Health Policies and Procedures
Illness
Parents/guardians should contact St. Lawrence Co-operative Day Care about the absence of their child so that it can be reported on the attendance sheets. Any extensive or frequent absences will be discussed with the parents/ guardians. St. Lawrence Co-operative Day Care must be notified if a child will be away for one or more days.
If a child is sick, then the Supervisor should be informed of the symptoms of the illness so that the staff can watch for symptoms in other children. If a child is ill and not able to come to day care, parents/guardians should notify the supervisor, or the teachers. Teachers have the right to refuse a child in the morning if they feel the child is too sick to participate in daily activities.
- Any child with diarrhea may not return to the St. Lawrence Co-operative Day Care until he/she has had a regular stool or no stool for twenty-four hours. This usually means an absence of forty-eight hours.
- Any child with discharging eyes may not return to SLCD until their eyes have been free from discharge for twenty-four hours.
Any child with a fever of over 38 degrees Celsius usually develops a higher fever by the afternoon. This suggests the child already has an infection and should not come into the day care until they have a normal morning temperature of 37 degrees Celsius. This usually requires an absence of twenty-four to forty-eight hours.
Any child who has vomited for reasons other than coughing or choking may not come to the day care until they have not vomited for forty-eight hours and is retaining a regular diet.
A doctor’s note will also be required if the child has the following symptoms that are potentially contagious to other children; A rash, diarrhea, vomiting, measles, mumps, chicken pox, etc.
It has been our experience that prompt treatment of any illness will ensure a child’s early return to health and to the Day Care. It will also minimize the possibility of cross infection to other children.
If a child becomes ill during the day, parents/guardians will be called so that they can pick their child up. If the parents/guardians cannot be reached, St. Lawrence Co-operative Day Care will call the emergency contact person. In the event of a serious medical emergency, children are taken to the Hospital for Sick Children. Parents/guardians are instructed to meet the child and staff there. Parents/guardians must notify the Day Care of up-to-date home and work numbers, along with the names of other people that can be called, if parents/ guardians cannot be reached. If a child has a minor injury while at the St. Lawrence Co-operative Day Care, the staff will prepare an accident report for the parents/guardians to sign.
If a child has an accident or injury at home, the St. Lawrence Co-operative Day Care would appreciate being informed when the child comes in the following day.
When a child is returning to Day Care after having a communicable disease, SLCD will require a note from their doctor to confirm that the child is free from infection.
Medication
According to the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA), the Centre can only administer prescribed medication in the original container labeled with the child’s name and date accompanied by written parental permission. The medication form is available from your child’s teacher. Medication is to be placed in the labeled locked container in the refrigerator or cupboard.
Clothing and Personal Articles
Please check your child’s cubby daily to ensure that your child has a complete set of extra dry labeled clothing. This will be used if your child has an accident, becomes sick, or gets wet from water play. We suggest you provide a plastic bag which can be kept in your child’s cubby for their extra clothing. Please provide your child with a pair of shoes or slippers which they will wear during indoor times. It is important each child has shoes on at all times in case of an emergency and to keep their feet dry.
Our Program includes outdoor play all year round. With this in mind, please ensure that your child has appropriate clothing to make their outdoor play a pleasant experience. (i.e. snow pants, hat, scarf and extra mittens for winter and a sun hat for the summer).
If your child is accustomed to a special sleep toy, bottle, soother, blanket, etc., please label the item, bring it in and inform the staff. Please provide your child with a blanket for rest time labeled with their name. The blanket will be readily available to you on each Friday to be taken home for laundering purposes. For infants and toddlers, please ensure your child has a plastic change mat, and enough formula, bottles, diapers and diaper cream (if used) for each day.
Rest Time
According to the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA) toddler and preschool children are required to have a rest time during the day. This is a time for children to rest or sleep on their own cot after lunch. Teachers assist and encourage children to rest or sleep by sitting next to or by rubbing their back. It is ultimately the child’s choice whether to sleep or rest quietly. Those children that do not sleep will be given a quiet activity to play with on their cot i.e. books, puzzles etc… Infants are helped to rest/sleep on an individual need basis throughout the day. Infants sleep in individually assigned cribs in a sleep room of the infant and toddler centre. Infants are placed on their back when put in the crib. Infant and Toddler staff will perform physical checks every 30 minutes while child is sleeping and document sleep disturbances.
