Article by Debbie Davis
Preschoolers are about as cute as they come. But keeping a preschool facility a clean and healthy place means taking action on many different levels. Here are a few tips that will help keep your preschoolers bright eyed and bushy tail because their preschool environment is a healthy place to be.
Sanitize Common Surfaces Daily-There are sanitizing wipes that make this job easier than it sounds. Use them to wipe off changing areas, door knobs, tables and chairs, windows or surfaces on which children might put their mouths. The wipes should contain at least 60 percent alcohol, and this should be done at a time when children are not present.
Practice and Model Good Personal Hygiene-Make sure are tissues readily available for sneezes, coughs, and runny noses. Practice sneezing into your arm rather than into hands. This will greatly reduce the number of germs that can spread when joining hands or using hands on common such as crayons and toys. Stress eating from their plate and cup rather than sharing food or utensils.
Make a routine that always includes washing hands before eating and after using the bathroom. It’s also a good idea to have them wash their hands whenever they enter the room. This reduces the number of germs that will come into your room from other places.
Filter the Air-This a part of germ control that is not addressed frequently enough. We are all human, and much as we may try, sometimes sneezing and coughing are going to send viruses airborne. It’s a fact of life. Many times these germs fall on various surfaces and can thrive outside the body for quite a few hours.
Other times they attach to airborne particles already in the air such as dust, mildew and mold spores, pollen and even pet dander (brought in on clothes of children who own pets) and are inhaled or ingested by an unsuspecting victim. By filtering the air, not only do you remove particles that can often aggravate those with allergies and asthma, but you also remove the viruses.
Because the H1N1 virus seemingly targets the young, they are doubly vulnerable. Like them, their hygiene habits are a work in progress. So clearing the air consistently with a medical grade high efficiency particle arresting (HEPA) air purifier is one more way you can you can be assured that your preschool environment is as healthy as it can be.
And because many preschools are located in basements of churches, they are often used by other adults and children after the preschoolers are gone. Having an air purifier run 24 hours a day means not only are you able to remove germs from the preschoolers when they are there, but you can drastically reduce the number of germs that would be waiting for them when they return the following day.
Unfortunately, we don’t live in a germ free world. But reducing the germ count gives our little ones much more of a chance at staying healthy.
