Back to all ArticlesMost mothers agonize over the decision to leave their kids under the care of strangers in a childcare facility and go back to work. It’s only natural that working mothers need peace of mind that their children are being well taken care of in an environment that is safe, intellectually stimulating and hygienic. But while safety and an intellectually stimulating environment are usually front of mind when selecting a childcare facility, cleaning standards are just as important, because if cleaning standards are lax, it can directly affect a working mothers successful return to the workforce.
Equal opportunity in the workplace is the law, and employers understand this, but never the less, the last thing any working mother needs is to be constantly called at work with the report that her child has fallen ill. Of course, the occasional illness is bound to happen, and most employers will understand, but when the frequency of your children’s illnesses goes beyond a certain threshold, this can create real stress between a newly back to working mum and her employer, even with the most understanding of employers.
That’s why hygiene is one of the most important considerations for working mothers who are looking to place their kids in a childcare facility. The last thing you need is your relationship with your employer to be unduly stressed or jeopardised, indirectly, by lax cleaning practices employed by the childcare centre you engage when this can be completely avoided simply by choosing a childcare centre that has adequate hygienic cleaning practices in place. Professional childcare cleaning companies like Smart Cleaning Solutions ensure all the hygienic cleaning requirements are adequately managed in a childcare facility.
Why Hygiene is Important in Childcare Centres
Kids will be kids. Even if they are closely watched, they are still likely to engage in lots of unhygienic behaviours such as putting toys and other unclean objects in their mouths. Kids of childcare age are still in the process of learning good personal hygiene habits, so they can’t be left to their own devices when it comes to maintaining their hygiene. The childcare centre, therefore, has a responsibility to ensure that the kids aren’t exposed to dirt and germs. They have to make sure that all the surfaces, toys, and playground equipment in the childcare centre are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized every day.
Disease outbreaks are more likely to occur in childcare centres with questionable standards of hygiene. Young children of childcare age are still in the process of developing their own immune systems, which means that they are more susceptible to contagious illnesses. It’s therefore imperative that childcare centres be kept in immaculate conditions to prevent the spread of disease-causing germs.
Good Hygienic Practices in Childcare Facilities
Proper childcare hygiene can only be achieved if surfaces and objects in the facility are cleaned, sanitized, and disinfected on a regular basis. Since the health of little children is at stake, cleaning alone will not suffice. Cleaning refers to the process of removing dirt from surfaces, sanitizing refers to getting rid of dirt and most germs, while the process of disinfection has the effect of obliterating all disease-causing microorganisms.
All the activity areas in a childcare centre must be cleaned once or more times daily. Floors in childcare centres tend to get soiled often, so they should be frequently vacuumed, swept, or mopped. The bathroom facilities at the centre should be cleaned and disinfected at least once every day. Bathroom surfaces such as taps, sinks, flush handles, diaper bins, and toilet seats must be thoroughly disinfected as well. Areas where food is prepared and where the kids enjoy their meals and snacks must also be sanitized on a daily basis. The linen or beddings that are used by kids while taking naps must be washed before they are assigned to a specific kid. All the cleaning products used in the childcare centre should be mild and safe for the kids.
How Working Mothers can tell if Childcare Centres are Hygienic
If you are a working mother and you want to enrol your kid in a clean and sanitary childcare centre, you should ask about the centre’s hygienic practices when you meet with the administrators. Ask them how often the facility is cleaned, and what processes are used. Do they have a cleaning schedule they can show you? Do they make hygiene a priority?
Look around the play area of the childcare centre to see for yourself if it’s properly cleaned or if there are pieces of litter and dirty surfaces all over. Try to pay an impromptu visit to the childcare centre for the inspection, because the facility may be cleaned during scheduled visits for your benefit. Go into the bathroom and check if all the fixtures are cleaned, and if the nappy bin is properly secured.
Only enrol your kid in a childcare centre if you are absolutely satisfied with their hygienic practices. This will give you the peace of mind that you need to focus on your job and ensure that you are not needlessly held back in your career by having to have days off to look after sick children simply because the childcare facility you are using cannot keep adequate sanitation standards required to minimise the spread of illness among the children they care for.