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Daycares ramping up pandemic preparedness

Irene Sheldon makes sure Eva Creed washes her hands properly.
photo: Chris Gareau

Kids and parents know as soon as they walk in the door that daycares are taking the flu threat seriously.

"Children have to wash their hands before they come in. The parents are responsible for the first hand wash," says Irene Sheldon, program supervisor at Lions Gate Children's Centre Sign Talk Branch in north River Heights.

Sheldon says pandemic planning has been taking place since early fall. She says it was intitiated by the licensing coordinator in charge of ensuring daycares meet provincial standards.

Sharing of information amongst daycares is an important part of the process.

"They're sharing sub lists in case a daycare worker gets sick. They are also potentially sharing spots if there is an outbreak of H1N1," says Sheldon.

Hygiene integrated into program

The effect of the flu scare on programming at daycares is a higher emphasis on hygiene.

"Lots of hand-washing routines to keep it fun and interesting for the kids. We've watched videos, do science experiments with germs. The kids understand the importance of cleaning their environment. Lots of talks about doctors, too," says Sheldon.

Sick kids sent home earlier

Keeping the spread of illness to a minimum also requires sending kids home earlier.

"Parents have been understanding of that. If they are sick we keep them in the office with somebody until parents come to pick them up," says Sheldon.

Keeping parents informed

While there have not been any confirmed cases of H1N1 at the daycare, parents of young children want to stay informed, according to Sheldon.

"With any children with communicable diseases, we need to post it (on the door)," says Sheldon, who added that information sheets are also being handed out.

Communication with parents is a daily task for workers at daycares.

"In daycares you have very open lines of communication, so parents would feel comfortable coming to us. It's not like a school system where you can just talk to them at parent/teacher meetings. You have to talk to them every day," says Sheldon.

Media is being directed to school division websites for information on pandemic planning.

Winnipeg School Division St.James-Assinaboia School Division Louis Riel School Division Seven Oaks School Division Pembina Trails School Division River East Transcona School Division

Confirmed cases of H1N1 in Manitoba are updated on the public health divisions website.

H1N1 confirmed cases

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