COURSE OVERVIEW:

Over one-third of all under five-year-old Australian children use some form of licensed child care. The majority of research on infectious diseases in children using care suggests that children in preschool or child care settings suffer more frequent infections and more days of illness than those cared for at home or in family day care. In order to minimise these risks, it is necessary to apply infection control principles.

Infections are common in children and often lead to illness. At home, children are reasonably well protected from infectious diseases because they do not come into contact with as many people as children who attend child care workplaces. The adults they meet are usually immune to many childhood illnesses because they had them as children, or have been vaccinated against them.

Many children first enter child care workplaces at a time when their immune systems are still developing. They may not have been exposed to many common germs that cause infections—bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa—and they may be too young to be vaccinated against some diseases. The way that children interact in child care workplaces means that diseases can quickly spread in a variety of ways. Children (particularly younger children) will have close physical contact with other children and carers through regular daily activities and play; they often put objects in their mouths; and they may not always cover their coughs or sneezes.

The spread of infections in child care centres is facilitated by crowding and microbial contamination of the child care environment, as well as the unhygienic behaviours and greater susceptibility of young children.

Whenever children are together, there is a chance of spreading infections. This is especially true among infants and toddlers who are likely to use their hands to wipe their noses or rub their eyes and then handle toys or touch other children. These children then touch their noses and rub their eyes so the virus goes from the nose or eyes of one child by way of hands or toys to the next child who then rubs his own eyes or nose.

For the early childhood education sector, infection control has always been embedded to a high standard within services.

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has heightened the attention on avoiding the spread of illness in child care services, with minimising risk now more important than ever.

Risk mitigation measures undertaken by early childhood services aim to control infection with protocol focusing on prevention as well as reducing the spread of all types of infection, virus or illness.

This course is designed to be used by anyone caring for children—this includes day care, long day care, family day care, preschool and out-of-school-hours care.

This course describes the basics of infectious diseases—what causes them and how they spread and how to prevent them using simple and effective ways for educators and other staff to help limit the spread of illness and infectious diseases in child care settings.

The first part of this course starts by explaining the importance of preventing and controlling infection in child care workplaces. Then discusses the concepts in infection control. Then discusses what causes infections and how do infections spread in child care workplaces. Also, discusses the chain of infection. Then explains the general requirements of health and safety laws.

The second part starts by examining the most important ways to break the chain of infection and stop the spread of diseases such as: effective hand hygiene, exclusion of ill children, educators and other staff and immunisation. Then explores the recommended exclusion periods based on how long a person with a specific disease. Then explains how to prevent and control infectious diseases in child care workplaces. Finally, discusses the other hazards in the child care industry and how to prevent or control them.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will be able to understand:

• The importance of preventing and controlling infection in child care workplaces
• The concepts in infection control
• What causes infections?
• How do infections spread?
• The chain of infection
• How germs can spread through coughing or sneezing?
• How germs can spread through breathing contaminated air?
• How germs can spread through direct contact?
• How germs can spread through animals?
• How germs can spread through food?
• How can diseases spread in child care workplaces?
• How different germs spread in different ways?
• The main ways to prevent infection
• What is effective hand hygiene?
• Hand hygiene and eczema
• The exclusion procedure of ill children, educators and other staff
• The recommended minimum exclusion periods
• The importance of immunisation
• How to encourage parents to vaccinate their children?
• How to control infectious diseases in child care workplaces?
• Cross infection from animals
• The importance of having facilities for hand-washing, cleaning and disposal of waste in child care workplaces
• How to deal with blood and other body fluids?
• The proper procedures for nappy changing and toileting
• How to handle dirty linen and contaminated clothing?
• The proper procedures for handling food
• How to clean toys, clothing and work areas?
• The proper procedures for keeping sandpits clean
• The proper procedures for keeping wading pools clean and disinfected
• The importance of providing training for infection control procedures to all child care staff
• The importance of providing adequate supervision to ensure everyone follows the policies and procedures
• How personal protective clothing and equipment should be used to increase the level of protection?
• The appropriate use of gloves
• Why wash hands before and after wearing gloves?
• The cough and sneeze etiquette
• Effective environmental cleaning
• Other hazards in the child care industry
• The general requirements of health and safety laws for employers and employees

COURSE DURATION:

The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

You must have access to a computer or any mobile device with Adobe Acrobat Reader (free PDF Viewer) installed, to complete this course.

COURSE DELIVERY:

Purchase and download course content.

ASSESSMENT:

A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.