With both parents working daytime jobs, the demand for childcare centres is increasing. Whether to care for their little ones or to provide a social environment from a young age, parents are seeking the services of childcare centres.
However, before you randomly select a centre that’s near your home, you have to make sure the centre is following healthy hygiene practices. You don’t want to send your child where there is a high chance of contact with disease-causing germs.
So, in this blog, you will learn how to assess the cleanliness of a childcare centre and what you should look for before sending your child to it.
- Cleaning and sanitising toys and surfaces
The primary items that you see in the centre are toys and other play items. Make sure the staff at the centre are cleaning and sanitising toys and surfaces at regular intervals. As many children play with a variety of toys, the chances of contact with germs are higher. So, analyse whether the toys are kept neatly at the centre to avoid issues like common cold, flu, etc.
- Proper storage of materials
If you see toys and other items at the centre scattered everywhere without proper organising, then it’s a red flag. Improper storage of toys or messily spread items overstimulate the child’s brain and confuse their mind. This can overwhelm their mind resulting in higher chances of tantrums and crying. Children feel relaxed if everything around them is predictable and organised.
- Regular hand-washing routines
Children tend to play with dust, and mud, and keep their hands wherever they want. Their curious minds don’t let them distinguish between good and bad things to touch. It’s in caretakers’ hands to regularly wash their hands to keep them safe from germs. If the childcare centre doesn’t have proper hand-washing routines, then steer away from it.
- Safe and clean play surfaces
The childcare centre should have safe and clean play surfaces. The first glance at the centre should be impressive with clean floors, walls, and other surfaces. If the centre doesn’t have a good first glance, then you can search for another.
- Sun protection and shade areas
The childcare centre should have sufficient outside play area and it should have protection from the sun. There should be shaded areas surrounding the centre where children feel safe and free to explore their surroundings. To create shaded areas, the centre should have umbrellas, large trees, canopies, etc.
- Food safety and hygiene practices
Whether you pack snack boxes or the childcare centre is providing them, you should see that they are following strict food safety and hygiene practices. There should be no compromise when it comes to food. You should ensure that they are taking proper care of not feeding the allergens.
Proper sanitation and disposal of waste
Children tend to create a mess while they are playing. It’s the childcare centre’s duty to instantly clean and sanitise the play area. They should dispose of the waste properly without ignoring or delaying the cleaning. Make sure the centre maintains separate and secluded garbage where they discard the waste with proper care.
- Proper ventilation and temperature control
Children create a lot of noise and they need fresh air regularly to meet their excitement levels. So the centre should have proper ventilation and temperature control methods so that children are comfortable to play and run around the surroundings.
How To Tell if a Daycare Complies With Regulations
After analysing whether the childcare centre has enough facilities, you should tell whether a daycare complies with regulations by:
- Qualifications and training of staff members
- Implementation of hygiene and safety protocols
- Documentation of cleaning routines
- Frequency of cleaning and sanitization activities
- Compliance with safety and health regulations
- Inspection records and certifications
Conclusion
The childcare centre cleaning is not a small thing to ignore. Before selecting the centre, you should analyse and check whether it’s safe for your child to spend time or not. The staff at the childcare centre should follow sufficient hygiene practices both inside and outside the centre. If not, you should immediately go to the next one without any second thought.
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