Breathing is something easily taken for granted. It takes place automatically in the subconscious realm of the mind. Many people hardly take notice of their breathing unless it becomes uncomfortable. However, the pollution and airborne infections that you can’t see or smell in the air inside places like your childcare center are certainly contributing to the infections, bad attitudes, asthma cases, even stomach bugs that children take home to share with their families.
Many childcare organizations and providers are not aware of how much they can do to prevent their little ones from sharing harmful infections. Many have simply accepted an unacceptable amount of student & staff illness as status quo at their facilities. This has been the norm for far too long and it impacts revenue, interrupts families, and risks children’s lives.
Today, with inflation running rampant and new and known illnesses emerging regularly, parents need to be reassured why they are paying the ever-increasing costs required for quality childcare. The model of “pay a childcare provider to send your child home sick every 45 days.” has needed innovation for decades. Today, there is a growing trend of parents wanting proof of facility hygiene. Parents want to know that the organization they are trusting to keep their children safe has a hygiene plan that goes beyond “spray & pray”, and they want to be kept up to date on any outbreaks at the facility and measures taken to remediate them.
In keeping up with parental demand, many childcare centers are partnering with companies that manage indoor air quality, providing continuous air & surface pathogen reduction technologies, (testing, monitoring, & reporting systems), and enhanced air filtration. These products and services are usually at least partially tax deductible.
Staff washing hands often and wearing disposable masks is not enough to keep children safe from airborne illnesses. Cheaply made air filters and ineffective air purifiers will not do much to prevent a young child from transmitting infections or worse, developing chronic asthma. Childcare businesses that are invested in the quality of air they provide their students and staff as well as facility hygiene validation will be the only ones remaining in the next 5 years.