Daycare providers and preschool teachers can control the spread of illness by taking a few simple preventative measures

Illness in daycare and preschool settings is usually a great concern of parents and those caring for young children.

How can childcare providers prevent the spread of illness in daycare or preschool setting?

It is often the case that a child presents with the first signs and symptoms of illness while at daycare or preschool. Therefore, it is especially important for care givers at the facility to take measures to prevent the spread of illness, says Dr. Leila M. Iravani, Board Certified Doctor of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine at Coastal Kids Pediatric Medical Group in Newport Beach, California.

There are several measures preschool teachers and daycare providers can take in order to prevent or control the spread of illness in their facilities:

Hand Washing

Dr. Iravani recommends hand washing with soap and water for both care providers and children, especially before handling food or after wiping the face of a child. Hand washing also must be done after diapering, assisting children with the toilet, and before and after treating a wound, says Dr. Luis Rodriguez, Assistant Executive Director of Quality Improvement & Health Services at Episcopal Social Services.

Dr. Rodriguez and staff implement the following hand washing practices:

• Use soap while rubbing hands vigorously under running water for at least 30 seconds. As a neat trick to ensure hand washers wash for an appropriate length of time, Dr. Rodriguez suggests they sing “Happy Birthday.”

• Wash all surfaces, including back of hands, wrists, between fingers and under your fingernails.

• Rinse hands well under running water.

• Dry hands with a clean paper towels

Proper Diapering Procedures

Child care providers can also control the spread of illness by the proper handling of soiled diapers and cleansing of the diaper changing area. Dr. Iravani advises: “If changing of diapers occurs by the daycare, gloves should be worn and the changing station should be a specific area and cleaned after use. One person should handle the diaper and dispense of it properly so that others (especially toddlers in the class) do not have access to it”.

Dr. Rodriguez stresses the importance of using gloves during diapering. He recommends non-porous disposable gloves be worn while diapering a child and in any situation where there might be contact with blood, bodily fluids or blood-or fluid-contaminated bodies, items or substances.

Clean Toys

Another key step in controlling the spread of illness in daycare or preschool environments is to thoroughly clean the children’s toys. Dr. Steve Gelman, Chief of Pediatric Outpatient Services at New York Methodist Hospital says, “The most important thing schools and daycares can do to prevent the spread of infection is to clean the toys at the end of every day with hot water or disinfectant”.

“Those toys and items that have been in a child’s mouth [should be] placed in a container”, adds Dr. Rodriguez. “For home based visits those items are placed in a sealed Ziploc bag, so it can be washed and disinfected later and will not accidentally be used with another child we visit”.

In the Lunchroom

Mealtime, unfortunately, provides yet another opportunity to spread illness. Dr. Iravani cautions that children should not share cups or utensils at mealtime and there should not be a community snack platter. Rather, each child should have his or her own bowl or plate. These preventative tips will help thwart the spread of germs amongst the children.

Education

Part of controlling the spread of illness in daycare includes educating others about preventative measures they can take that will control the spread of infection and disease. Dr. Iravani suggests educating parents, children and staff about:

• Proper hand washing
• Covering of mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
• Obtaining the flu vaccine during the influenza season

Daycares and preschools will never be germ-free, but by focusing on the above preventative measures, daycare and child care providers, as well as preschool teachers, have a better chance at reducing the spread of illness.

For more information about preventing the spread of illness in daycare, see Daycare Illness Policies.