The Value of Promoting Good Hygiene Practices in Wraparound Care 

In preschools, primary schools and wraparound care settings, many children sharing the same space increases the risk of illness. To avoid the spread of infectious diseases and improve children’s health, every setting should maintain adequate cleanliness standards by promoting good hygiene practices.

When children are young, they can develop habits that will last a lifetime. Staff, playworkers, families and children are all involved in encouraging good hygiene practices. 

Many parents choose a wraparound care setting based on its ability to keep their children healthy and safe from infection and sickness. Children are frequently unaware of the significance of personal hygiene, so when teaching a child how to keep themselves clean and safe, it’s critical to use different methods and incorporate positive feedback. 

What are good hygiene practices? 

Hygiene benefits both the child and those who care for them. For wraparound care providers, good hygiene is keeping the setting clean, maintaining personal hygiene to prevent the spread of germs and teaching children how to be clean. When children learn how to be clean in the bathroom, at the dinner table and elsewhere, they develop healthy habits that they will carry with them through nursery and beyond. 

However, good hygiene involves more than just using hand sanitiser; it is a way of thinking that applies to all aspects of childcare. Everything you do to keep your setting clean, safe and healthy is referred to as hygiene.

What are the key good hygiene practices to be taught in wraparound care? 

The best way to teach a child about the importance of healthy hygiene practices is to lead by example. As a role model for children, make sure you follow your own advice about maintaining a clean environment. A wraparound care setting is an excellent place for children to develop good habits and learn how to care for their bodies from adults. 

Spend some time discussing hygiene once or twice a year. Maintain good hygiene practices by checking each child daily and giving them one-on-one instructions as needed. 

Because there are so many ways for germs to spread in a wraparound care setting, cleanliness is vital. Cleanliness keeps children, staff and parents safe and healthy. Let’s look at some of the most crucial hygiene practices in wraparound care. 

Handwashing 

In the early stages of learning where to put their fingers, children are more likely to get their hands dirty by doing unclean things. Make sure children wash their hands frequently to prevent getting sick, keep the classroom clean and free of sticky messes and minimise cross-infection.

You can prevent illness by thoroughly washing your hands and teaching your children to do the same. Germs are often spread through physical contact. 

Teach each child to wash their hands with soap and water: 

Body cleansing 

Each child has a different bathing needs. Active children should take a bath every day. Daily bathing can deplete natural oils faster than they can be replenished, resulting in dry, itchy skin in some children. Using a light after-bath lotion or showering every other day may be more effective in such cases. 

Young toddlers should be supervised by an adult regardless of how well they bathe themselves. Before getting dressed, make sure your child washes and dries their entire body, including under their arms and their genital and anal areas. 

Oral hygiene 

The importance of oral hygiene cannot be overstated. Children who are young should brush their teeth twice a day and floss at least once a day. 

Children may need assistance flossing because it requires fine motor control. Families can purchase toothbrushes featuring cartoon characters who twirl or play music, which will appeal to children who refuse to brush with a toothbrush. Pre-flossed holders make flossing easier for children. 

Etiquette for coughing and sneezing 

Coughing and sneezing safely can be a fun activity for kids. Use your inner elbow instead of your hand when covering your nose and mouth. The “vampire sneeze” is a fun way for children to learn to use their elbows, helping them to remember it when done correctly. 

Food safety 

A child should wash their hands with warm, soapy water before and after eating meals or snacks. Even if food looks and smells fine, it may contain bacteria that can cause illness. 

Children should be taught not to lick their fingers while eating because licking them is a common way for viruses to enter the body.

Cleanliness of the face 

By following good hygiene and washing the face frequently, many diseases and conditions can be avoided or controlled.

Ensure children wash their faces and care for their teeth, mouth, eyes and ears as part of good facial hygiene. They can remove dirt, oil and other impurities from their faces with soap and running water. 

Why is it critical to promote good hygiene practices in wraparound care? 

Self-care relies heavily on personal hygiene skills. They will teach children lifelong positive hygiene habits that will help them live a healthy life. The more good hygiene habits children develop when they are young, the healthier they will be. It is more likely for children to catch and spread diseases due to so much physical contact with other people and the environment. 

While wraparound care settings cannot prevent the spread of infections, they must maintain a clean environment in order to minimise the spread of disease and illness. In addition to learning self-sufficiency and self-esteem, children will also gain confidence and self-esteem by practising good hygiene. 

Health and safety 

By allowing children to develop self-help skills while playing, you can teach them to develop good hygiene habits for life. Providing children with opportunities to learn basic hygiene is beneficial to their health. 

