Sanitation is an important issue in today's modern day care centers as more and more children find it their ?home away from home.? There are an increasing number of families where both parents are in the workforce, mainly out of financial necessity, and the fear of sending a healthy child to day care and picking him or her up at the end of the day with a cold or worse, is often a parent's worst nightmare. However, putting a child in day care is sometimes the only option available for working parents.

Fortunately, it is no longer considered a solution of last resort. Day care facilities are much cleaner and healthier today than in years past, thanks to increased scrutiny and regulation. They have also become an important component in a child's emotional and intellectual development. Receiving stimulation from trained professionals and learning socialization skills are beneficial to a child's growth. However, despite increased efforts at maintaining proper sanitation, children in day care centers do have a tendency to pick up and spread a variety of germs. This, of course, is not touted as one of the benefits, nor part of the contractual agreement!

Proper sanitation is critical in a day care center environment, since so many children congregating in such close proximity become a breeding ground for germs. Although state and local jurisdictions require day care facilities to adhere to strict guidelines and regulations, it is sometimes difficult to keep everything spic and span all the time. Frequent inspections by regulators will assure parents that day care centers are following the rules, but parents also have to take some responsibility for cleanliness. This is a collaborative effort, between parents, providers and workers.

One of the easiest ways to ensure proper sanitation is by frequent hand washing with anti-bacterial soap. This is absolutely essential. Parents should inquire about hand washing and infection control policies and discuss other methods the day care center uses to keep toys, utensils and play areas germ free. Every daycare center should have standard procedures in place dealing with diaper changing and disposal, food preparation and clean up, bathroom cleaning and sanitizing, and what happens when a child gets ill.

Practicing good hygiene, frequent hand washing and adhering to infection control protocol will keep the spread of germs to a minimum, lessening the chance of illness in the children. Daycare centers have become a way of life in America and parental dependence on them is projected to grow in the coming years. Therefore, it makes sense that concerns about proper sanitation and cleanliness will increase, too.

Parents should do their part to practice the same personal good hygiene at home, as the day care providers practice at the center. Parents should also be responsible and keep their children home when they exhibit signs of illness, especially runny noses, upset stomachs and diarrhea. Mutual collaboration and cooperation between parents and providers can keep contamination and sickness to a minimum. And isn't this everyone's goal?