In a greater effort to help kids and staff stay healthier this school year, Sarah Bush Lincoln’s Healthy Kids Program is donating hand sanitizers to local schools.
The schools that received the donation included Neoga Elementary, Lake Crest Elementary, Paris Bridges, Lerna Bridges and Shelbyville Bridges.
The donation program started in 2013 with the idea that, as kids return to school, they will be around more people potentially carrying more germs and viruses. The hand sanitizers are there to remind kids that good hand hygiene is vitally important in preventing the spread of germs.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that students and staff wash their hands often, with soap and water for 20 seconds or use a hand sanitizer, especially after coughing and sneezing.
Healthy Communities Director Laura Bollan explained that Sarah Bush Lincoln is present in many area schools encouraging kids to eat more nutritiously and become more physically active. “This is a natural extension of our goals and we want to assist administrators, teachers and school nurses with keeping kids healthy,” she said.
In the classroom, Healthy Kids Program educators teach children about nutrition, introducing different kinds of food, and different ways of preparing food. The program also reinforces activities such as exercise and the 5-2-1-Almost None curriculum.
For more information about the Healthy Kids Program, please contact Laura Bollan at 217-345-6828.