Thankfully there are some simple things we can do to help reduce the prevalence of these viruses. The first is teaching children good etiquette surrounding cold and flu.

In this article, we’ve put together a helpful guide to follow this flu season.

Why is cold and flu etiquette important?

Firstly, let’s talk about why flu etiquette is important.

Influenza virus is spread through airborne droplets caused by coughing and sneezing. This makes it highly contagious, and children are one of the most vulnerable groups. Children are more likely to catch and spread influenza, carry large amounts of the virus in their nasal secretions, and shed more frequently during the infectious period. What’s more, children tend to have more contact with each other, as well as poorer hygiene practices.

For many young children catching the flu means being exposed to the virus for the first time. If this is the case, the immune response will be slower and may have more serious effects.

Keeping safe through winter

Recent flu surges across the country and a number of influenza-associated deaths in children and teenagers have sparked concern for many people.

According to the Department of Health, the risk of children contracting flu is higher this winter due to lower vaccination rates and less exposure during the last two years of restrictions and lockdowns, meaning that it’s more important than ever to practice good etiquette and hygiene.

In addition, don’t forget to remind families and educators that they should stay home if they are showing symptoms of illness to help protect one another and reduce the spread.

Learning about germs the fun way

While young children may not be able to grasp the complex science behind viral transmission, they can certainly be helped to understand the concept of germs.

Explaining how and why germs spread is a good way to get your little ones thinking about cold and flu etiquette, which you can do through art and activities.

This might look like drawing pictures, playing games or using the ‘glitter trick’. Below you’ll find ten helpful tips for teaching flu etiquette to children:

10 tips to manage cold and flu in children

1. Have fun washing hands

Hand washing is the simplest way to control the spread of common viruses. Teach children the importance of washing their hands by making it a routine:

• Before touching or eating food
• After going to the toilet
• When they get home from school
• After leaving the playground
• When their hands are dirty
• Before and after spending time with someone who’s sick

If children find hand washing a drag, make it fun by using soap that is colourful, smells nice or comes in kid-friendly shapes. You can also do adjacent activities like finger painting with bubbles to get dhildren excited about soaping their hands.

It’s important to coach kids through correct hand-washing procedure. Make it into a fun step-by step activity:

Step 1 – Wet your hands with warm or cool water

Step 2 – Turn off the water and reach for the soap

Step 3 – Lather soap over the front and back of your hands and spread it between your fingers

Step 4 – Rub your soapy hands together for 20 seconds

Step 5 – Rinse off the soap and use a clean towel to dry your hands

2. Sing a song!

A 20-second period might seem like a long time for your youngsters, so make it upbeat by timing them with a stopwatch, counting down or singing a song.

A good rule of thumb is that 20 seconds equates to singing Happy Birthday twice. You can also sing the alphabet or change it up with songs your children love.

3. The glitter trick

There’s a great trick using glitter to teach children about germs and how they spread. Before you start, introduce them to the concept of germs and ask them to talk about and observe what they’re learning throughout the activity.

Step 1 – Tell your child that in this activity glitter represents germs.

Step 2 – Ask them to rub hand lotion all over their hands so that both sides are covered.

Step 3 – Sprinkle a little glitter into the palm of the child’s hands and ask them to rub them together. What do they see? The glitter should stick to both sides.

Step 4 – Offer the child a towel and ask them to try and rub the glitter off. It won’t budge.

Step 5 – Now ask the child to wash their hands with soap, lathering up and rubbing their hands together for at least 20 seconds. This should be effective in removing the glitter. Explain how the same process works with ‘sticky’ unwanted germs.

Ta da! The glitter trick is an immersive experience which teaches children the importance of washing hands.

4. Use a tissue

For children, everything is a tissue – sleeves, toys, furniture. Make sure your little ones know that tissues are the best place to blow your nose.

You can send them to school or childcare with small packs, and there are a number of brands doing eco-friendly options. Teach them to bin tissues immediately and never leave them lying around.

5. Careful coughing

Practice ‘careful coughing’ by teaching your children to catch their coughs in a tissue or their elbows –  not in their hands.

