Health & Hygiene at creches

A crèche provides a safe and caring environment where young children spend much of their day. At this stage of development, children are more sensitive to infections because their immune systems are still maturing, and they interact closely with children and caregivers. Maintaining high standards of hygiene and cleanliness is vital, not only to protect their health but also to instill lifelong healthy habits. Inadequate hygiene can result in outbreaks of illnesses such as diarrhea, respiratory infections, and skin problems. This causes malnutrition in children and also which may lead to increased absenteeism in crèche. Also, it has a negative impact on the child's parents.

Objectives

1. To maintain a clean, safe, and healthy environment for children and caregivers at creche level.
2. To instill good hygiene habits in children from an early age.
3. To minimize the risk of infectious disease transmission in the crèche.
4. Children’s development of lifelong personal hygiene habits.

*Why is maintaining hygiene and cleanliness important? *

Hygiene and cleanliness play a crucial role in preventing disease and creating safe and healthy space for well-being. By adopting good hygiene and cleanliness practices, they help protect us from illness and create a healthy environment. In a crèche, there are several areas from morning to evening where we need to pay attention to hygiene and cleanliness. We can provide a healthier environment and improve their healthy life.

Cleaning Protocols

Caregiver’s Level Hygiene

1. The clothing of the caregivers should be neat and clean and should be comfortable if children are in contact.
2. Caregivers use aprons while cooking and that too should be clean.
3. Caregivers' hair should be tied while cooking.
4. Caregivers should wash hands before and after cooking, her nail is also trimmed.

Creche Level Hygiene

1. Regular cleaning and disinfecting of floors, Kitchen slab, dustbin, and dustpan.
2. Frequent sanitization of high-touch surfaces-Kitchen slab, door handles, corner, toilet, activity surface.
3. Proper waste disposal using covered bins, emptied at least daily.

Child level hygiene- Child’s running nose, their cloth, nails, hand-foot.

1. Running nose is a very common problem in kids; hence we should have Katran (small piece of cloth) which is soft and can be easily disposed. After disposal, the caregivers should ensure to sanitize their hands. We can use Katran in coughing or sneezing.
2. While maintaining child level hygiene, it is important that the child's clothes are also clean. To ensure this, we should regularly engage in discussions with parents during home visits, receiving & handover children and during CMC meetings.
3. Keep nails short and clean. Checking child’s nails on a weekly basis.
4. It is normal for children’s feet to get wet after handwashing, we should use doormat to maintain hygiene at creche and child level also.

Utensils Cleaning- daily usages utensils, water filter

1. Mostly all utensils are used daily in the creche like lunch plate, bowl, spoon, pan, cooker etc. After using it daily, clean them on the same day and clean them once with a scarf the next morning.
2. It is necessary to clean and change the daily drinking water used in water filter at the evening and clean the water storage tank weekly.

Outdoor Cleaning- Fencing area cleaning, water drainage

1. The fencing area of outside the creche needs to be cleaned on a regular basis. The outdoor area of the creche centre where children go to wash their hands, for free play, the path to the toilet and the path from the fencing gate to the activity room need to be cleaned properly. To prevent moss due to rain, can use bleaching powder from time to time.
2. To prevent water from logging in the fencing area of the creche, cleaning of water drainage, cleaning of wastewater from kitchen or washable area through drainage system.
3. Clothes & Play materials cleaning- washable toys
4. It is important to clean the aprons and bibs used daily in the creche. Mosquito nets and bedsheets should be dusted and cleaned daily once a week, frequency of cleaning is also not necessary. Also, the mattress should be taken out in the sun every week to disinfect it.
5. Children play with toys every day and put toys in their mouths, so every day those toys which are washable should be washed.

Cleaning of pants and clothes soiled in faecal matter:

1. Proper cleaning and handling of clothes soiled with faecal matter is critical to prevent the spread of infections and to maintain hygiene within the creche.
2. Cleaning of soiled clothes must be carried out only in the designated defecation area/platform. They must not be washed in kitchens, food preparation areas, or near water sources.
3. Remove solid faecal matter from the clothes by shaking or scraping it directly into the faecal matter disposal pit or toilet.
4. Rinse the soiled portion of the clothing using water only in the designated washing area. Do not rinse clothes in open areas.
5. Collect the rinse water and dispose of it into the soak pit or designated wastewater pit.
6. Ensure no wastewater is left to stagnate on the surface.
7. Wash the clothes thoroughly using soap. Rub well, especially the soiled area. Rinse again with clean water. Dispose of the final rinse water into the soak pit.
8. Dry the washed clothes in direct sunlight. Clothes must not be dried inside rooms, near cooking areas, or in shaded indoor spaces. Sunlight helps in killing germs and reducing odour.
9. Creche caregivers must wash hands thoroughly with soap and water: i) After handling soiled clothes, and ii) After cleaning and disposing of wastewater

Safety and Hygiene Measures:

1. Children must always be supervised during defecation.
2. The designated defecation area/platform must be cleaned daily.
3. Creche caregivers must wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after - assisting a child during defecation, cleaning the child, handling or disposing of faecal matter, and disposing of wastewater.

Disposal of Faecal Matter

1. Faecal matter and anal cleaning water must be disposed of only in the designated faecal waste pit.
2. The waste pit must be located at least 30 metres away from drinking water sources, kitchen and food storage areas, children’s play and sleeping areas, and in a place not prone to flooding
3. Specifications for Faecal Waste Pit:

• The recommended depth is 1 meter to 1.5 meter with width of 1 meter.
• The pit should be deep enough to safely contain waste and reduce smell and insect breeding.
• Inner walls may be lined with bricks or stones to prevent collapse. The bottom should remain unlined to allow natural absorption into the soil.
• The pit edge should be slightly raised above ground level to prevent rainwater from entering.
• The pit must have a tight-fitting cover, such as wooden plank, stone slab, or cement cover
• The pit must be fenced or otherwise secured to prevent access by children.
• The pit should always remain covered when not in use.

4. Only the faecal matter and anal cleaning water should be disposed of in the pit. No solid waste, food waste, or other materials should be added.
5. Sprinkle ash or dry soil regularly to keep the pit dry and reduce odour and flies. The pit should be checked regularly for any overflow, bad odour, or fly or insect breeding.
6. When faecal waste reaches three-fourths of the pit’s depth, the pit must not be used further. It should be completely filled with soil and a new waste pit must be dug following the same specifications.

Why is the disposal of waste food, vegetables peels, eggshells important?

• Prevent bad smells and pests.
• If we throw waste food, eggs shells, etc., in open area then it smells badly, they rot quickly. This causes foul odors and attracts flies, rats and other insects, which can spread diseases. Decaying food waste can carry harmful bacteria. Proper disposal helps keep kitchens, homes, and communities cleaner and reduces the risk of contamination and illness.
• We should encourage to reduce waste materials to keep the place safe and hygienic.

Suggestive cleaning frequency