Article Link: http://www.exchangepress.com/article/a-clean-and-healthy-place--to-play-and-learn/5020780/
If you ask parents about their top priority when choosing a child care program, most will say their child’s health and safety. Children thrive in safe, healthy, and loving environments that help them learn about themselves and the world around them; a place where they can exercise their curiosity and explore without being exposed to danger or health hazards. Sound policies and practices for cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting contribute to creating a healthy place for children to learn and play.Behaviors of Young Children that Spread Illness
Young children have unique vulnerabilities because of normal, developmentally appropriate behaviors:
• They touch everything and have frequent hand to mouth activity.
• They mouth toys and other objects, and spend much of their time on the floor.
• They spread germs readily because they don’t keep sneezes, coughs, or drool to themselves.
• They wear diapers or are just learning to use the toilet and spend time with other children who do the same.
• They experience more illness (especially when cared for in groups) and have immature immune systems.
Reducing the Risk of Spreading Germs that Cause Illness
Diarrheal illness, conjunctivitis, and hand-foot-and-mouth disease are just a few illnesses that are commonly spread in ...