Private day care centres in the north of the island will be the focus of a Health and Safety seminar to be hosted next Tuesday, March 30, by the environmental health division of the Maurice Byer Polyclinic.

The training initiative will be held at the Fairmont Royal Pavilion Hotel, Porters, St. James from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

It is the fourth such session to be conducted for day care centres in that catchment, over the last four years, and is expected to educate participants about childhood immunisation, recognition of childhood ailments, food safety, hygiene practices and general sanitation.

In explaining the rationale Environmental Health Officer, Errol Bostic, said: "Approximately 500 children are in the care of 12 private centres on a daily basis (from Monday to Friday), and since these children are young and grouped together for long periods, the opportunity for transmission of pathogen and subsequent illnesses ??is real in these centres.

??"It is against this backdrop that these seminars are hosted and it is all about the blocking of transmission of illness from person to person and from the environment to children."

While adding that less than 10 per cent of the 70 teachers or care givers in the
northern catchment are trained in Child Care; Nursery Administration; Food Safety or Sanitation and Hygiene, he said, "it is expected that these seminars will provide training and motivation in these areas for the promotion and preservation of the health of these children."

Facilitators for the training sessions will be Child Care Board Coordinator for Private Day Care Centres, Desiree Jemmott; Senior Health Sister, Coreen Chandler and the Environmental Health Officers from the Maurice Byer Polyclinic.

Principal Environmental Health Officer at the polyclinic, Lester Cumberbatch, will deliver opening remarks at 9:00 a.m.

jgill@barbados.gov.bb

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