Hygiene in Daycare Center

Health of children is utmost priority not just for parents, but for the society and governments across the world. Hygiene especially means washing your hands, but it’s also about washing the rest of your body. It involves being careful not to cough or sneeze on others, cleaning things you touch, throwing away things that might have germs on them (such as used tissues), and using protection when you might be at risk of catching or spreading an infection. It also means taking care when handling and storing food.

There are many literatures and articles that discusses the the hygiene and health issues of children, this article seems a good and thorough.

Some of the other issues that are not directly but indirectly associated with child care issues is the amount of time the tutors spent with the children. The biggest challenge with the administrators is that they tend to spend more time with the overall management of the childcare, and spend less time with the other activities that are associated with the childcare, which will add value to their center. The admin work can be hugely simplified by using a childcare management software for the childcare activities.

Kitchen Hygiene: 

All areas where food and drink are stored, prepared and eaten are prone to the spread of infections. Therefore, Play workers must be particularly careful to observe high standards of hygiene in such instances:

1. Play workers will be trained in food hygiene. 
2. Waste will be disposed of safely and all bins will be kept covered. 
3. Food storage facilities will be regularly and thoroughly cleaned. 
4. Kitchen equipment will be thoroughly cleaned after every use. 
5. In cooking activities, all surfaces and equipment involved will be thoroughly cleaned before and after. 

Personal Hygiene: 

In all circumstances, play workers will adhere to and ensure that children carry out the same routines.

1. Washing hands before and after handling food or drink, and after using the toilet. 
2. Covering cuts and abrasions while at the premises. 
3. Taking any other steps that are likely to minimise the spread of infections. 
4. Washing of hands prior to and following first aid. 

Dealing with Spillages

1. Spillages of substances likely to result in the spread of infections will be dealt with rapidly and carefully. 
2. Blood, vomit, urine and faeces will be cleaned up immediately and disposed of safely and hygienically by double bagging and taken out of the setting. 
3. Play workers will wear disposable plastic gloves and an apron while using bleach or disinfectant solution, and wash themselves thoroughly afterwards. 
4. Children will be kept well clear while such substances are being dealt with. 
5. CUHP is committed to taking all practicable steps to prevent and control the spread of infectious germs, and to uphold high standards of personal hygiene in order to minimize the risk of catching or spreading infections. 

Infection control practices

1. Observation of the disease and appropriate outbreak management response. 
2. Implementation of diapering/toileting policies which include sanitizing surfaces and hand hygiene. 
3. Cleaning and disinfection of toys, surfaces, bedding and linens. 
4. Ensure a safe environment, safe activities, safe toys for children. 
5. Supervise any animal interaction. 
6. Promote proper personal hygiene and hand washing of child care workers and children. 

The new guidelines state that kids who want to blow out a candle on their birthday should bring their very own cupcake - to avoid blowing germs all over a shared cake in Australia.

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/strict-new-hygiene-rules-for-childcare-will-wrap-kids-in-a-bubble-says-ama/story-fneuz9ev-1226571089528

A Model Child Care Center with Facilities

Child and adolescent psychiatrists recognize that the ideal environment for raising a small child is in the home with parents and family. Some experts recommend a minimum of six or more months leave for parents after a child is born to promote bonding. Intimate daily parental care taking of infants for the first several months of life is particularly important. Many children, particularly after the age of three, benefit from good, group day care, where they can have fun and learn how to interact with others.

American families have been radically restructured as the number of women in the workforce has nearly doubled. Instead of parents providing early child care, it is outsourced to virtual strangers. The “Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development,” supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), said that children who spend time in day care may be more aggressive than children who spend no time in day care. According to the study, the number of hours a child spends in day care also affects his aggression levels; the more hours he is there, the more aggressively he behaves. However, some reject the statistical correlation as too small to be presumed a fact.

Facilities in a Model Child Care Center

Attachment and emotional development

Some young children, when left with a day care provider, exhibited a range of negative emotions and behaviors including crying and clinging to parents, screaming or hiding from the provider after the parents have left. Such children frequently developed insecure attachment issues and separation anxiety. Other children adjusted more readily and eagerly joined their peers, barely acknowledging their parents’ departure. These children demonstrated more security, less separation anxiety and greater preparedness for eventually entering school.

Improved Vocabulary

An NICHD study of Early Child Care and Youth Development found that children who attended high-quality day care prior to kindergarten performed better on vocabulary tasks in the fifth grade than children who attended lower-quality day care.

Now let us look at the major good and bad signs of child care centers

Good signs of child care center	Bad signs of child care center
Good reputation	So-so reputation
Established ground rules	Loose rules
Stimulating curriculum	Questionable curriculum
Open communication	Non-Stimulating Environment
Qualified, dedicated, and professional staff	Emotional Support from Caregivers
A structured and child-focused curriculum that is customized for different children	Activities Don't Promote Mental, Physical, Social and Emotional Growth
Day care following health and safety regulations	Unhealthy Environment
	State Licensing Requirements Aren't Followed
Warning signs
Lack of open communication	Too Many Children
Frequent change in staff	Low standards in cleanliness and safety
Vague or Undocumented Policies	Disrespect for Your Concerns

Take time to work out what your family needs - can you always be available for the rigid pick-up times imposed by many day care centers. Ask parents you respect for recommendations and make the time to check out a few child care centers or nannies if you are considering these options. Look for day care centers with low staff turnovers and long waiting lists - these are usually the best! A good nanny will have experience, first aid qualifications and a drivers license - but don't forget to check their references, even if they come from an agency. So make the child care experience good for your kid.

