Infection Control in Day care Center



Infection Control in Day care Center

Introduction

Child care centers and play areas such as ball pits at fast-food restaurants are both places where young children are at risk for exposure to illness and infectious diseases because of their interaction with many other children, with items used by other young children, and with staff who have interacted with other young children and their playthings. Common illnesses transmitted in such a way include diarrhea and upper respiratory tract infections. This means that special care needs to be taken to prevent the spread of illness and infectious diseases in these places, and simple measures need to be developed to help reduce the incidence of infection. In the case of ball pits, procedures to maintain the hygiene of the area need to be instituted.

Discussion

Sanitation is an important issue in today's modern day care centers as more and more children find it their "home away from home." (Connovich 2009) There are an increasing number of families where both parents are in the workforce, mainly out of financial necessity, and the fear of sending a healthy child to day care and picking him or her up at the end of the day with a cold or worse, is often a parent's worst nightmare. However, putting a child in day care is sometimes the only option available for working parents.

Fortunately, it is no longer considered a solution of last resort. Day care facilities are much cleaner and healthier today than in years past, thanks to increased scrutiny and regulation. They have also become an important component in a child's emotional and intellectual development. Receiving stimulation from trained professionals and learning socialization skills are beneficial to a child's growth. However, despite increased efforts at maintaining proper sanitation, children in day care centers do have a tendency to pick up and spread a variety of germs. This, of course, is not touted as one of the benefits, nor part of the contractual agreement!

Proper sanitation is critical in a day care center environment, since so many children congregating in such close proximity become a breeding ground for germs. Although state and local jurisdictions require day care facilities to adhere to strict guidelines and regulations, it is sometimes difficult to keep everything spic and span all the time. Frequent inspections by regulators will assure parents that day care centers are following the rules, but parents also have to take some responsibility for cleanliness. This is a collaborative effort, between parents, providers and workers.

One of the easiest ways to ensure proper sanitation is by frequent hand washing with anti-bacterial soap. This is absolutely essential. Parents should inquire about hand washing and infection control policies and discuss other methods the day care center uses to keep toys, utensils and play areas germ free. Every daycare center should have standard procedures in place dealing with diaper changing and disposal, food preparation and clean up, bathroom cleaning and sanitizing, and what happens when a child gets ill(Aston ...