This is useful because we are less likely to share our germs from our elbows when interacting with others, and of course tissues and their germs can be placed into the bin right away.

6. Reach for the hand sanitiser

Children can sanitise too! Help make it a routine by offering sanitising stations around your service.

Encourage children to sanitise before eating and after touching things like playground equipment, tables and doorknobs.

7. Sharing is caring – but not where germs are concerned

Children love to share things with their friends, and while it’s a wonderful value to instil in them early, try to explain that sharing is not caring where germs are concerned.

Teach your children that it’s ok to share time and toys with their friends, but sharing things like food, cutlery and drink bottles is not a good idea.

8. Look after yourself

Part of keeping children safe from flu is looking after yourself.

Practice healthy routines surrounding sleep, food, exercise and flu etiquette and you’ll be accomplishing two things simultaneously: you and your family/early learning centre will stay healthy, and children will learn from your example as a role model.

9. Cold and flu awareness

Awareness means making sure everyone is informed about the flu. There are some great resources for parents and educators to check out from the Department of Health.

10. Talk about it

Get children involved by talking about germs, cold and flu. Having an ongoing conversation during flu season is one of the best ways to ensure children stay informed and active surrounding etiquette.

Instilling good hygiene practices

Part of teaching children well is setting a good example – so whether you’re a parent or working in early childhood education and care, it’s important to practice proper cold and flu etiquette yourself.

Help children stay safe this winter by checking in and revisiting useful resources like this article to keep on top of best practices for reducing the spread of illness.

Deemed by the Government as an essential service early in the pandemic, early childhood education centres have been a source of stability and support for many families and children.

While buoying up children and families, childcare services have adapted with increased focus on health and hygiene practices to minimise the risk of spread and transmission of the virus in early childhood settings. All the while, managing their own pandemic and sector challenges.

Among the pandemic response, your centre can also continue to strive for excellence under the National Quality Standard. This can be a great time to take stock and focus on what you can do to stand out and shine in early childhood education.

Early childhood’s challenges and changes

The impact of COVID-19 on the sector has been notable. Centres have been working hard to uphold COVIDSafe environments. This has included staggered drop-offs, careful staffing and rosters, temperature checks and even more rigorous hygiene standards.

Additionally, many centres are experiencing reduced occupancy as a result of families being unable or unwilling to attend and withdrawing their children, or from being unable to work and no longer requiring or being able to afford childcare.

For those who have been studying in the workplace or undertaking a course in early childhood, placements and student observations have been paused causing delays and frustration throughout the sector.

Add in the personal impacts of the pandemic and associated restrictions and it’s fair to say that is has been a time of immense change and many challenges for those involved in the early childhood education sector.

Essential service to deliver excellence for children

One benefit that early childhood education professionals have encountered during this time is the recognition of their role in society. While feeling undervalued or unappreciated has been a concern for the sector, the pandemic has shone a light on just how vital childcare is for communities and their families.

The government deemed early childhood education and care an essential sector from the beginning of the pandemic, allowing centres to continue to open and offer care and keep educators in jobs.

Even during times when some families were not able to access childcare, many educators continued to provide online resources and engaging educational experiences to keep in contact with children and uplift families.

While restrictions have and continue to shift in relation to who can access childcare services, it is clear that they play a key role for families across Australia. Early childhood education has and continues to:

• Provide a sense of community during challenging times
• Offer consistency and a sense of safety for children during periods of uncertainty
• Help families to adapt to frequent changes (working from home, lockdowns, remote learning)

Continuous quality improvement and an National Quality Standard Rating to be proud of

As early childhood education continues to support families and one another, it’s also important to keep up continuous quality improvement (CQI). Continuous quality improvement is a process designed to manage the quality of care provided by centres. Because as well as being essential, early learning services should be working towards being excellent too (including your rating under the National Quality Standard).

A CQI process involves promoting ongoing self-reflection and striving towards improvement at all times. Questions educators should be encouraged to consider frequently might include:

• How am I doing as an educator and how are we doing as a team?
• Can we do things better and if so, what?
• How can we increase engagement and promote children’s development in new ways?