Additional Resources:
http://www.aacap.org/App_Themes/AACAP/docs/facts_for_families/20_making_day_care_a_good_experience.pdf
http://www.babycenter.in/a541470/signs-of-a-good-daycare-center
http://www.livestrong.com/article/77119-psychological-effects-sending-children-day/

Calendar Based Enrollment in Preschool Management Software

In EZChildTrack, a child care management software, creation of programs, activities and enrollment of students into activities can be carried out effortlessly online. There is a particular type of enrollment that sets EZChildTrack apart from the rest – users are able to enroll students into desired activities via an online inbuilt calendar. With the help of an online calendar, a user can:

View all activities added to a program

• Enroll children into activities using a calendar 
• Manage enrollment details in a structured way 
• Collect fee upfront from parents 

Calendar based enrollments can be done both from EZChildTrack software’s main application as well as through the parent portal. This means that not only a program director or site coordinator is able to enroll a child into activities using the online calendar facility but a parent can do the same task as well via EZChildTrack’s parent portal. This saves a lot of time for parents who need not attend the school premises to specify their requirements or make payments. 

For a program to display this type of enrollment option, you need to first specify its enrollment type as calendar based. After this is done, if an account registers for the program, they will be able to avail the online inbuilt calendar to enroll their children into activities. Making payments for calendar based enrollments can also be done easily. A number of payment methods can be used to make payments.

A major benefit of having a calendar based enrollment option in a preschool management software like EZChildTrack is that it accounts for a user friendly interface that is convenient, organized, very easy to use, easily adjustable, and can be used to quickly spot scheduled activities. Being web-based makes it far more accessible i.e. you can log into the software any time of the day and make data modifications, program registrations, activity enrollments if required.

Child Care Professional Development Coordinator

The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) represents approximately 200,000 members, including New York City public school teachers and other school employees, child care providers and registered nurses . The UFT is also developing new training opportunities to further improve the quality of child care in the City .

What professional development approaches can help?

Recognizing the needs of staff who are new to their role is key to effective professional development support in this area. In survival mode, we all need help that is targeted to the practical level of how to do things.

WHY - What is the purpose, outcome, goal, reason for the PD&S?

1. Supporting an interest 
2.  Strengthening program identified in an individual and skills in specific development plan curriculum areas
3.  Building leadership
4.   Achieving short or long capacity in particular term service goals members of the staff team 
5.  Leading a change in 
6.  Working towards formal practice (individual, team qualifications or whole service)
7.  Preparing for anticipated 
8.  Performance issues changes in system identified in appraisal (eg National ECEC process framework)
9.   Keeping up to date with 
10.   Ensuring compliance current research and trends
11.   Supporting reflective 
12.   Relationships,practice communication and team work

WHO - Which people need to involved? 

1. Individual staff member 
2. Room team 
3. Team leaders 
4. Assistants 
5. Program staff (eg OSHC, • Age group teams Playgroup, LDC)
6. Staff new to role 
7. Experienced staff
8. Families
9. Committee of management
10. Admin staff
11. Cooks
12. Gardening / maintenance 
13.  Staff who are studying staff
14.  Directors
15.  Managers /Owners/Licensees

Responsibilities:

1. Design and implement the UFT Providers Professional Development Program. 
2. Develop and implement trainings for UFT child care providers. 
3. Manage and support a roster of over 20 part-time trainers, including their mastery of the training content as well as their training delivery. 
4. Maintain a high level of training quality through observation of training, identifying areas in need of strengthening, and ongoing feedback to the trainers. 
5. Identify and review appropriate professional development materials. 
6. Help to identify child care workforce professional development needs. 

Qualifications:

1. Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood or Child Development or a related field with 24 credits in early childhood or child development or Childhood related course work. Master’s degree is preferred. 
2. 5 - 8 years of experience as a certified teacher and/or as a child care professional with state certified training experience. 
3. 5 - 8 years of experience with adult education and adult learning. Can be concurrent with teaching or child care experience. 
4. Demonstrated skills in communication (oral and written), team building, and group dynamics. 
5. Background in managing professional development activity sessions preferred. 
6. Knowledge of Family Child Care is preferred. 
7. Familiarity with organized labor and/or union training programs is preferred. 

Preferred:

1. Background in managing professional development activity sessions. 
2. Knowledge of Family Child Care. 
3. Familiarity with organized labor and/or union training programs. 

Lillian Katz, author  proposing developmental models of professional growth. describes the sequence of professional growth in four stages (Katz 1995). Although there are limitations to conceptualizing learning in ‘stages’, this model can be useful when considering the professional development needs of staff members in child care settings at varying levels of experience.

Lillian Katz - Developmental Stages of Teachers

Stage 1: Survival : During this stage, the staff member is predominantly focused on themselves and their own needs. Surviving the daily challenges of their role and getting through from day to day is the main concern. Many staff at this stage, question their personal and professional competence and
in doing so, their desire to continue to work in their role. The survival stage is associated with being new to a role, so therefore may be re-experienced in times of change, either because of moving to a new role or because of new initiatives in the service.

Stage 2: Consolidation : During this stage, new staff will have developed ways of working each day that they find effective and so begin to broaden their focus to include developing deeper understandings of their role and the characteristics of individual children.

Stage 3: Renewal : In this stage, staff members are highly competent in their day to day work and begin to look for new challenges and ways of extending their expertise.

Stage 4: Maturity : This stage is characterized by continued interest in extending expertise coupled with deepening interest in ideas, philosophy and the bigger picture aspects of the profession as a whole.