Thanks to COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus, a lot of parents and daycare providers have turned their attention to keeping children safe and healthy during the pandemic. While children are less likely to suffer any severe illness or complications, they can contract it or be carriers of the disease. If your daycare remains open during the crisis, here’s how to keep your children and/or your charges safe, healthy and free of daycare germs in Phoenix, AZ.
Signs, symptoms and how COVID-19 spreads
In order to keep your family and daycare safe, it’s important that you understand how COVID-19 spreads. This highly contagious virus is usually transmitted through airborne droplets, often from coughing or sneezing. However, it can also be transmitted by touching objects or people who have come into contact with the virus. While the virus can live for hours and sometimes days on different surfaces, social distancing and thorough handwashing (for at least 20 seconds, with soap) have proven effective.
If you notice a fever over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, shortness of breath and a dry cough, it is very likely that you have COVID-19. Contact your doctor immediately, and self-isolate for at least two weeks, unless your symptoms become severe.
Staying healthy at daycare and home
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other authorities recommend that you stay home with your children, not every parent’s job allows them to do so. Practicing vigilant hygiene will help slow the spread of disease.
First, if your child is sick, they need to stay home, now more than ever. With older children, you can take the opportunity to impress upon them the importance of washing their hands, social distancing and even flushing the toilet with the lid down (flushing with the lid up spreads germs, including the virus). Sanitize surfaces frequently, especially high-traffic areas like doorknobs. If the children are still in diapers, treat it like a biohazard; dispose in a sealed container and wash your hands thoroughly. Scientists have found that adults can pass the virus in their stool, so it stands to reason that children may be able to do so as well.
Avoid playgrounds and other crowded areas—think about how many germ-ridden objects your toddler touches (and puts in their mouth), then multiply that by a pandemic. Outdoor exercise is vital and healthy, but it should be kept to your backyard until the spread of the disease peaks and falls.
Above all, avoid playdates, parties and groups of people as much as possible. While young children might not understand the disruption to their routine, older children can understand that this is a serious illness that we all have to do our part not to spread.
Want healthy daycare for kids in Phoenix, AZ?
Magical Star Preschool provides a safe, healthy daycare and preschool environment for children aged six weeks to 12 years. We provide snacks and meals, 24/7 cameras for parents to check in and curricula designed to encourage child development and prepare them for public school. To learn more about enrolling, contact us today.