Regular Hand Washing Cuts The Spread of Illness

Tops and bottoms, Tops and bottoms, In between, In between
All around your hands, All around your hands, makes them clean!

People, not objects, are the number one carriers in the spread of "germs". Both adults and children collect germs on their hands each time a contaminated surface is touched, and really all surfaces in our childcare environment should be considered contaminated. Most children are exposed to and transfer more germs than adults because they haven't established good hygiene routines, and they put their hands and many objects into their mouths.

Research shows that children who wash their hands frequently throughout the day have fewer sick days due to colds and stomach illnesses. This means we'll have healthier children in our program, lower staff absences because the adults have less exposure to illnesses, and parents with fewer absences from work to care for sick children.