Germs are a fact of every day life and they certainly abound in settings such as daycares. Children can spread germs amongst themselves even when they might not be sick themselves and small children cannot be depended upon in order to cover their mouths and use tissues like adults. Therefore germs can spread easily anywhere and groups of children gather such germs at schools and daycare centers. Germs can also spread colds, diarrhoea, ear infections and even viruses such as chicken pox, and hepatitis. As a daycare owner, you should have a policy put in place for dealing with germs and sick employees and children. Even in the planning stages when starting a daycare center, you should try to consider how you will control the spread of germs in your facility.

One step you should try to take is to require that all children who attend your daycare are up to date with their immunizations and you should keep immunization records on file the same way as schools do. Through this way you can help to protect children in your care whilst curbing the spread of serious diseases. In actual fact, it might even be a requirement for licensing in your state that immunization records are kept on all students enrolled in your daycare. Even if it is not a requirement, it is always a good idea that will offer some peace of mind to you and also to other parents who might have children in your care.

You will also need to come up with a policy for kids who are sick and possibly in a contagious state. You might need to send some children home or not allow parents to bring in their kids if they are not feeling well. Some daycare centers also sometimes offer some special areas where sick children are cared for and if you choose to do this, you can make sure that you have procedures in place so that you don't spread germs to the rest of your facility.

Try to develop a sanitation policy and procedure and always ensure that your employees follow it well. For instance, toys can be a very good vehicle for spreading germs. You will need therefore to disinfect the toys on a set schedule as well as wipe down the door knobs and table tops in order to keep down on the spread of germs. Always teach your staff to wash their hands regularly and use a hand sanitizer in between all your hand washings.

You can also formally teach your older children the proper manner to control the spread of germs by reminding them to always cover their mouths when coughing and sneezing and to wash their hands after using the restroom.

Fending off germs in your daycare facility will be an ongoing battle for you. Developing a policy for dealing with the spread of germs whilst still in the planning stages of starting a daycare will assist you in ensuring that your kids will be as healthy and germ free as possible - and in the event that they do get sick, your employees will be trained in how to deal with the situation so that the illness spreads to as few of your children as possible.