Preventing illness in child care centers is a longstanding issue in the early childhood education industry. In every gathering of children, there is a high tendency of infections spreading rapidly. This is due [in large part] to the fact that children, especially toddlers and infants, tend to put their hands in their mouth a lot. Acknowledging the fact that children love to touch everything and everyone around them, there is a great chance of illness spreading like wildfire in child care facilities.
In light of the Coronavirus pandemic, the fear among parents and Providers is heightened. Should one child contract the disease, other children in that facility are at a high risk of being infected. Owing to the fact that COVID-19 is highly infectious.
So, now more than ever, child care providers need to learn how to prevent the spread of illness among children. In this article, I will shine the light on 3 exceptional methods that can help you achieve this.
- Educate Parents About Vaccination
In addition to a Sick Policy, every child care facility is expected to have regulations with regards to vaccination and immunization. However, to keep your facility completely safe, be sure to educate parents about the importance of vaccination. It may not seem like a big deal but vaccination and immunization are the first line of defense for children. Their immune systems are not strong enough to wade off diseases and xenobiotics. Vaccination offers a boost to help them fight off infections. Therefore, you ought to make this knowledge available to parents so they see a need to vaccinate their kids. This will bring you one step closer to preventing illness in your facility.
- Encourage Good Hygiene
Promoting good hygiene is one of the most effective ways of preventing the spread of illness in school and child care centers. From the onset, Providers are mandated to uphold certain health and safety regulations peculiar to the state or zone. This is not just a drill to ace inspection. Providers are expected to encourage and execute good hygiene practices at all times.
- Encourage regular washing of hands among staff and children
- Implement sound cleaning procedures to keep the entire facility germ-free
- Stick with the health and safety regulations from the Child Care Act
- Go for Healthy Diets
So far, I have emphasized the importance of vaccination and promoting good hygiene in child care centers. However, serving healthy diets is just as important. This is one area some Providers tend to overlook. For vaccination and hygiene to be effective, the children need to eat healthy. Even more, healthy foods are known to boost the immune system. Thus, adding an extra layer of protection against diseases.
I strongly recommend you start paying attention to this tiny little detail if you haven’t. The licensing regulation comes with some food and dieting standards. It is imperative to follow these rules to the last.
Conclusion
Running a child care center is so fulfilling. You get to be with beautiful children all day. And go home with the fulfillment that you contributing to the future of many families. But this joy can quickly go sour if the children get sick every now and then. Preventing the spread of illness in child care facilities may seem difficult, but it is not impossible.
Be sure to implement the aforementioned tips to keep sickness at bay. Good luck!
