Safeguarding Children’s Health in Day Care Centers

 

Day care centers are a great way for young children to socialize and build communication strategies. They also help children manage a structured schedule and lay the foundation for reading and math skills that children will need to develop once they start school.

 

But it is a well-known fact that children attending day care are more likely to get sick than those who are not enrolled in day care programs. For many parents, sending children to day care is a stressful experience, and they look to facilities for reassurances that their children will be cared for in a safe, comfortable environment.

 

While day care centers can’t eliminate all germs and pollutants, there are certainly important steps they can take to mitigate the risks posed to kids. First off, it’s important to recognize that young children have developing immune and organ systems. As a result, they are at a greater risk than adults of being harmed by pollutants, such as lead, fungi, viruses and chemical residue that may be present in dust.

 

“Pre-school children are not just small adults,” warns Eugene Cole, director of research for LRC Indoor Testing & Research. “They have higher respiratory and heart rates than adults, plus unique oral behaviors, immature livers, kidneys, and immune functions that render them at high risk for adverse health effects from indoor exposures.”

 

Children, who have little to no knowledge of good hygiene practices, are also active spreaders of fecal and respiratory pathogens. They are unlikely to cover their mouths for a sneeze or a cough, they tend to use their hands to wipe their noses or eyes and they are constantly crawling on the floor, spreading germs to toys, surfaces and other people around them. Therefore, keeping day care centers in tiptop shape is key to decreasing absenteeism and complaints from disgruntled parents.

 

At Avery Cleaning, we have developed a three-pronged system to help day care providers reduce indoor pollutants in their facilities: prevention, cleaning and awareness.

 

Prevention

 

Some games and activities common in day care centers actually promote microbial growth and support the spread of microorganisms. These include rotting log science experiments meant to teach children about mushroom growth and bugs; kitty pools for splashing and floating boats; and classroom pets.

 

While these activities may be fun for young children, they also pose health risks. For example, fungal organisms, like Aspergillus and Penicillium, while important in composting and decaying vegetable matter outdoors, can quickly accumulate indoors and lead to life-threatening infections. While the medical community seeks more effective anti-fungal treatments, little has been done to address prevention through the reduction of these microbes indoors.

 

Simply moving the rotting log and similar types of children’s activities outdoors can significantly improve indoor air quality. Other measures, like regularly changing the water in kitty pools and cleaning out pet cages, can also help day care centers better manage indoor environments. For facilities that keep pets and small animals, Professor Cole recommends dedicating “one room as an animal room, thus taking active pollutant sources from the classrooms and facilitating the cleaning process.” Small steps that prevent the accumulation of indoor pollutants can go a long way in improving the air quality in your day care center.

 

Cleaning

 

While children can get sick from exposure to coughs and sneezes, most of the contamination in indoor environments actually happens from the re-suspension of pollutants from floor surfaces. In fact, a single person can add 37 million bacteria to the air every hour by re-suspending germs that have accumulated on the floor over time, according to a study conducted by Jordan Peccia, associate professor of Environmental Engineering at Yale University. “The floor dust turns out to be the major source of the bacteria that we breathe,” Professor Peccia says.

 

In another study, led by Brandon Boor, a Purdue University assistant professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental and Ecological engineering, researchers used a robot wrapped in tinfoil to simulate a child crawling on a carpeted floor. They then tracked the particle concentration in the robot baby’s mouth (represented by red in the graph below) and the particle concentration of the air in the room (represented by blue in the graph below).

 

The researchers found that when babies crawl, they stir up high levels of dirt, bacteria, skin cells, pollen and fungi from the floor surface. The babies also inhale these pollutants at an amount that is four times (per kilogram of body mass) what an adult would breathe walking across the same floor.

 

 

As shown in the graph, when the robot baby is stationary, the particle concentration in a baby’s mouth (red lines) and the particle concentration of the air in the room (blue line) are about the same. But when the robot baby is crawling, the particle concentration in a baby’s mouth rises to almost 100 times as high as the ambient air.

 

Given these studies, it is paramount to keep day care crawl surfaces clean. At Avery Cleaning, we emphasize frequent treatments and the use of proper techniques and equipment, such as brushless vacuums with single-use bags and carbon and HEPA filters; hot water extraction and carpet shampooing; and the spray and extract method that many researchers nowadays suggest is more effective than the traditional “mop and bucket.”

 

We also avoid using potent chemicals that can lead to the release of volatile organic compounds for up to a few days after application. Inhaling these compounds invites the chemicals into our bloodstreams, where they can wreak havoc on our bodies—an especially problematic scenario for young children. In lieu of such harsh substances, Avery Cleaning relies on a combination of soap, heat and mechanical applications.

 

Awareness

 

Lastly, we believe that raising awareness about indoor pollutants among day care staff is an effective way to reduce the effects of such pollutants on young children, and also on the people working to care for them day in and day out.

 

Avery Cleaning’s trained professionals offer free educational guidance to teachers and staff to help them understand cross contamination processes and best cleaning practices, and to prepare them for possible infection outbreaks. Our materials are always research-based and adhere to the latest industry standards.

 

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Ultimately, targeted cleaning at day care centers can help reduce illnesses, prevent child and staff absenteeism, and allay parents’ fears. Call Avery Cleaning today at (860) 503-8333 to learn about how our three-pronged approach of prevention, cleaning and awareness can make a difference at your day care center.