Know

The Importance of Healthy Environments

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and sat down at a sticky table or found dried food on your fork? Have you ever hesitated about picking up a pen at the bank or grocery store because the person in front of you had a cold? Have you ever put a public toilet seat down with your foot just to avoid touching it? Have you ever stayed in a hotel room that made you want to avoid touching the comforter or the remote control?

Most people have experienced some of these uncomfortable and stressful health-related situations. As adults, we can respond to such situations by visiting a different restaurant or hotel, or by washing our hands as soon as we leave the bank or restroom stall. We want to stay healthy and we want to believe that our environments are reasonably clean. Children and their families have these same desires. Child development programs must provide environments that are clean and that prevent the spread of communicable diseases. It is your responsibility to make sure children have a safe and healthy environment for play and learning.

Germs

Germs are the cause of infectious diseases. Unfortunately, germs cannot be seen by the naked eye and they are generally transmitted without us even knowing it. Germs are transmitted as a result of:

• 直接联系: Touching the fluid from another person's infection (e.g., saliva, nasal mucus), transmitted through environmental objects, such as toys, cabinet handles, equipment, or person to person. It only takes a small drop of fluid for transmission to occur.
• Respiratory：当某人打喷嚏或咳嗽时，通过嘴巴和鼻子传播。
• Blood infections: Spread when blood, and sometimes other bodily fluids with may contain blood, enters the blood stream of another person.
• Fecal-oral transmission：通过手弄脏了触摸食物，表面或物体的粪便，蔓延到一个人的嘴（口服）。来自粪便的细菌是看不见的。虽然仍然存在粪便细菌，但手和表面可能会出现清洁。来自口腔的疾病可以使成年人和儿童非常生病。

显然，没有办法完全消除细菌的传播，特别是在学龄前教室发生的所有游戏和材料共享，但有些方法可以减少儿童，员工和家庭的细菌传播。亚慱彩票除了遵循您的计划的健康相关政策外，您还必须遵守您的计划的清洁和卫生要求，并遵循适当的洗手程序（在洗手洗涤中看到两个课程）。

Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting: What's the Difference?

Although we often use the words cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting interchangeably, they each have their own meaning. To provide a safe and healthy environment for children, you need to understand the difference between each term (American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education, 2011). This will help you know which products are designed for each purpose.

请记住，学龄前儿童不应靠近表面，材料亚慱彩票和玩具（包括膳食和小吃桌和洗手间），而表面或物品正在消毒或消毒。吸入化学品，因为它们被施加，可能是危险的。所有化学物质都应被锁定和放松儿童。

您用于清洁，消毒或消毒的任何产品应由环境保护署（EPA）批准，以确保他们为您使用的安全。当您清洁，消毒或消毒时，您应该遵循批准的程序。通常，这意味着用手用肥皂或洗涤剂和水，消毒或消毒洗涤材料或表面，并允许物体干燥。如果它具有Sanitize设置或高温选项，您还可以使用洗碗机来消毒玩具或材料。

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend that if an EPA approved disinfectant is not available, then you should use a fresh chlorine bleach solution. The DHHS and CDC provide the following guidelines on preparing and using the solution:

• Add 1 tablespoon of bleach to 1 quart (4 cups) of water. For a larger supply of disinfectant, add ¼ cup of bleach to 1 gallon (16 cups) of water.
• Apply the solution to the surface with a cloth.
• Let it stand for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Rinse the surface with clean water.

See

To help you think about your role in maintaining a clean classroom environment, watch the following video that summarizes information covered in this lesson about keeping your classroom healthy.

Maintaining Healthy Environments

Standard and Universal Precautions

Another way to reduce the risk of transmission of microorganisms (germs) that can cause infection is to practice standard or universal precautions. Standard precautions cover all situations where you may come into contact with body fluids, but universal precautions applies specifically to contact with blood, and does not apply to contact with feces, nasal secretions, sputum, sweat, tears, urine, saliva, or vomit unless these body fluids also contain blood. In child care settings, standard precautions involves using barriers to prevent contact with body fluids from another person, as well as cleaning and sanitizing contaminated surfaces. You can read more about standard precautions in theStandard and Universal Precautions as they Apply to Child Care Settings Fact Sheet附图码。

Barriers you might use to help prevent bodily fluid contact might include:

• Moisture-resistant disposable diaper table paper
• Disposable towels
• Gloves
• Plastic bags, securely sealed

You should always use disposable non-porous gloves when blood or body fluids containing blood may be involved.