Food Policy
The goal of the food policy at St. Lawrence Co-operative Day Care is to ensure that healthy, nutritious, and enjoyable meals are served at all three Centres. All meals comply with requirements of the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA) and the Canada Food Guide. Our Infant/Toddler Centre has a cook on site who prepares the meals, and our Preschool and School Age Centres are catered. Our menu rotates every four weeks, changing slightly with the season and in recognition of special occasions. Children are served a morning and afternoon snack and a hot lunch on a daily basis. We strive to serve a variety of fresh foods that are low in salt, sugar and saturated fats, promoting healthy dental hygiene and diets. (Please note dairy, poultry and fish are prepared in our kitchens together and/or simultaneously at any given time.)
The Centre does not serve any pork. It is a nut free environment and does not permit any nuts or nut products on the premises. We strive to meet all individual nutritional needs, including food allergies and restrictions. Parents who wish to supplement their child’s diet at the centre may bring in foods/liquids. Parents must ensure the foods/liquids are nut free, meet our nutritional requirements and are placed in a sealed container labeled with the child’s name, date and contents. The centre supplies homogenized and 2% milk for all the children. Parents who wish their child to have a different form of milk are again welcome to provide it for their child following the above noted requirements.
Child Booster Seats and Child Restraint Systems: Highway Traffic Act Policy
Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers will not be transported in a vehicle other than a stroller unless in the case of an emergency where a taxi will be used for non-life threatening accidents and ambulances for any life threatening incidents.
Safe Drinking Water
In compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, St. Lawrence Co-operative Day Care flushes all taps daily prior to 7:30 a.m. The water in all taps is flushed for 5 minutes, this information is documented on a daily basis. Annually, SLCD has a laboratory conduct sample analysis to test for lead in the water. The result of this testing is publicly available and all documentation regarding flushing and testing is kept on file for six years.
Smoke and Vape Free Centre Policy
No person smoking/vaping or holding an unlit cigarette is permitted on day care premises including the playground whether the children are present or not. Procedure: Every staff, student, volunteer, parent or visitor will be informed that smoking/vaping is prohibited and will sign off on the policy at the beginning of employment or enrollment and then on a yearly basis for employees. Parents/guardians will be informed before children start and “NO SMOKING OR VAPING” signs will be posted throughout the centre and in all washrooms that the staff use. Any person who refuses to comply is in contravention of the SMOKE FREE ONTARIO ACT as well as St. Lawrence Cooperative Day Care’s policy and will be warned for 1st offense, suspended for 2nd offence and expelled for 3rd offence.
Behaviour Management
Our philosophy promotes the fostering of socially acceptable behaviour in children. We do this by teaching the children to take responsibility for their actions as well as learning to effectively deal with difficult situations through communication. The staff are always available to facilitate and encourage non-violent resolutions between children. These resolutions will reflect the children’s ability to openly discuss feelings, choices and opinions.
- In order to promote socially acceptable behaviour in children, the staff:
- Recognize and respect children’s individuality;
Program activities in the classroom to reflect the children’s developmental stages; and - Promote children’s independence and self-esteem through variety and choice.
If it becomes necessary for the staff to intervene in a conflict situation, the staff will model a positive attitude and will ensure that a logical consequence follows the action.
Definition: A behaviour or series of behavioural occurrences that involves a child engaging in any persistent violent physical abuse (i.e. kicking, punching, throwing objects) directed towards another child or an adult.
By establishing this policy, our goal is to ensure that the children learn to deal with all day to day situations in socially acceptable ways, by means of communication, reasoning and taking responsibility for their actions and learning what it means to live co-operatively in a democratic society.
Teachers are expected to:
- Respect the rights of children;
- Aid the children in resolving their problems peacefully after an attempt has already been made to do so on their own;
- Guide the children with age appropriate games and activities that provide choice and promote independence and positive play
- Speak with parents on a regular basis, always keeping the lines of communication open to discuss potential concerns to both parents and staff;
- Discuss with a parent any incident that has arisen during the day to expand on details, consequences and follow-up action;
- Document all serious occurrences via incident reports and discuss with the parent immediately;
- Deal with an upset child using any of the following techniques:
- reasoning with the child and attempt to understand what had started the problem
- providing redirection
- providing the angry child with space where they can be by themselves to calm down
- remove the child’s source of anger when possible
- respond to a crisis situation using physical guidance if necessary when the staff member feels the child is endangering themselves or others
- provide the children with a safe walk between the school and day care
Children are expected to:
- Respect the rights of others;
- Settle problems in a peaceful manner, first on their own and if necessary, with the aid of staff;
- Show courtesy and respect to their fellow peers and teachers;
- Control their anger/aggression in such a manner as to not inflict any physical harm on their peers or adults; • Walk between day care and school in a safe manner following the verbal instructions and modeling of the staff.
