Nursery World - Standards lend hygiene a hand

A clean-up operation begins in Edinburgh next month when nurseries and schools are required to meet new standards in the provision of handwashing facilities and in the supervision of children's personal health habits. The 'Soap Stars' campaign, funded by Lothian Health, will encourage children to observe good hygiene through posters, leaflets, colouring books and baseball caps. 'Glo-germ boxes' containing material which will show up the dirt on children's hands will also be used by school nurses to reinforce the message.

The 'Soap Stars' campaign, funded by Lothian Health, will encourage children to observe good hygiene through posters, leaflets, colouring books and baseball caps. 'Glo-germ boxes' containing material which will show up the dirt on children's hands will also be used by school nurses to reinforce the message.

The materials will be sent to maintained sector schools and nurseries only, but the messages are intended to reach private and voluntary provision as well.

Director of environmental and consumer services at Edinburgh City CouncilMike Drewry said, 'There is a need to communicate the message to children from an early age.' A paper prepared by the environmental health and consumer department for last week's Executive of the Council meeting stated, 'Poor hand washing increases the risk of infection being acquired and passed from person to person either directly or indirectly. Infections which can be passed on range from the common cold to potentially fatal infections such as E.Coli 157.'

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