NEW YORK — Colgate-Palmolive Co.’s Softsoap brand has teamed up with the National Association of Child Care Professionals (NACCP) to educate families on how to prevent the spread of germs and illness among children.
The liquid hand soap brand said Monday that proper hand washing is one of the most important preventive measures to help children avoid getting sick and spreading illness to others. Children who wash their hands properly at least four times a day experience 24% fewer sick days from cold and flu and 51% fewer sick days due to stomach ailments.
Throughout the course of a day, an average of 12 "hand-washing moments" occur for adults and even more for children, according to Softsoap. Child care professionals are teaching children about these moments, such as before eating meals, and the following healthy habits: refraining from touching the eyes and mouth; sneezing and coughing into the inner elbow; and requent, proper hand washing with soap and water.
Proper hand-washing techniques include washing hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds, which can be difficult feat. To help teach children this practice, Softsoap BRAND has teamed up with the American Public Health Association (APHA) to feature unique "Get Ready" hand-washing timers that easily attach directly to Softsoap soap pumps. When pressed, the timers play a fun song for 20 seconds, helping children stay engaged to get hands clean and wash away germs.
"Proper hand washing is the best defense against spreading germs and preventing sickness among children," stated Barry Reichgott, senior brand manager for Softsoap at Colgate-Palmolive. "Through our partnership with NACCP, we are excited to provide nearly 10,000 daycare centers across the country with hand-washing kits. These informative kits include Softsoap liquid hand soap, the American Public Health Association’s Get Ready hand-washing timers, and fun hand-washing materials to promote effective hand washing among children."
According to the company, children can touch and retouch over 300 surfaces in just 30 minutes, and with germs surviving on those surfaces for up to 72 hours, one child’s germs can quickly spread to another. On average, toddlers catch six to eight colds a year.
"For the parents of the nearly 15 million children enrolled in child care centers nationwide, receiving the call that their child is sick may be familiar," commented Bobette Thompson, president of the National Association of Child Care Professionals. "For child care professionals, preventing the spread of germs and illness is a top priority in our effort to keep children healthy and happy. One of the first things we teach our children is the proper way to wash their hands, and more importantly, when to do so."