Services, management and educators can collaborate to achieve the best outcomes possible for their early learning centre. A good place to start is with your Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) and to consider all areas of the National Quality Framework in all that you do.

Some quick tips to keep in mind in your efforts to continually improve and grow are:

• Ensure you are recruiting and retaining qualified, highly skilled early childhood educators
• Always ensure your team has access to professional learning opportunities
• Develop a work environment that is positive and enjoyable
• Know and understand the National Quality Standard and NQS requirements as well as the EYLF
• Carve out time for team professional development, sharing and critical reflection
• Try new things and incorporate a diverse range of approaches into your program
• Celebrate successes with your team of educators
• Delegate effectively and encourage strong leadership in your team
• Prioritise exceptional open communication with families, via email, phone and in person

Check out more strategies for shaping an early learning service that is the best it can be with an National Quality Standard Rating that reflects that here.

Positive change now for long-term success

Change has been unsettling at times over the last one to two years, but change isn’t always bad. Making positive changes to the way you approach early childhood education, the way your service is run and your systems and procedures can benefit your occupancy levels, employee satisfaction and outcomes for children.

There’s no time like the present to start setting yourself up to stand out and deliver excellence in the early childhood education sector.

For more information on how we can support childcare services and educators to reach their full potential, the team at Practical Outcomes can help — get in touch.

We are all certainly in a constantly changing landscape and appreciate this will impact people in varying ways. We believe, now more than ever it is evident that care and compassion are key  essential values we all need to exhibit within our communities, and these values closely align with us.

To this,we continue to monitor Government and health authority updates, and we are determined to continue to positively respond to the situations presented and have flexible strategies based on the latest information available at this time to ensure we can continue to support our learners through their learning journey.

With this in mind, if you are impacted by COVID-19 ‘lockdown’ restrictions during this pandemic, placement observations and trainer visitation will be placed on a temporary hold during that period,  however to ensure you can continue along your learning journey we are encouraging learners to continue through the theory component of their course.

We encourage all learners to continue to liaise with their dedicated trainer via phone, email and video calls, as per usual. Our learner success team are also on call as additional help if you need extra support.

For further information please refer to the following Learner FAQ below, and recommend learners directly contact their trainer for any immediate questions relating to study.

For the most accurate and latest COVID-19 announcements and information refer to your relevant state government website:

• VIC Government Health and Human Services: https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
• NSW Government: https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19
• QLD Government: https://www.covid19.qld.gov.au/

FAQ – COVID-19 impacts to my study

Can I continue with my studies?

Yes. You’ll be able to continue through the theory components of your course, just not the practical assessments. Your trainer will ensure you have access to everything you need to do your projects and quizzes.

What happens with placement and my practical tasks?

If you are impacted by lockdown restrictions, practical placement tasks will be placed on hold for affect learners. However, you can continue through your course, we will simply move you onto the next theory tasks. If your situation changes, we will keep you informed.

What if I am on placement or about to start soon?

If you are currently on placement and impacted by a lockdown, we will endeavour to assist you to finish off that cluster or unit of work. If this is  not  be  possible, we will make sure you can return to these assessments later. If you are about to start placement soon, please contact your trainer and they will direct you to the next units of your course.

What if I am halfway through a placement block?

The first step is to have a conversation with your trainer. If your observations have already been done, we may be able to finish off the block. Alternatively, we will put that on hold and move onto the next theory component of your course.

How can I contact my trainer?

No change here. Continue to liaise with your trainer via phone, email and skype. Our learner success team will also be on call as additional help if you need extra support.

How will I get my learning materials?

If you are studying via our online portal, you will continue to log into the portal as per usual. You will notice that you can only access the theory component and all placement blocks will be locked down.

If you are a paper-based learner, your trainer will send out the next few theory booklets and the learning content. You will also receive these in PDF format via email so you can type up your answers and email them to your trainer for marking and feedback. If you do not have access to a computer, please let your trainer know and we will make alternative arrangements for you.

How will I submit?

As an online portal learner, you will continue to submit as usual.

