National Public Health Week starts today and is about making sure communities have a chance at long and healthy lives. One way to make a community healthier is educating children on the importance of handwashing and making it a habit each and every day. According to the CDC, washing your hands is one of the best ways to remove germs, and avoid spreading germs to others. That’s why we’re proud to partner with them on a joint initiative to reinforce hand hygiene in schools.

How can you help set children up for success with good hand hygiene habits? Here are some ideas:

• Teach handwashing as a vital part of any bathroom routine.
• Always encourage handwashing before touching food or eating.
• Model good hygiene habits by washing your own hands at key times throughout the day.
• Discourage shortcuts when washing hands and consider adding a fun song for consistent timing.
• Create a habit tracker with stickers to visually reinforce frequent handwashing.

Always model and encourage all five steps of the handwashing process: wet your hands, lather with soap, scrub for at least 20 seconds, rinse hands clean, and dry them. Get more tips at https://www.cleaninginstitute.org/cleaning-tips/clean-hands .