Since hand washing is the #1 preventive measure to avoid the spread of disease the Children’s School staff and the children wash their hands upon entry, before and after food preparation, after toileting and diapering, and after re-entry from the playground, as well as after any messy activities.
NAEYC requires that we follow proper procedures during hand washing, and we recommend it for everyone!  According to NAEYC, proper hand-washing procedure includes using soap and running water and rubbing vigorously for 10 seconds.  Remember to wash the back of hands, wrists, between fingers, under and around any jewelry, and under fingernails.  Rinse well; drying hands with a paper towel, or a single-use towel.

Here are three tips to help get your children to wash their hands:

1. Be a model and wash your hands often.
2. Place hand washing reminders at children's eye level by the sink.
3. Have your children sing their ABCs, "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or the "Happy Birthday" song as they wash their hands to encourage them to scrub for a full 10 seconds.

Proper hand washing doesn't take much time or effort, but it offers great rewards in terms of preventing illness.  We noticed a reduction in child and staff illness last year after we initiated more frequent hand washing.  Please help your child adopt this simple habit as a way to help protect their health.