Gloves are optional for diapering and contact with other bodily fluids described above, but check with your coach, trainer, or supervisor for times your program or Service guidelines recommend using gloves.

Whenever gloves are worn, you should practice good hand hygiene. SeeLesson Twofor more on handwashing andLesson Threefor more on glove procedures.

Do

Your role is critical in ensuring your classroom is a clean and healthy environment where children learn and thrive. This section describes what you can do to keep your classroom healthy and the Apply section provides a more detailed schedule to help support healthy practices.

Keeping Your Classroom Healthy

Toys and Classroom Materials

One toy can be used by many children every day. Toys can become a home for germs, especially if children put them in their mouths, cough or sneeze on them, or touch them after toileting. It is very important to regularly clean and sanitize the toys in your room:

• 保持一个盒子或垃圾箱标记为“弄脏玩具”。当一个孩子嘴里嘴里的玩具，咳嗽或打喷嚏，把玩具放在垃圾箱里。据美国人科院介绍，您可以在垃圾箱中保留肥皂水，或者箱子可以是储存玩具的干燥点，直到您可以清洁它们。在将玩具返回到学习环境之前，请确保在玩具中清洁和消毒。yabo电子游艺
• Clean activity spaces, dress-up clothes, and machine-washable cloth toys at least weekly.
• Clean hats daily.
• Clean mouthed toys after each use and sanitize them daily.
• You can put plastic toys in the dishwasher to clean and sanitize them.

Classroom Surfaces

课堂上的许多表面可能有多种用途。也许你在后来用于拼图的桌子上为小吃，或者孩子使用同样的水槽在使用洗手间或艺术之后洗手。按计划清洁，消毒和消毒表面可以帮助您保持健康的环境。以下是您房间内表面的准则：

• 每次你后干净和清洁电脑键盘se.
• 每天清洁和消毒门旋钮和手柄。
• 在每次使用之前和之后清洁和消毒食物制备表面。
• 每次使用后清洁和消毒菜肴。
• 在每次使用之前和之后清洁和消毒食品桌子和托盘。
• Clean countertops after each use and sanitize daily.
• Clean the refrigerator monthly if you have one in your classroom.
• Clean the floors daily.
• Clean and disinfect the drinking fountain daily.
• Clean phone receivers daily.
• Vacuum carpets daily.

Toileting Areas

洗手间是细菌和细菌最有可能传播的位置。保持厕所区清洁非常重要。这些指南将帮助您限制污染：

• Clean and disinfect any changing surfaces after each use.
• 每天清洁和消毒水槽和水龙头。如果水槽也用于非厕所惯例，请在厕所使用后消毒。
• Clean and disinfect countertops daily.
• 每天清洁和消毒地板。

Cots and Bedding

在全日计划中，重要的是为睡眠提供健康的环境。虱子和皮肤感染可以通过毯子或床上用品铺展，储存和清洁不当。遵循这些建议健康的睡眠环境：

• 将每个孩子的床上用品（床单，毯子，枕头，睡袋）与其他儿童的床上用品分开。
• Launder sheets and pillow cases weekly or before being used by another child.
• Clean cots weekly or before being used by another child.
• 每月洗毛毯。如果毯子触动孩子的皮肤，请干净每周。

Completing this Course

For more information on what to expect in this course, the Healthy EnvironmentsCompetency Reflection, and a list of the accompanying Learn, Explore and Apply resources and activities offered throughout the lessons, visit the Preschool Healthy EnvironmentsCourse Guide。

Please note the References & Resources section at the end of each lesson outlines reference sources and resources to find additional information on the topics covered. As you complete lessons, you are not expected to review all the online references available. However, you are welcome to explore the resources further if you have interest, or at the request of your trainer, coach, or administrator.