There was an article in our local paper today about swine flu prevention in our school districts, and I believe I've seen a few around here asking what schools are doing. I'm curious what the prekindergarten classes on here are doing in the name of prevention. Really the only things I read in the paper today were "strong antibacterial wipes" being placed in all classrooms, antibacterial hand sanitizer being used frequently, and discouraging contact between students. In Pre-K these are all much more difficult. I can wipe the tables with Clorox wipes, but the children certainly cannot. They are not allowed to use hand sanitizer, and washing 18 hands takes FOREVER and can only be done so many times in a session. Anything you are doing in an effort to prevent swine flu?
Make the kids wash their hands often. Anyone that comes into the room must wash their hands. Wipe off the toys and surfaces with bleach water solution. Enforce the sick policies that are in the handbook. Anyone with a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea has to be sent home.
I have my children wash their hands before they eat snack, and after they come out of the bathroom. This is about as often as I can get in 2.5 hours, but I am considering adding having them wash hands when they first come into school and unpack, just to get rid of any "outside germs." I also crack a window year round, regardless of weather.
We wash our hands before breakfast, before we go outside (bathroom break), coming back inside (it's lunchtime) after lunch (pre-nap bathroom break) and then before snack (after lunch bathroom break). We also usually take one more bathroom break before the end of the day. I have been using hand sanitizer like crazy and we are spraying down popular toys with a weak bleach solution once a week instead of twice a month.
That's exactly what we have been doing for the past 3 years. When the kids enter the room they hang up their stuff and go to the sinks to wash their hands. Luckily most of the parents will help or supervise their child's hand washing.
That's my only glitch- parents are not allowed into my classroom in the morning. Children are dropped off at the front doors and I watch them walk from mom and dad down to me. My assistant is in the room in the mornings, but she is trying to go through all of their BEE books in rapid fashion, so she won't be available to stand by the sink. I know that a few months in, they will all be fine to wash hands on their own, but in the beginning it's daunting!
We wash our hands alot too. I've also got some hand sanitizer; I've never been thrilled with using it, would rather use soap & water, but I'm using it more often. I also have wipies in the classroom.
They "can't" give us cleaner in my room. I know, I've asked. My reason is that sometimes I need to clean things off mid-class... my custodian says "well, I spray your tables down every day if you lave your chairs down." Fantastic... but why do i NOT think he sprays the top of the tray table that goes with my Rifton chair? That's where my little guy eats from, as well as does table toys at (since he refuses to sit in a chair and I don't want to wrestle him the entire 2 1/2 hours...). GROSS if it's not getting cleaned. I guess I have to bring my own. My school (PK-6) isn't rewarding perfect attendance this year because they don't want to encourage kids coming to school sick, but they won't give us cleaner?
We wash our hands: 1. When the arrive to get rid of the home germs. 2. After bathroom, nose picking, sneezing, fingers in mouth, etc. 3. Before snack 4. Before using the water table. 5. Upon leaving to keep the school germs at school.
We have to put our chairs on top of the tables at the end of the day to make it easier for the custodian to sweep the floors, so of course that means they CAN'T wipe down our tables. My assistant and I use Lysol wipes every day to clean them. Lysol wipes are on my wish list. As for hand sanitizer, we weren't allowed to use it last year because of the fear of children ingesting it. I wonder if that policy will be revoked this year.
I know this wasn't directed at me, but yes, I have felt that way. Answering the question about not spreading the flu obviously we were another hand washing classroom.
No, not really. Sometimes there are 2 or 3 in line in the morning as they arrive, but otherwise they don't stand in line to wash hands. I'm fortunate because we have 3 different sinks, and one person can monitor all three at the same time. I don't do group bathroom time either. I hate wasting time because we are only a 3 hour program.
I don't do group bathroom time, either. I find it unnecessary. We have one bathroom in the room, it's accessible at any time, so why bother? But- I only have 1 sink. 18 kids washing their hands can easily be standing in line for 15 minutes to wash their hands. In 15 minutes I could do an entire center rotation!
I agree with you. Standing in line for 15 minutes is not only a waste of time but an invitation for behavior problems!
What about washing their hands as part of a center? Like, everytime you are in the science center (or whatever) you must wash you hands first. That way they are all washing their hands at least one more time and it's not the entire class. I may sound silly, but someone posted about keeping a window open... What does that do to help prevent the flu?
[QUOTEI may sound silly, but someone posted about keeping a window open... What does that do to help prevent the flu?[/QUOTE] It gets fresh air into the room, and lets some of that germ filled air get outside.
North Carolina is very specific. Everyone entering the center, washes their hands. Parents help some in the am when dropping off, but mostly the children learn the routine very quickly and adapt to doing it themselves. The first week of school we emphasize the proper technique every morning at circle time. We wash before and after meals; before and after playing outside; after rest time. I often joke that I could commit any crime and not get caught by leaving fingerprints...I no longer have any!
We also wash upon arrival, before/after snack, after bathroom use, fingers in mouth, and hands in pants. I'm wondering about playdough and the sensory table. It might be a good time to wash before playing in those areas. We also keep a window cracked in the winter. And at home, I keep the day temp at 63, and 59 at night. We are rarely sick with colds.
I forgot about hands in pants. :lol: We wash before using the water table. I wonder about the playdough table, too. Maybe we can add antibacterial gel to our recipes. :lol:
we also have to wash 6. when coming in from outside recess 7. after eating (not just before) 8. after petting animals 9. after playdough
Just don't keep the play dough around for long periods of time. We have also been making a small portion of dough for each child in a zip lock with their name on it. Every little bit helps!
Playdough in the refrigerator? A fellow teacher told me that keeping playdough in the refrigerator helps to slow down germ growth in the dough. It's not a bad idea, but I wondered it there's any truth to that? I don't keep playdough around very long anyway.
We are asking the parents to sign a "permission form" so that the kids can use Purell. In addition, I'm asking for baby wipes and antibacterial hand wipes (WetOnes) and Clorox wipes on my wish list. I'll use the clorox ones at the end of the day to wash down table tops, etc. The director is giving us some type of spray stuff that is safe and I'll use on toys, centers, etc. after class daily. The wet ones can be used alone due to antibacterial factor. The baby wipes can be used and followed up with Purell.
we are sending home flyers to parents periodically, majorly enforcing sick policy,giving more leeway to sick staff as far as days off, washing hands alot, cleaning tables and chairs daily with bleach and water, as well as tables before, after snack and lunch and messy projects, hand sanitizer in the classroom and bleaching toys as often as possible, removing them if coughed on, sneezed on or put in mouths until they can be cleaned, opening the window for at least 15 minutes in the morning and again at nap time. Hand sanitizer when ever a cough or sneeze happens into a hand and reinforcing coughing and sneezing into our elbows instead of our hands
We wash after playdo due to the salt making that crust on the hands, and the children picking the loose pieces off and throwing them on the floor. The fact that we can squeeze in an extra hand wash in bonus though. We must wash more than 20x a day when you put in the bathroom breaks, 2 meals and 2 snacks and so on............crazy, but the health dept is happy.
