Taking care of a child is a very meticulous task that needs care. Since children are more sensitive and prone to infection than adults, you must make sure that your child has all the things needed to be healthy and safe even in the daycare center.
Immunization for your child
Immunization is very important for children because it adds to the protection of your children against certain diseases. The role of immunization is to prevent such diseases that are harmful and can cause serious problems not only to children but to adults as well. There laws in a number of states that requires immunization records of a child before being admitted into a daycare center. This rule helps in protecting the children, staff and families as well. According to the recommendation of the United States’ Center for Disease Control, shots for immunization shall be given to babies as soon as they are born, when they reach two months, after their first birthday, at four years old, eleven and fourteen years of age. Included in the required immunization is D-P-T for diphtheria, anti-tetanus and anti-pertussis, Hepatitis B, mumps, measles, rubella, polio, and Hib for a type B influenza. Most of the vaccines are required before entering a public school. But there are some medical conditions or religious tradition that may prohibit the immunization of the child. When this happens, a physician or religious authority shall have the require documents that allow the immunization of the child. If you have other questions and want to know more about immunizations, you should contact your local center of health or human services.
Keep it clean and disinfected
Whenever you are at home or in a childcare facility, you must always look after the cleanliness. Before choosing a child care center for your children, observe the cleanliness of the area such as the floors, table tops, bathrooms, kitchen and the like. Make sure that the floor where your children are staying or strolling are swept, mopped and vacuumed. Make sure also that the corners in the room are cleaned. Since the kitchen and the bathroom are the places where most infection may occur, you have to make sure that they are kept clean and disinfected at all times. The surfaces can be sanitized using a tablespoon of bleach in a quarter of water. Check for soap, tissue, personal towel and other sanitary stuff in the bathroom. The kitchen must also be clean all the time because this is where their food will be prepared. Ask for the proper hygiene program of the daycare so that you will know how strict they are when it comes to maintaining cleanliness.
Changing Diapers for your Baby
Another important detail that you must take note is the proper method of changing diapers. You must inquire about the method that your daycare is using so that if your child have allergies and rashes due to certain products then you can tell the center. You have to make sure that the daycare has all the supplies that they will need such as diapers, wiping cloths, lotions and other medications needed by the baby. There should also be a flat, clean and sanitized surface where the child will lay. The tables should be sanitized by spraying with a commercial cleaner and wiping with a solution of bleach and water. There should also be a pad or towel so that the baby will still be comfortable. The surfaces must be sanitized and washed with alcohol or other sanitizing solution after every use. The caregivers must be very cautious when changing the diapers. They can also use a strap in order to secure the baby while they are changing the diaper in order to prevent the baby from falling off. The waste diapers must also be properly disposed. It is in the law that all caregivers or staff must wash their hands after changing the diapers of the baby. If the daycare is not following the required method, you can question your childcare provider.
In case of Illness
It is the responsibility of the daycare to assure the parents that there place is healthy for the children. This includes making sure that the children do not acquire any kind of disease while in the daycare center. This means that in case a child has a certain disease, it is required of the child care center to isolate the child as soon as the disease is discovered. It is a way to make sure that no other children will catch or have the same disease. Aside from that it also protects not only the children but as well as the staff. According to certain state laws, a daycare center or facility is not allowed to accommodate and entertain a child who has a temperature of over 100 degrees. Children who also have symptoms of communicable diseases such as chickenpox or measles are also not allowed unless the facility has a sick-care license. The children who are sick are isolated until their parents or guardians fetch them from the center. But since sickness usually occurs, there are now current guidelines for operating child care facilities that are strictly for ill or sick children. It is a universal standard procedure for all child care facilities to isolate ill or diseased children from other children when in the custom of a daycare center.
First aid and kits must be available
The daycare facilities must always have first aid kits available and handy in case any emergency occur. It must be located in places that all staff knows. It should also be easy to obtain to save time in case an urgent emergency occurs. It is advisable that every room must have its own first aid kit. But some states allow family daycare home to have at least one kit. According to the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care each daycare must have two first aid kits. First aid kits must also be brought to field trips or out of the center activities. Besides the kit, it is of utmost importance that the staffs have enough training about basic first aid. The numbers for emergency such as hospitals, poison control, police and fire fighters must also be available when needed.
For more:
How to start a daycare business by OwnADaycare.com
