At Kawerau Preschool Learning Centre, we first began using Building Blocks in 2017. For our Keep the Bugs at Bay Block, we started by looking at our existing policies.

Our standard exclusion period when a child was sick with vomiting or diarrhea had been 24 hours. We changed our policy to 48 hours. We saw a dramatic reduction in the number of tummy bugs being spread through our centre to other children and staff.

Another way we supported infection control was by teaching tamariki the importance of hand hygiene using a Glo Box. The Glo Box helped us to demonstrate the significance of hand hygiene with a fun, visual and interactive way to understand the correct hand washing procedure. First, we  applied a UV gel to a child’s  hands. Then with viewing goggles on either side of the boxes, tamariki could see these ‘germs’ glow under the UV lights. We then asked the child to wash their hands in the way they normally would, and check it out again inside the Glo Box. The parts of their hands that were still glowing under the UV lights, showed parts that hadn’t been cleaned properly and still had ‘germs’ on them. This was a great visual way to show our tamariki about why thorough handwashing is so important.

We wrote learning stories to support the activity. We noticed how the tamariki enjoyed seeing the germs being washed away. They learnt about the value of washing their hands to wash away the germs so they were less likely to get sick. We recognised that this helped the tamariki to learn the value of having confidence in looking after their own bodies. Our kaiako will continue to respond by emphasizing good hygiene with tamariki. We are also being vigilant with whanau to keep children home until they are well enough to return.

We found working through this Block helped us to look at different levels of intervention, with kaiako, whānau and tamariki, using policies and curriculum activities. Policies that keep children away when they are sick, help to prevent other children from catching their germs. Educating our tamariki to take ownership of their own health can also empower them to look after themselves and prevent themselves from getting sick.