As a paper-based learner, we will be asking you to type up your answers and email them to your trainer. Many of the documents we send through via email are templates you can type into and submit. For others, a Word document with heading and tasks numbers will suffice.

How will I receive feedback?

Feedback will be provided in the Go1 portal as usual and/or through the usual mean via email, phone or text message.

Who is the best person to contact if I have questions or am having trouble?

As always, your trainer is your number one stop for help. If they are not available, their email reply will provide instructions for who will be your next point of call. As always please reach out to us with any questions.

We are here to support you and make sure this does not disrupt your goal of completing your qualification.

For these centres to thrive, they need to create an environment that makes everyone who attends the service feel safe and confident.

This is especially important in light of COVID-19, with infection control in centres of the utmost priority for those working in or relying on the care delivered by the sector. Keeping Queensland’s families and educators healthy while accessing early childhood education and care can be achieved with a renewed focus on infection control training.

The importance of infection control in ECEC

Risk prevention and managing illness and infection along with its spread has long been considered paramount to running a successful service. Early childhood centres all over Queensland have infection control measures in place, in line with the National Quality Framework, specifically National Quality Standard Quality Area 2 which is centred around Children’s Health and Safety, ensuring that services use best practice in their approach to health, hygiene, illness, food safety and risk assessment.

The COVID-19 pandemic has however highlighted this importance for many businesses across every sector, and brought to the forefront just how essential it is to have protocols in place around hygiene, cleaning and staying home when you are unwell. For ECEC services this has meant revisiting practices and ensuring that entire teams and centre communities are confident about what needs to be done to prevent and manage infection and illness. It has been a time of levelling-up in knowledge and making sure protocols are followed at all times.

Minimising risk and maximising confidence in your centre

Getting staff on the same page about what is required to minimise risk of infection and ensure everyone feels confident that they doing their job to the highest standard can require additional support. Infection control training is an ideal way to foster a consistent and effective approach to keeping services clean and safe.

Infection control training is a valuable upskilling opportunity too, giving educators essential skills and knowledge. Upskilling continually offers ECEC owners and directors the opportunity to inspire their teams and enhance their offering to the community at the same time, and infection control training presents these same benefits.

It’s not only the prevention of COVID-19 outbreaks that can be achieved with strong infection control measures. Early childhood education services are frequently combatting the likes of more common childhood illnesses such as:

• Influenza
• Gastro
• Common cold
• Whooping cough
• Hand foot and mouth disease

Giving your team of educators the chance to renew their understanding and ability around quality infection control practices can reduce illness, which also means less absences and sick days for your staff and attending children in your community.

Infection control training for educators

In line with the Government advice and protocols around infection control and prevention, it is vital to create and maintain safe education and care environments, and protecting your service’s community against COVID-19 transmission and other highly infectious conditions. Without infection control measures in place, the spread can be fast and alarming, putting the health of staff and families at risk.

Infection Control Skill Set (HLTSS00064)

This short course is designed to equip individuals working in health and community sectors with the skills and latest information to follow infection control procedures, implement precautions as needed and respond to infection risk in the early childhood education workplace.

Fast facts

• General infection control skill set
• 4 week course
• Blended learning (self-directed learning online: 15 hours; video workshop: 3 hours; observations: 2 hours)
• Nationally recognised
• Funded places available to eligible individuals in QLD

Delivered online through an interactive and engaging format that is easily accessible for all, this nationally recognised course will ensure your team has an in-depth understanding of how to assess and identify infection risks as well as defining and controlling outbreaks in early childhood education settings.

This Fee-free* training is available through the Queensland Government and can fit in with your business and staff members schedule and commitments. Let our early childhood infection control specialists empower and support your service and team to be leaders in health and safety.

Keeping children and educators healthy and safe is always a top priority for Queensland’s early childhood services. Don’t forget to keep your service up to date — check in regularly with the latest on public health advice, COVID-19 restrictions and best practice for the sector.

At Practical Outcomes, we are here to help you support your staff and families to provide the best early childhood education and care experience to children.

For further details on our infection control training to ensure your team has the necessary skills for your centre to thrive, get in touch.

* You may be eligible for fee free infection control training.

