Learning About The Educational Curriculum Creation Process

How can you keep your child healthy in pre-school? You've heard that children in daycare get sicker than those who stay home. But this doesn't have to mean your child will have the sniffles or will sneeze straight through the winter. Make the most of your child's pre-kindergarten experience and take a look at the facts and fictions of early childhood center care and cold-weather illnesses.

Fact: There Are Germs At School

More specifically, there are germs everywhere. According to the American Lung Association, more than 200 viruses can cause the common cold. While rhinovirus is the most likely culprit (causing between 10 and 40 percent of all colds), it isn't the only one. This means it's possible to get sick from any number of microorganisms in a child care center, at the grocery store, or almost anywhere.

Fiction: There's Nothing You Can Do About Germs At School

The number of potential causes behind the common cold coupled with other types of germs (such as bacterial strep) gives you pause. Even though the fact that germs are present in daycare centers may bring up concerns, you don't have to settle for a winter season of sickness. You can take steps to keep your child healthy. 

To keep your child healthy, and reduce preschool absences, make sure your child gets enough sleep every night, eats a balanced diet, gets plenty of physical activity, learns how to wash their hands properly, and stays away from other children or adults who are sick. 

Along with what you do at home, talk to your child's teacher about the center's disinfection practices and sick child policies. The school staff should routinely clean each classroom and other spaces the children use. They should also have set policies that outline when children can/can't come to school (if they are sick or have symptoms of an illness) and testing requirements for highly communicable illnesses such as Covid or strep.

Fact: Young Child Can Wash Their Hands Correctly

Your child may not have the words to express how they feel all the time or the ability to control their emotions perfectly. But they do have the developmental skills to wash their hands correctly. Hand-washing is crucial to reducing the spread of germs in a child care center. To adequately soak, lather, rinse, and dry, your child will need to use fine motor (hand and finger) skills, such as eye-hand coordination and muscle strength.

Along with holding a pencil, using scissors, dressing themselves, and using feeding utensils, your child can also learn how to wash their hands without additional adult assistance at daycare. While they will still require supervision, preschoolers can accomplish this type of cleaning task on their own. Beyond the actual washing process, your preschooler also has the cognitive ability to learn about how germs are spread and understand why it's important to wash their hands. 

For more information, contact an institution like Learning Tree Schools.