Cleaning for Health in Childcare Facilities

Cleaning for Health in Childcare Facilities

Children in childcare facilities are exposed to an increased risk of infection, particularly during cold and flu season.

Cleaning for Health in Childcare Facilities

Infections in Childcare Facilities

Children, especially the very young, are at increased risk of infection year-round regardless of whether or not they attend a childcare center due to their immature immune systems.

However, statistically, children in care facilities are at even higher risk of infection and tend to get sicker on average than children who are cared for at home due to the following:

  • Increased contact with other children and adults.
  • Play that includes high levels of touching a wide range of surfaces and, unfortunately, placing objects, such as toys, in their mouths.
  • Toilet training issues, and;
  • On average, pretty low hand hygiene levels.

According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health;

Young children in child care centres are most likely to get infections because they have not developed the necessary protective immunities.

There are other reasons why children in child care centres get more infections, especially colds and diarrhea, than children cared for in their homes.

One reason is that children in group settings come in contact with many children, so they have a much greater chance of getting an infection from another child.

Children also share toys and touch each other during play, and this spreads germs.

Furthermore, many children have not yet learned how to use the toilet properly or the importance of handwashing.

And finally, young children need a great deal of ‘hands on’ care.

Infections in child care centres

 

Childcare Facility Cleaning Prevents the Spread of Infection

Three factors generally impact the transmission of infectious disease between occupants in a public facility, such as a childcare center:

  • The vaccination status of the facility occupants.
  • The indoor air quality and surface hygiene of the facility and;
  • The hand hygiene levels and hand washing habits of the average facility occupant.

Children are typically considered under-vaccinated and, as previously mentioned, tend to have poor handwashing habits, even as they age.

The American Cleaning Institute (ACI) conducted a survey to uncover this valuable information.

A total of 512 children ages 8-17 and 521 parents of children aged 8-17 years weighed in.

The study found that 43% of children are not washing their hands enough.

The most common reason for not washing hands as often as they should?

Lack of time, with almost half saying the school schedule didn't allow time for handwashing before lunch.

The next most popular response was that the students didn’t like going to the bathroom at their school.

When Children Should be Handwashing in Schools

That leaves facility cleaning and disinfection as the single best strategy for halting the very high levels of germ and disease transmission in childcare centers.

In addition to standard daily facility cleaning and targeted touchpoint disinfection strategies that focus on occupant health, those tasked with sanitizing childcare facilities should pay attention to the following:

  • Cleaning and disinfecting the children's toys every day, and;
  • How safe the cleaning and disinfectant products are for use around very young children.

According to Michigan State University's Safe Food & Water Extension;

  • Toys should be cleaned and sanitized regularly.
  • Any plastic or rubber toy that enters a child’s mouth must be sanitized with 200 ppm bleach (1:250 dilution) and air-dried or washed at a high temperature (170 degrees Fahrenheit or 76.67 degrees Celsius).
  • Submerge, wipe or spray with a solution consisting of one tablespoon of chlorine bleach for every gallon of warm water.
  • For toys that can be immersed, pour the sanitizing solution into a large basin or sink.
  • Remove all visible debris from the surface of the toys and allow the toys to soak for one to five minutes to achieve sanitization.
  • For toys that cannot be immersed in sanitizing solution, clean all surfaces of the toy, ensuring that clean cloths and solutions don’t become contaminated (do not double dip). Allow surfaces to remain wet for one to five minutes to sanitize.
  • For soft toys, pre-wash to remove visible debris. Then wash with detergent/bleach. Discard if necessary.
  • Machine wash the soft toys in hot water (at least 140 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit or 60 to 71.1 degrees Celsius) using bleach if the fabrics are white.

Source:

 

References & Resources

 

Takeaway

Children in care facilities tend to spend a significant amount of time on the ground playing with toys that inevitably go in their mouths, resulting in the rampant spread of preventable illnesses.

While exposure to the increased microbe load has been shown to help strengthen children's immune systems, long-term more should be done at a facility cleaning level to lessen the burden of illness--particularly for the parents.

For instance:

  • Occupied facility spaces should be cleaned daily.
  • Fomites should be disinfected a minimum of two to three times daily.
  • Toys should be disinfected daily.
  • Restrooms and eating areas should be cleaned and disinfected at least once daily, and;
  • Hand hygiene supplies should be restocked daily.

Additionally, product choice and handling should fall under strict oversight to ensure that, in the process of cleaning to protect the children, they are not accidentally exposed to toxic and corrosive disinfectant chemicals.

Onboarding and managing the requisite labor and material resources necessary to ensure the highest standards of cleanliness are achieved and maintained may prove cost-prohibitive for many organizations.

Outsourcing is a proven method for onboarding highly in-demand cleaning and disinfection services and experience for a fraction of the price of maintaining a similar service in-house.

If you would like more information regarding the effectiveness of high-performance infection prevention and control measures, or if you would like to schedule a free, no-obligation on-site assessment of your facility's custodial needs, contact us today for a free quote!

In Bakersfield, CA, call (661) 437-3253

In Fresno, CA, call (559) 206-1059

In Valencia, CA, or Santa Clarita, CA, call (661) 437-3253

In Palmdale, CA, or Lancaster, CA, call (661) 371-4756


Vanguard Cleaning Systems of the Southern Valley

Vanguard Cleaning Systems of the Southern Valley