Wee Breathers™

The Wee Breathers™ program is designed to help health professionals who educate parents of children under age 7 learn to manage asthma. Since young children spend most of their time at home or with other caregivers, this flexible curriculum was created for educating parents one-on-one during a home visit or with a group of parents from the same child care center. Program materials include 7 one-hour lessons on key asthma management topics, an asthma trigger checklist for the home, an asthma trigger checklist for a child care center, and an instructor’s guide. All handouts for families are available in English and Spanish at a 6th grade reading level or lower.

Program Goals
The purpose of this program is to educate parents of children under age 7 about the basics of asthma management, with an emphasis on controlling common indoor and outdoor environmental asthma triggers that exacerbate asthma.

Program Outline

Instructor’s Guide

The Instructor’s Guide provides direction on using the Wee Breathers™ program materials with one family during a home visit or with a group of parents from the same child care center. The guide also includes facilitation tips and additional resources along with the development background of Wee Breathers™ for instructors.

Asthma-Friendly Home - A Checklist for Families

This asthma trigger checklist is an easy-to-read and easy-to-use checklist for families to identify and control their child’s asthma triggers in their own home. Simple, low-cost actions are provided to help parents either eliminate or reduce the child’s contact with each of his or her asthma triggers.

Asthma-Friendly Child Care - A Checklist for Providers

This asthma trigger checklist is a comprehensive and easy-to-use checklist for child care providers to identify and control asthma triggers in their child care center.  Using the checklist annually will help staff keep their facility asthma- and allergy-friendly for the children they serve. Parents may also find this checklist helpful in evaluating whether a child care facility is asthma- or allergy-friendly for their child’s asthma triggers.

Lesson 1 – Asthma Basics

• What is Asthma Asthma Symptoms
• Facts about Asthma

Lesson 2 – Asthma Triggers

• What is an Asthma Trigger
• Types of Asthma Triggers What Triggers Your Child’s Asthma
• Trigger Checklist Review

Lesson 3 – Controlling Asthma Triggers

• What Triggers Your Child’s Asthma
• Review of Asthma Triggers
• Action Plan for Asthma Trigger Control

Lesson 4 – Asthma Medicines

• Types of Asthma Medicines Review of Your Child’s Asthma Medicines Proper Care & Use of Nebulizers, MDIs, Spacer/Holding Chambers, & DPIs

Lesson 5 – Asthma Action Plan

• What is an Asthma Action Plan Using a Peak Flow Meter with the Asthma Action Plan
• Using Asthma Symptoms with the Asthma Action Plan
• My (Child’s) Early Warning Signs

Lesson 6 – Communicating with the Asthma Team

• The Asthma Team
• Communicating with Teachers
• Communicating with Babysitters and other Caregivers
• Communicating with Other Members of Your Family
• Communicating with Your Child
• Communicating with Your Child’s Asthma Doctor

Lesson 7 – Asthma Management Goals

• Overview of Asthma Management Goals
• Asthma Self-Management Skills for Children by Stages of Development
• Coping in a Crisis
• Seeking Medical Assistance

Program Materials

The Wee Breathers™ program includes:

• An Instructor's Guide
• Seven One-Hour Lessons on Key Asthma Management Topics
• Asthma Trigger Checklist for the Home
• Asthma Trigger Checklist for Child Care Centers

Preparation of Instructors

Instructors for this program should be a certified asthma educator (AE-C), or other health professional (for example, nurse, respiratory therapist, physician or pharmacist) who is experienced with pediatric asthma management. The Instructor's Guide provides direction on using the Wee Breathers™ materials with one family during a home visit or with a group of parents from the same child care center.

Program Development

The Wee Breathers™ program was developed and reviewed by an advisory team of asthma education professionals then field-tested with experienced asthma educators in English and Spanish across the United States during home visits and in groups of parents from the same child care center. Wee Breathers™ is based upon the Wee Wheezers at Home^© program for home visitors, but has been reorganized by asthma management topic,  expanded the asthma trigger control component for home and child care settings, and  can be taught during home visits with one family or with many families in a group setting, like the children’s child care center. Young children (under the age of 7) spend most of their time at home or with other caregivers, so it makes sense to reach parents where their children spend most of their time.

The Wee Breathers™ program materials are downloadable free of charge thanks to support provided under a cooperative agreement (1UE1EH0000764) with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health, Atlanta, Georgia. These publications were produced by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Free Downloadable Files

Wee Breathers™ Program Materials

Instructor’s Guide (English)

Lesson 1 – Asthma Basics (English Lesson & Handouts)
Lesson 1 – Asthma Basics (Spanish Handouts)

Lesson 2 – Asthma Triggers
Lesson 2 – Asthma Triggers (Spanish Handouts)

Lesson 3 – Controlling Asthma Triggers (English Lesson & Handouts)
Lesson 3 – Controlling Asthma Triggers (Spanish Handouts)

Lesson 4 – Asthma Medicines (English Lesson & Handouts)
Lesson 4 – Asthma Medicines (Spanish Handouts)

Lesson 5 – Asthma Action Plan (English Lesson & Handouts)
Lesson 5 – Asthma Action Plan (Spanish Handouts)

Lesson 6 – Communicating with the Asthma Team (English Lesson & Handouts)
Lesson 6 – Communicating with the Asthma Team (Spanish Handouts)

Lesson 7 – Asthma Management Goals (English Lesson & Handouts)
Lesson 7 – Asthma Management Goals (Spanish Handouts)

Asthma-Friendly Home - A Checklist for Families (English)
Asthma-Friendly Home - A Checklist for Families (Spanish)

Asthma-Friendly Child Care - A Checklist for Providers (English)
Asthma-Friendly Child Care - A Checklist for Providers (Spanish)