Social development 

In addition to preventing germ transmission, hygiene procedures also have an impact on social interaction. By educating children about maintaining cleanliness and sanitation, they will be able to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Not only can our personal hygiene habits affect our health, but also our relationships with others and our ability to work. 

Boost self-esteem 

Providing children with proper hygiene techniques is one of the best ways to boost their confidence. Healthy hygiene habits start in the early years and become their own responsibility over time.

In addition to boosting children’s confidence, personal hygiene skills can give them the resources to become independent and engage in activities on their own. It gives them the resources they need to develop independence. It is easier for children to make great connections with their peers when they have a positive and healthy image of themselves. 

Feeling of safety 

The need to maintain strong, positive interactions with children will only grow as they get older. Children’s academic performance often improves when they have a healthy sense of security. 

Self-care skills 

As a result of routines, rituals and activities that occur throughout the day in wraparound care settings, self-help skills are also developed.

In order to develop self-care skills, it is essential that children understand proper toileting and good hygiene practices. In addition to these abilities, toddlers who practice them also practice other early learning building blocks, including large and fine motor skills, sensory processing, language comprehension and following simple routines. 

Independence 

Self-esteem begins to develop in children as they learn to care for themselves and become more independent. When people keep their surroundings clean, they have a more positive attitude towards themselves. Self-care helps them develop a sense of independence as well as their ability to help themselves.

Methods for promoting good hygiene practices in wraparound care 

It should be a top priority for wraparound care settings to fight germs and illnesses. It is important to teach children the importance of cleanliness and sanitation in schools and wraparound care settings so they understand the importance of basic cleanliness and health measures. 

A wraparound care setting can teach children the importance of cleanliness through daily routines. Practicing good hygiene habits and being a role model is the best way to teach a child. Here are some ideas for teaching children good hygiene habits.

Signs and posters 

In order to emphasise the importance of cleanliness, posters and signs should be displayed in schoolyards, playgrounds, restrooms and classrooms. You can display these posters to enforce good hygiene standards. It is important to teach children proper handwashing, hygiene, toilet flushing, trash disposal and water consumption. 

You can place posters that explain how to wash hands and brush your teeth near sinks and toilets so that children will see them and remember how to stay clean. You can also include written policies and procedures that explain how to stay clean. 

Activities 

Showing children how germs and viruses work makes it easier for them to understand why handwashing is important. Engage children in activities such as:

Routine cleaning

It is important for playworkers and managers to keep play areas clean and sanitise toys and equipment in order to reduce the risk of illness and germs.

It is common for children to come across dirty surfaces and equipment, especially after playing with toys and in outdoor play areas. Bacterial colonies thrive on equipment and toys. It is possible for sweaty hands to spread germs during sports, especially if a child shares equipment (bats, balls, rackets, monkey bars, hula hoops, etc.). 

Playing musical instruments, arts and crafts, playing classroom games, or role-playing are also activities children may engage in. In order to prevent the spread of infection, you must regularly clean all items used as person-to-person contact may occur during these activities. 

Practice handwashing 

Getting your child to wash their hands is one of the simplest and most crucial hygiene activities he or she can learn. Explain to the child why this is important. You may say, “We wash our hands to remove dirt and germs.” 

It is normal for children to play in the sandpit, handle toys and do crafts. They cough and sneeze without covering their mouth/nose, leaving saliva on surfaces. By stopping transmission and killing germs and bacteria, washing their hands reduces the risk of cross-infection.

Make sure all children’s restrooms offer hand hygiene products. Hand sanitisers, soap dispensers, paper towel dispensers and automatic hand dryers may all be included.

The best thing you can do for your children is teach them to wash their hands with soap and water before or after meals, as well as after using the bathroom, wiping their noses or engaging in dirty activities.

As children run around in a wraparound care setting, germs and diseases can spread quickly through touching furniture, sharing crayons, playing with toys, reading books, handling food and using eating utensils. As a result of the high level of physical interaction in this setting, infectious diseases may be more common.

To keep everyone healthy and promote sanitary behaviour, wraparound care settings should model proper hygiene. Everyone must practice adequate hygiene to keep a wraparound setting clean. 

A child’s health and wellbeing can be dramatically affected by good hygiene practices. Although they seem like simple daily chores, they can have a life-changing impact.

Our playworker platform, Playground, makes it easy to track good hygiene practices at your settingto help keep children safe and healthy while storing your efforts in the cloud to access during your next review.