Parents put a priority on choosing preschools, day cares and elementary schools that are clean and safe for their children. It seems like common sense to entrust your kids to a center or school that looks and smells clean and fresh. But why is a clean environment important for kids?
The World Health Organization says clean air, safe and secure surroundings and places for children to play and engage in physical activity are essential for children to thrive. Sick kids may miss opportunities to develop physically, cognitively and socially. But how are caregivers supposed to protect children from germs, which are literally everywhere?
Childcare and school professionals should call in reinforcements, like a professional cleaning company, to keep children well.
Kids Get Sick. A Lot.
You’re not imagining it: Little kids get sick much more often than you do. Johns Hopkins Medicine says children catch an average of six to 10 colds per year, well above the two to four colds that the average adult gets. Children’s underdeveloped immune systems leave them vulnerable to the 200-plus viruses that can cause the common cold as well as the flu and other contagious diseases. And children in school or childcare are exposed daily to other kids with immature immune systems – and therefore, even more germs.
Viruses like colds and flu are spread through airborne droplets when a sick person coughs or sneezes. Viruses also spread through person-to-person contact or via surfaces – like a doorknob – that a sick person has touched.
Parents and other caregivers also can help children stay healthy by teaching and modeling good habits like sneezing into the elbow, covering a cough and frequent hand washing.
Clean, Sanitize and Disinfect
Professional cleaning companies can fight germs in multiple ways:
- Traditional cleaning: Cleaning removes dirt you can see, such as debris or pollen tracked in on the carpet or floor, dust on a desk, etc. Traditional cleaning methods keep childcare centers and schools looking good and reduce or remove pathogens from a surface.
- Sanitization: Sanitizing, which often is done using traditional cleaning methods like wiping down a surface with cleaning solutions or mopping, removes most harmful bacteria on nonporous surfaces.
- Disinfection: Using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved chemicals, disinfection kills nearly all harmful germs and bacteria on a surface. Disinfectants may be applied to high-touch surfaces like doorknobs, light switches and sinks using a rag (and while wearing personal protective equipment). Professional cleaners also apply disinfectants using electrostatic sprayers, which are well-suited for common areas, personal spaces such as desks and hard-to-reach corners and crevices.
Disinfection services are best left to professional cleaners, who are trained in the proper way to use chemicals and to follow the recommendations of the EPA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Clean Learning Environment
A clean day care or school is more conducive to learning and development.
Professional commercial cleaning companies can reduce the number of germs in a childcare facility or school, which helps kids stay healthy and gives parents peace of mind knowing their kids are in a clean learning environment. At the end of the day, children are simply better able to focus on their studies when they are rested and feel well.
To find commercial cleaners near you, visit OfficePride.com.