Guidelines for De-escalating Volatile Situations
Physical restraint is only used in situations where a child is in imminent danger of compromising the safety of themselves or other children in the program. If any staff uses physical guidance in this type of situation then the following steps will be taken:
- The centre treats these instances like any emergency situation and our Illness, Accident and Serious Occurrence procedure will be followed
- If physical guidance is used, two staff members will always be present in the same room as the child. One staff for physically guiding the child and the second staff as an observer and/or relief person.
- If at all possible, all other children will be removed from the situation. Children may move briefly to the hallway or another room, remaining supervised at all times.
- Once the child has de-escalated from the situation, they will be supportively reintroduced into the program. Staff will remain with the child until they are settled into an activity or task.
- Once the situation has been resolved, the staff that used physical guidance with the child will, document the incident, sign the document and submit it to the Centre’s Program Supervisor.
- Staff and the Supervisor will meet with the child’s parent(s)/guardian(s) and discuss the incident and determine strategies which will be utilized should the child encounter a similar situation. Parent(s)/guardian(s) will sign off on both the incident report and the strategies.
- Program Supervisor is required to contact the Ministry of Education, in discussion with the Children’s Services Consultant. The situation will be reported either as an incident or serious occurrence depending on the circumstances surrounding the situation.
- If a child alleges they have been injured the centre will comply with the Child Abuse Reporting Policy
- The Program Supervisor and staff will keep the parents up-to-date on the child’s progress using a mutually agreed upon method (e.g. phone calls, daily meetings, written notes). This also includes a review of the strategies.
- If the child continues to experience challenging behaviour then the Day Care Centre will call in a Specialized Consultation Service (parental consent is required) and with the consultant, family and staff devise specific strategies and interventions, including a regular communication plan with the parents to review the child’s progress, which will assist in making the child’s placement a successful one.
- Through discussion it may be determined that the child and family may benefit from being presented at the local Inter-agency Co-ordination Teams in order to ensure any and all available services have been accessed which may further support the child and family.
- It may be determined that short term support may be beneficial in ensuring the continuation of the child’s placement. A request for Child Care Support Funds may be presented at the local Inter-agency Team meeting.
* Please Refer to Diagram 1.1
Child Abuse Policy
Procedure for Suspicion of Child Abuse
It is the legal responsibility to report any suspicions of child abuse encountered in the course of one’s professional duties. The responsibility to report suspicions to the Child Welfare Agency (CWA) applies to employees, volunteers, students, Board Members, parents/guardians and Program Supervisors.
- It is the legal responsibility to report any suspicions of child abuse encountered in the course of one’s professional duties. The responsibility to report suspicions to the Child Welfare Agency (CWA) applies to employees, volunteers, students, Board Members, parents/guardians and Program Supervisors.
- The Program Supervisor or Identifiable Authority will inform and update the Board Chair or the Board Vice Chair or a Board Member of the Executive Committee of the report to the CWA.
- The individual reporting the incident will wait for direction from the CWA.
- SLCD will inform the parent of the CWA report only if directed by the CWA.
- ALL concerns and reports must be documented and dated. In cases of suspicious body markings, the body figure on the “Accident Report’ will be used for accuracy. In cases of verbal disclosure, document and date specific language shared by the child.
Daily Records Should Be Kept If:
- There are bruises or other marks.* Include a description of size, shape, colour and location on body.
- Any dramatic changes or chronic problems with the child’s health or behavior.
- There are verbal disclosures related to abuse by the child to staff member.
- There is any role-play or dramatization by the child during play that many highlight or reflect concerns that the child is being subjected to any form of abuse.
- Chronic hunger, fatigue, aggression, over activity or inability to rest at sleep time should also be documented.