Overcoming the challenges of 2020 to reunite in early childhood education services has been rewarding, allowing many to return to work and get back to the routines they value.

To continue to remain open while protecting the health and safety of our communities, a COVIDSafe plan is required for each early childhood education provider. Government health experts have continually found that transmission risk in childcare settings is low and are confident that staff and children are safe as long as heath advice is followed.

With the right framework in place around infection control and risk mitigation, services are able to do what they do best — providing children with a happy, engaging and fulfilling early childhood education.

COVIDSafe environments in early childhood

Early childhood education and care providers are well-placed to keep staff, children and families safe with healthy and safety a priority for centres at the best of times.

Returning to care safely and confidently is possible. Create supportive environments that tend to the wellbeing of your centre’s community while being safe with appropriate infection control and prevention measures in place.

Four step framework to stay COVIDSafe

Each service is different and the government information highlights that a one-size-fits-all approach is not appropriate, but following the guidelines outlined in the framework will help you to minimise transmission risk and maintain the highest standard of care possible.

The framework centres around these four areas, which we have unpacked for you below:

Reinforce COVIDSafe behaviours

COVID-19 is well-known to spread predominantly through face-to-face interactions, as well as transmission being possible via contaminated surfaces. With this in mind, these six key elements must be implemented and reinforced in centres.

1. Stay home when unwell: If a member of staff or a child is unwell, they should be advised to stay home until they are well. This can stop any potential spread through communities to keep everyone safe. Anyone who has symptoms of coronavirus should get tested and of course there are other steps to follow in the case of a positive result, which we cover later in the framework.
2. Temperature testing: Temperature testing is not currently required but may be required in the future should community transmission in Victoria increase again.
3. Actively support and practice good hygiene: Hand sanitiser stations upon entry are a useful to keep germs out of the centre. Make times for regular hand-washing during the day. Cover nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, and wash hands afterwards. Drinking fountains are not advised — bring individual drink bottles that are named and can be refilled as needed, and food sharing should be avoided.
4. Encourage physical distancing between adults: Physical distancing is challenging in certain spaces but aim for 1.5metres between adults where possible. Markers for safe distancing in reception and shared workspaces can be a useful visual reminder. Adults should avoid hand-shakes and hugs with one another. Use multiple entry and exit points or stagger start and finish times to reduce the number of people con
5. Wear a face mask: In early childhood education settings staff can choose whether or not they wish to wear a mask while working with children. When staff are working in other areas of the centre, they are expected to wear masks, for example while working on reception, staff rooms and foyers. Parents and carers are also expected to wear face coverings when picking up and dropping off children.
6. Avoid adults interacting within enclosed spaces: Limiting staff in rooms is necessary but can be tricky with the expectation to maintain staff ratios. Getting outside and even adapting indoor activities to become outdoor activities.

More on reinforcing COVIDSafe behaviours here.

Create COVIDSafe spaces

COVIDSafe spaces are spaces that make taking the necessary precautions to avoid infection easier. There are many things early childhood education services can put in place to achieve this: Easy access to hand sanitiser, regular cleaning schedule for surfaces, door handles and toys, increased ventilation (open windows) and a tendency to move outdoors whenever it is possible.

Workforce bubbles where the same staff are rostered together as often as possible can reduce transmission spread too and contribute to COVIDSafe spaces. Further support to create COVIDSafe spaces here.

Promote COVIDSafe activities

To minimise risk in services, some activities may need to be altered or avoided. As a general rule, reducing the intermingling of children across different groups/rooms will help to lessen interactions between large numbers of staff and children.

Activities that involve singing and wind instruments should be avoided at this time, and only essential visitors should attend services.

More information on COVIDSafe activities here.

Respond to COVID-19 risk

When it comes to a COVID-19 outbreak in your centre, a fast response is key. Knowing the symptoms and ensuring the families and staff at your service know them is vital. Symptoms include:

• fever
• chills or sweats
• cough
• sore throat
• shortness of breath
• runny nose
• loss or change in sense of smell or taste

Contact tracing is essential in the case of an outbreak — keep records of anyone who spends time in your centre. If a positive result occurs, follow the protocol as outlined in this fact sheet.

