School hygiene tips

Children are in close contact with others at schools and daycare facilities and germs can be easily transmitted. Children are not generally as conscientious as adults in regard to the health risks of poor hygiene. These tips can keep students stay healthy and help prevent germs from being carried home, where they can affect other family members.

— Hand washing is essential to good hygiene. Children should wash their hands with soap and water after using the bathroom, before eating and after playing outdoors.

— Children can bring along their own tissues and use them when their noses become runny. Tissues should be discarded after use.

— Parents should ensure that fingernails are clean because fingernails can be a breeding ground for bacteria. Clipping fingernails and regular hand washing can remove germs.

— Keep ill children home from school, especially if they have a fever. Kids should not return to school until they are fever- and  symptom-free.

— Toys and community supplies should be washed or disinfected regularly to kill germs. Cleaning classroom furniture regularly also can help establish healthy educational environments.