*It is important to remember that some children bruise easily and get marks and scratches from active play. Concerns will arise from frequency and severity of injuries and knowledge of family history.
It is important to build strong relationships with parents/guardians in order to have open communication about any concerns regarding their children. This would also enable staff to gain a better understanding of the family system.
| Children Aid Society (CAS) | (416) 924-4640 |
| Catholic Children Aid Society (CCAS) | (416) 395-1500 |
| Jewish Family and Child Service | (416) 638-7800 |
| Native and Child Family Service | (416) 969-8510 |
Confidentiality
Any information related to a suspicion or report of child abuse is confidential between the persons directly involved, the person making the report, the Program Supervisor, the Board Chair, Board Vice Chair, Board of Directors and the Child Welfare Agency (CWA). The final decision about sharing information with employees, students, volunteers, and the Board of Directors shall be made by the Program Supervisor, the Board Chair or Vice Chair in consultation with the CWA. Breach of confidentiality can result in employee termination.
Reporting Procedure for an Employee, Volunteer, Student, Board Member or Program Supervisor Suspected of Child Abuse
The same procedure as previously outlined must be followed, in addition to the following, if any suspicions of child abuse is from an employee, volunteer, student, Board Member or Program Supervisor.
- In the event of an employee, the Program Supervisor will ensure that the employee is monitored and supervised and not left alone with children, pending further investigation.
- In the event of a volunteer, the Program Supervisor will ensure that the volunteer is monitored and supervised and continues to not be left alone with children, pending further investigation
- In the event of a student, the Program Supervisor will contact the respective school Faculty of the student. The Program Supervisor will ensure that the student is monitored and supervised and continues to not be left alone with children, pending further investigation.
- In the event that any Board Member is suspected of child abuse, the Board Chair or Board Vice Chair will be notified.
- In the event the Program Supervisor is suspected of child abuse, the Board Chair or Board Vice Chair will follow the Serious Occurrence Policy Reporting Procedures.
- For all noted above instances, the Program Supervisor or Identifiable Authority will notify the Board Chair or Board Vice Chair or a Board Member on the Executive Committee.
- If necessary, the Board Chair or Board Vice Chair and Program Supervisor will consult with legal counsel for next steps and further action, up to and including dismissal.
- If the CWA determines that the allegation is the result of poor judgment, indiscretion, or inappropriate behavior, the program supervisor will continue to monitor and supervise the respective individual’s interactions with the children. The program supervisor will update the Board Chair, Board Vice Chair, and school Faculty.
- SLCD will follow all direction by the CWA including notifying the local Police when necessary.
- It is important to ensure documentation is kept confidential throughout the investigation and that all reports are filed in the office of the Program Supervisor.
Reporting to the Ministry of Education and City of Toronto, Children’s Services
- The Program Supervisor will notify the Program Advisor of the Ministry of Education within 24 hours.
- If the suspected abuse occurred while the child was in the care of SLCD, a Serious Occurrence Report must be completed and submitted on the Child Care Licensing System (CCLS)
- The Program Supervisor is responsible to follow the Serious Occurrence Reporting Procedure as outlined in the Serious Occurrence Policy.
IPAC: Infection Prevention & Control Measures
The IPAC policy was reviewed and modified to consolidate SLCD’s Sick Child policy and the IPAC policy, to ensure that fair measures are implemented.
Purpose
St. Lawrence Co-operative Day Care Inc. (SLDC) strives to provide a healthy and safe environment for all children and staff. Surveillance is an important part to infection prevent and control, and the key to identifying an outbreak. In order to reduce the risk of communicable illness and to ensure illnesses are managed, Infection Prevention and Control Measures (IPAC) have been put in place.
Scope
To be implemented in accordance with the Ministry of Education child care licensing procedures, governing St. Lawrence Co-operative Day Care Inc.
Policy
All children and staff illnesses must be reported to the Program Supervisor or Identifiable Authority immediately.
Any changes in a child’s health or parent/guardian communication about the child’s health shall be recorded in the daily communication log.
IPAC Procedure
Health Evaluation and Monitoring
- Staff shall observe children daily, monitoring for signs and symptoms of illness, inclusive of sleeping or eating patterns, or signs that a child has lost some previously acquired skills (i.e., stopped being able to feed themselves, stopped using language).