More detail to support your centre in responding to a COVID-19 risk here.

Confidence and care for safe ECEC settings

Research, data and advice can change as more comes to light about the coronavirus, its transmission and its current movement or behaviour within each community. You can find current health advice for early childhood education centres in Victoria here. Further guidelines for operation can be found here.

By staying up to date on the latest important guidance on what is appropriate, we can all ensure that early childhood education services and their staff and families can remain COVIDSafe.

With the right strategies in place, early childhood education services can continue to support communities and nurture children’s development in a safe environment.

Early childhood educators are vital to our communities, ensuring that children have access to high–quality learning and care during the crucial early years of life. While educators are classified as essential workers Stage 4 restrictions in Victoria will see the closure of child care in Melbourne to all but those children who are vulnerable, or those of permitted workers, in an effort to stem the current transmission levels of COVID-19.  

As well as working to enhance children’s development and well-being, educators enable families to continue to work with the confidence that their children are in safe hands. In response to the greater focus on infection control, educators and centres have introduced a range of infection control protocols to protect staff, children and families in our communities while still maintaining the highest quality education and care. 

COVID-19 protocols for early childhood services

Practical Outcomes Regional Manager, Anastasia Natoli has seen firsthand the new protocols that centres are putting into place to minimise the risk of infection and potential virus spread.

She explained that while centres have always been on top of infection control, there are many big changes in the way services are operating compared to a few months ago.

“As a sector, early childhood professionals are always cautious and follow the regulations and recommended guidelines to ensure the safety of our children is maintained, educated and of course role modelled by educators. With the current COVID-19 spread I believe this has become more evident in all practices.”

From reducing visitors to only those that are imperative to adapt the way children arrive and depart, early childhood services and kindergartens have been thorough and swift in their approach to risk mitigation during Stage 3 restrictions. Anastasia experienced the new protocols in action at a recent visit to a service, immediately noticing the attention to detail.

“The centre had marked spacing points from the carpark to the front door. Upon arrival I was temperature tested, asked to sanitise my hands in the foyer and had to complete a risk assessment form declaring my own health and whereabouts.”

How centres are implementing infection control protocols

While Anastasia was visiting a service for work-related training reasons, early childhood providers in Melbourne are now closed except to vulnerable children or those of permitted workers, until mid-September.

Anastasia explained that transitions at drop-off can be tricky at the best of times and have become more difficult in some situations, but minimising the risk for children, families and educators remains the number one priority.

Drop-off transitions are not the only challenge services are facing at this time. The early childhood industry has faced much uncertainty throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. While many centres have faced a range of challenges, such as reduced occupancy and even temporary closure in some instances, the priority has continually been the wellbeing of children.

Support for early childhood centres

When it comes to putting these new protocols in place, early childhood services have the support of the Department of Education and Training. Anastasia noted that routine checks are being undertaken by Department representatives to ensure that the safety of the sector is upheld. This has included a range of funding, such as more cleaning grants to help with some of the practical infection control endeavours and resources to inform educators, parents and children of best practices.

She advised that the Department have also created useful posters that centres can post up on their walls, doors and boards reminding all staff members and parents of the appropriate hygiene practices to keep everyone safe.

While she’s confident that services are doing a great job at infection control and have risk mitigation procedures under control, the biggest concern she has about the COVID-19 pandemic is in relation to the children.

“As young children it is hard for some to understand what the world is going through and why mum or dad cannot come into their play space but only drop them at the front foyer. Educators are doing such a great job at easing this process, but it’s hard to explain to children.”

The most important thing for essential workers to remember at this time:

“What we do at work can affect what happens outside of the workplace. If we can remember that safety and controlling infection is one of the most important things we can comply with, we can protect the children and families at centres and our own families too” said Anastasia.

For more information, please refer to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) advice for early childhood services provided by the Victorian State Government. Any infection control and prevention strategies conducted should be in line with the advice provided by the Australian Government Department of Health and the Department of Education, Skills and Employment.

We’re here to provide assistance to our learners and clients during this challenging time. For any questions, please reach out to us.

