SUID, SIDS and the safe sleep recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The bill was an initiative of SIDS of Illinois, an organization of parents who have lost children. SUID and SIDS are leading causes of death in children under 2, and approximately 20 percent of SIDS deaths occur while the infant is in the care of a non-parental caregiver.

The bill takes effect on Jan. 1, 2012, and follows H.B. 5930, signed in July 2010, which requires birth hospitals to provide safe sleep information to parents. That bill took effect in January.

© Sun-Times Media Wire Chicago Sun-Times 2011. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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