- Staff shall observe children upon arrival to the day care centre. Staff receiving children will do a physical check to ensure the child is able to participate in the program. This check is inclusive of encouraging parents to share information about their child’s restless night, lack of appetite or other atypical behaviour.
- If a staff suspects that a child is, or may be, in need of protection, they must report this to the local children’s aid society.
Signs and Symptoms of Ill Health and Communication to Parents/Guardians
- In the event a child develops symptoms of ill health while in attendance at the Day Care Centre, the parent/guardian or emergency contact will be notified and asked to pick the child up as soon as possible.
- Where it appears that a child requires immediate medical attention, or the child’s parent/ guardian cannot pick up the child, arrangements shall be made by the operator to have the child examined by a legally qualified medical practitioner or nurse. Depending on the nature of the illness the Program Supervisor or Identifiable Authority will escort the child to the nearest walk in clinic or Sick Children’s Hospital Emergency, via walking or taxi.
- A child who becomes ill while attending the Day Care Centre will be isolated from other children until a parent or guardian or emergency contact can take the child home.
- Staff will communicate the first signs of ill health, particularly for younger children who have developed a fever, even if the threshold for asking that the child be taken home has not yet been met. Parents/guardians then have the choice to pick up their child if concerned.
- Where a child becomes ill during school hours, it is the responsibility of the school to contact the parent or guardian or emergency contact. The Day Care staff will work with the school to ensure the child has been picked up safely.
Communicable Disease
- When a child has been exposed to a communicable disease such as measles via a child who attends the Day Care Centre, the classroom staff will notify the parents/guardians as soon as possible and encourage parents/guardians to contact their physician. Both staff and parents/ guardians will observe children who were exposed to the communicable disease for any signs and symptoms during the incubation period.
Surveillance
As part of the surveillance program staff shall record the following information:
- Attendance and absence of children and staff
- Staff shall observe children daily, monitoring for signs and symptoms of illness
- Dates and times that the illness started (onset)
- Time that the ill child was picked up from the Day Care Centre
- Dates of field trips, outing and special events
Return to Day Care
- Non Gastrointestinal Illness
- Children must be symptom free of vomiting and/or diarrhea for 24 hours, a physician’s note is not required
- Gastrointestinal Illness
Definition of Gastrointestinal Illness:
A case (child or staff) of gastrointestinal illness can be defined as:
- Two or more episodes of diarrhea within a 24 hour period
- Two or more episodes of vomiting within a 24 hour period
- One or more episodes of diarrhea AND one or more episodes of vomiting within a 24 hour period
Children:
- When a child has been absent due to a gastrointestinal illness or an outbreak of gastroenteritis they must be symptom free of vomiting and or diarrhea for 48 hours. The parent/ guardian is required to speak with the Program Supervisor or Identifiable Authority to determine if a physician’s note is required upon return to Day Care.
Staff:
- Staff who becomes ill while working at the Day Care Centre will be sent home safely
- A staff who has been absent due to a gastrointestinal illness or an outbreak of gastroenteritis must be symptom free of vomiting and or diarrhea for 48 hours. The staff is required to speak with the Program Supervisor or Identifiable Authority to determine if a physician’s note is required upon return to work.
Refer to the “Outbreak Policy” for more information.
- Communicable Disease – Refer to the attached Toronto Public Health Chart
- When a child has been absent due to a communicable disease, the parent/guardian is required to speak with the Program Supervisor or Identifiable Authority to determine if a physician’s note is required upon return to Day Care.
- All communicable illnesses related to children will be posted on a “Notice of Illness Form” in a conspicuous place of the Day Care Centre
- A staff who has been absent due to a communicable disease is required to speak with the Program Supervisor or Identifiable Authority to determine if a physician’s note is required upon return to work.