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. The measures include enhanced personal hygiene, monitored hand-washing practices, ensuring those who are unwell do not attend or visit services, reducing mixing between cohorts where possible and upholding immunisation policy.

Reducing infection risk will remain on the agenda for the foreseeable future. Specific COVID-19 infection control training is available online for educators focusing on the fundamentals of minimising the spread during the pandemic and beyond.

Infection control and prevention in child care 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. COVID-19 is highly infectious virus and can easily spread through groups and communities when precautions are not taken. Other illnesses that are common in child care of which we can strive to reduce the spread include:

• Influenza
• Gastro
• Common cold
• Whooping cough
• Hand foot and mouth disease

Early childhood centres across Australia already undertake many infection control measures, with the National Quality Framework incorporating a range of standards for services to uphold which include a number of National Law and National Regulation requirements. The National Quality Standard Quality Area 2 centres around Children’s Health and Safety, ensuring that services use best practice in their approach to health, hygiene, illness, food safety and risk assessment.

A centre’s approach to preventing and managing infection should be documented for clarity and included in the Quality Improvement Plan. Increased attention to infection prevention practices along with additional policies around illness and hygiene can help early childhood services when it comes to the National Quality Standard, while continuing to provide a safe space for children to be cared for and learn.

In addition, services are being advised to create a COVID-safe plan which must set out:

• Your actions to help prevent the introduction of coronavirus (COVID-19) in your workplace
• The level of face-covering or personal protective equipment (PPE) required for your workforce
• How you will prepare for, and respond to, a suspected or confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in your workplace.

This plan must demonstrate how you will meet all of the requirements set out by the Victorian Government. Use this COVID Safe Plan template and guidance to create your plan

Preventing infection with practical strategies

These practical strategies will help your service and its community to avoid infection and illness, keeping everyone safe and well when early learning centres are back in operation.

Entrance sanitiser: Supply hand sanitiser for use upon entry to the centre to reduce the germs that come into your service.

Effective hand-washing: Hands need to be washed for twenty seconds and must involve applying soap and rubbing hands together thoroughly. Scrub the palms, tops of hands, between fingers and around the nails before rinsing. Using a hand-washing song with a twenty second duration has made this a fun activity for many children!

Taking temperatures upon arrival: A fever has been reported as a common symptom of COVID-19. As a result, to reduce risk of spreading infection it is strongly recommended that each child’s temperature should be screened using an infrared thermometer upon arrival at their centre or kindergarten. A temperature of 38 degrees Celcius or higher is considered a fever and the child should stay home until the symptom resolves.

If services do not have an infrared thermometer, and are having difficulties after making efforts to source their own supply, please email Early.Childhood.Implementation@edumail.vic.gov.au

See here for detailed guidance for administering children’s temperature screening. Posters have also been developed by the Department to display at your service, and to communicate to staff and families.

Stay home policy: Families and staff must be informed that they should stay home and not attend the service if they are showing any symptoms of illness. In the case of the coronavirus, this can include fever, tiredness, cough, loss of taste or smell, headaches and sore throat. For other illnesses it may be vomiting, rashes or runny nose. The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) also advises that visitors and staff of a child care service should not be allowed to enter if they have been in contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the last 14 days.

Maintain physical distancing: Keeping 1.5 metres of distance between each person where possible can minimise risk of infection spreading through your service. While this is unlikely to be achievable in groups of children, it should be the aim for adults in the centre during all interactions. Face coverings or masks are recommended for adults when physical distancing is not possible.

Face coverings: In early childhood education settings however, staff can choose whether or not they wish to wear a mask while working with children. When staff are working in other areas of the centre they are expected to wear masks, for example while working on reception, staff rooms or screening temperatures. Parents and carers are also expected to wear face coverings when picking up and dropping off children.

Face coverings should never be placed on children aged two and under, due to choking and strangulation risks. A person who has a medical condition – including problems with their breathing, a serious skin condition on their face, a disability or a mental health condition – is not required to wear a face covering.