Inclusion and Exclusion from Day Care (Refer to attached Toronto Public Health Chart)
Centre Policies and Toronto Public Health (Guidelines for Common Communicable Diseases) are referred to determine inclusion and exclusion of children from day care when:
- The illness prevents the child from participating comfortably in the program
- The illness results in greater care need than the staff are able to provide
- The child has any of the following conditions including but not limited to:
| Reportable Diseases to Toronto Public Health | Non Reportable Diseases to Toronto Public Health | Other |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken Pox | Head Lice | Fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit) |
| Gastroenteritis - diarrhea or vomiting | Pinworms | Unusual lethargy Difficulty breathing Rash (with or without a fever) |
| Gastroenteritis Outbreak | Scabies | Severe or persistent diaper rash |
| Measles | Common Cold | - |
| Mumps | Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease | - |
| Pertussis | Impetigo | - |
| Rubella | Fifth Disease | - |
| Hepatitis A | Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) | - |
| - | Ringworm | - |
| - | Scarlet fever | - |
| - | Strep Throat | - |
| - | Molluscum Contagiosum (skin disease) | - |
Hand Hygiene
- Hand Washing
- A current Toronto Public Health “Hand Washing” procedure will be posted above or near every hand washing sink.
- A hand washing sink must be designated in each classroom with: running water, liquid soap in a dispenser, and paper towel
- The Program Supervisor or Identifiable Authority will review the Day Care Centre’s “Hand Washing Procedure” with all staff every January, April, July and October. This will ensure staff practice hand hygiene and ensure staff are aware when to assist and supervise children practicing hand hygiene
- Staff will educate and demonstrate to children how to wash hands and when to wash hands.
- Visibly soiled hands must be washed with running water and liquid soap.
- Hand Sanitizing – Alcohol Based Hand Rub (ABHR)
- A current Toronto Public Health “Hand Sanitizing” procedure will be posted above or near every hand washing sink, in addition to near where an ABHR is applied.
- Staff will educate and demonstrate to children how to use and when to use an ABHR
- All ABHR must be between 70% to 90% alcohol based
- Visibly soiled hands must be washed first before applying an ABHR
- Children must be given written consent by parent/guardian in order to use an ABHR
- Non-alcohol based waterless antiseptic agents must not be used
- Glove Use
- A current Toronto Public Health “Glove Use” procedure will be posted in all washrooms, diapering areas and classrooms
- Gloves must be accessible in all washrooms, diapering area, kitchen and classrooms.
- Gloves must be worn when it is anticipated that hands will be in contact with mucous membranes, broken skin, tissue, blood, bodily fluids, secretions, excretions, or contaminated equipment and environmental surfaces.
- Gloves must be single use only
- Hand washing must be practiced before putting on and taking off gloves
- Gloves must be removed immediately and discarded into a waste receptacle after each use
- Gloves should be appropriate for the type of activity
- To reduce hand irritation:
- Use appropriate gloves when handling chemical agents
- Gloves for as short a time as possible
- Clean and dry hands before and after wearing gloves
- Use gloves which are clean and dry
Diapering and Toileting
- A current Toronto Public Health “Toilet Routine” and Diaper Routine” procedures will be posted in all diaper and toileting areas
- A separate diaper change area and change table will be designated
- Hand washing sinks must be provided in diaper changing areas and washrooms
- Washrooms and diapering areas must be equipped with: running water, liquid soap in a dispenser, paper towel, single use appropriate gloves and appropriate disinfectant
- All washroom/diapering surfaces must be free of cracks or rips
- Appropriate storage for personal hygiene items, i.e., diapers, creams, ointments. Personal hygiene items must be labelled and stored appropriately.
- Appropriate storage for personal hygiene items, i.e., diapers, creams, ointments. Personal hygiene items must be labelled and stored appropriately.