Reduce interactions: Reduce contact or avoid unnecessary mixing of cohorts. This can be achieved with staggered arrival and departure times and increased space between activities. Consider more activities with smaller groups of children and utilising indoor and outdoor spaces where possible, while maintaining staff ratios.

Regular cleaning: Cleaning toys, surfaces and bedding is essential at least once per day to reduce the risk of transmission of infection. Ideally cleaning would take place multiple times each day. Deep cleaning may be needed in the case of outbreaks.

Food handling: Food safety and handling protocol should be upheld when preparing and serving meals and snacks. Children should not share food and each child should have their own drink bottle rather than using shared water fountains.

Coughing and sneezing: Coughing and sneezing can sneak up on people and don’t necessarily mean the person is unwell, however good hygiene is to encourage coughing and sneezing into the crook of the arm (elbow area) rather than into the hand.

The steps taken to mitigate risk of infection in early childhood settings are not only for children’s health and safety, but for that of adults too. In fact, adults including educators and parents are at highest risk of transmission of COVID-19. With this in mind, avoiding situations where adults are in close proximity is essential.

To further assist with communicating safety precautions to staff and families, the Department of of Education and Training have created the following posters that can be put up within centres:

• ‘Physical distancing’ poster
• ‘Stay at home if you are unwell’ poster
• ‘When to use a face covering’ poster
• ‘How to wear a face mask’ factsheet
• ‘Are you wearing your mask correctly?’ poster
• Service entry ‘face coving reminder’ poster

Handling an outbreak of infection at a centre

When handling an outbreak of infection within your child care service, your action should be swift and thorough. In the case of common child care illnesses, notifying families and undertaking a deep clean is usually sufficient.

If a staff member, child, family or visitor to your service has a confirmed case of COVID-19, there are a number of steps you need to follow:

1. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will notify your service of a confirmed case. You will also be advised whether you need to close or continue to operate.
2. You must inform families and staff. The Department will provide you with resources to help you with this communication.
3. Services should then lodge a notification through the National Quality Agenda IT System (NQA ITS).
4. A deep clean that is COVID-19 compliant needs to be arranged for your service. Your cleaning contractor should have knowledge on cleaning and disinfecting requirements pertaining to COVID-19.
5. Stay in contact with families. Your service should continue to keep families informed throughout the process, while the Department will keep services informed of what is to come.

New WorkSafe advice

Please be aware of a new requirement to report confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) to WorkSafe. Employers must notify WorkSafe immediately after becoming aware that:

• an employee, independent contractor, employee of the independent contractor or self-employed person has received a confirmed diagnosis of coronavirus (COVID-19), and
• they have attended the workplace within the relevant infection period.

There is a requirement to report to WorkSafe using the online confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) diagnosis form, or calling 13 23 60. Once you report a confirmed case, it’s likely that WorkSafe will make inquiries about your safety systems including your infection control measures, recording of injuries and near misses, consultation practices and risk assessment processes

More information about this process is available via the State Government’s Education and Training website.

Further resources for health and safety in child care

In addition to putting practical infection control strategies in place, your team should complete the COVID-19 infection control training online to ensure best practice is adhered to at your child care service. The training, developed by the Australian Government Department of Health, the covers the essential knowledge and skills required for effective infection prevention and control for COVID-19.

With face coverings and masks set to become the norm, ensure your team understands how to wear them safely. If your service needs extra support sourcing face masks in the short term, you can email: Early.Childhood.Implementation@edumail.vic.gov.au.

In addition to infection control support, this year has been particularly challenging. With this in mind, being aware that there are mental health resources available to you, your staff and your families helping to support wellbeing and mental health as we continue to navigate this pandemic.

We are all adjusting to new approaches and policies in early childhood and across many industries. By working together to follow procedures, communicating effectively and using common sense, we strive improve the health and wellbeing of our entire communities and hopefully enable restrictions to ease over the coming months.

For more information, please refer to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) advice for early childhood services provided by the Victorian State Government. Please note, any infection control and prevention strategies conducted should be line with the advice provided by the Australian Government Department of Health and the Department of Education, Skills and Employment. 

Do you require additional support or information? The team at Practical Outcomes is here to help, so please feel free to get in touch.