- Washrooms, fixtures and diaper change surfaces must be maintained in a sanitary condition
- Diapering surfaces must be disinfected after each use and this should be used for diapering only i.e., not drying toys
- A separate garbage container for diapers will be provided
Expressed Breast Milk (EBM)
- Shall store EBM in a refrigerator at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius or colder, until used
- Shall thaw frozen EBM in a refrigerator and ensure it is used within 24 hours, do not use a microwave to thaw EBM
- Shall ensure bottles and containers are properly labelled with: (date, name of infant/child and name of mother)
- Shall supervise children drinking EBM from a cup to prevent unintended consumption by other children. Discard any leftover EBM not consumed by the child
- Must apply routine practices when handling EBM
- Must apply routine practices when handling EBM
- Must wear gloves while handling EBM i.e., dispensing into a cup or from a container
Must wear gloves while handling EBM i.e., dispensing into a cup or from a container
Environmental Cleaning and Disinfecting
- Cleaning and disinfecting of all classroom toys, equipment and laundry must be done according to Toronto Public Health requirements
- The classroom team is responsible for ensuring that all cleaned and disinfected items are recorded on the disinfecting log sheet
- The “Bleach Solutions for Disinfecting” Procedure from Toronto Public Health will be followed when cleaning and disinfecting. This procedure will be posted in each classroom, washroom and kitchen
- The “Blood and Body Fluid Spills” Procedure from Toronto Public Health will be followed when cleaning and disinfecting. This procedure will be posted in each classroom, washroom and kitchen
- The frequency of cleaning and disinfecting will be enhanced during an outbreak
- Unclean or mouthed toys will be placed in a separate bin immediately for cleaning and disinfecting
- All toys that are shared will be toys that can be easily cleaned
- Toys will be nonporous and able to withstand mechanical cleaning and repeated exposure to disinfectants
- Homemade play dough must be discarded after a single use
- Cleaning Agents
- Shall be labelled
- Shall be stored in a secure location and inaccessible to children
- All agents which say “keep out of reach of children” , shall be inaccessible to children
- Shall have a Drug Identification Number (DIN) and a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). All MSDS must be stored in the same location of the cleaning agents
- Must be used as per manufacturer’s directions
- Must have a predetermined shelf life
- Using a Cleaning Agent
- Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for the task
- High Touch Surfaces
- High touch surfaces are those which have frequent contact with hands, some examples include:
- Door handles
- Cribs/cots
- Light switches
- Computer keyboards and remote controls
- High touch surfaces require more frequent cleaning and disinfecting than minimal contact surfaces
- Cleaning and disinfecting is generally done once a day or more frequently if the risk of environmental contamination is higher, for example toys in an infant room during an outbreak.
- Surfaces that cannot be immersed will be cleaned with a cloth and then wiped with a cloth containing the appropriate mixture of bleach and water, refer to “Bleach Solutions for Disinfecting” Procedure.
- High touch surfaces are those which have frequent contact with hands, some examples include:
- Sleep Equipment
- All cribs and cots will be labelled and assigned to a single designated child
- All cribs and cots will be cleaned and disinfected before being transferred to another child
- Crib mattresses shall be made of a cleanable material
- Crib mattress and cots shall be cleaned weekly or when soiled or wet
- All sleeping mats will be stored so the sleeping surface has no contact with another child’s mat
- All bedding will be assigned to each child and washed weekly or when soiled or wet
- How to Clean and Disinfect
- Two compartment sink, follow Toronto Public Health “Bleach Solutions for Disinfecting” procedure • Bleach Solution consists of the following: 1 part Bleach to 99 parts Water
- Place this mixture in a squeeze bottle, this mixture will be changed daily
- Staff will implement recommendations from Toronto Public Health to ensure the bleach and water mixture measures accordingly
- Use of a commercial dishwasher, follow Toronto Public Health “Bleach Solutions for Disinfecting” procedure
- All toys must be clean before being sanitized in dish washer and must be air dried prior to use or storing.
- Communicate with staff and parents in respect to “Infection Prevention and Control” measures being implemented at the Day Care Centre.
Kitchen
- A minimum of two (2) staff must have their Food Handlers Certificate to ensure children, volunteers, students and staff are protected from health risks, such as food poisoning, allergic reactions, and other health risks that could occur from consuming contaminated food.
- When receiving catered food, a temperature check must be taken on all hot food items and recorded in the logbook. Food items must then be put away in their respective space. Any temperature concerns must be communicated to the Program Supervisor or designate immediately.
- All food, whether refrigerated or in the cupboard, must always be stored in a space that is clean and organized.
- All hot food coming out of the kitchen must have a temperature check taken before leaving the kitchen and recorded in the logbook. Any temperature concerns must be communicated to the Program Supervisor or designate immediately.
- All substituted foods must be clearly labelled to ensure the respective child receives the correct food. All children must be supervised during meal times to monitor for allergies and reactions.
- Fridges and freezers must be equipped with accurate indicating thermometers. Temperatures must be recorded daily in the logbook.
- The dishwasher must be able to sanitize at high heat; washing and rinsing temperatures must be recorded daily in the logbook.
- The dishwasher must be drained and restarted when being used for cleaning and sanitizing toys.
- All appliance maintenance concerns must be communicated to the Program Supervisor or designate immediately.
- A kitchen cleaning log must be kept to ensure that regular cleaning of the kitchen is maintained.