Parents can help reduce the spread of many childhood illnesses by practicing simple infection control techniques at home and not falling prey to myths about the cause and treatment of childhood illnesses. Here are some common "mythtakes" to avoid:

Feed a cold; starve a fever.

Fiction: To combat illness, your child needs good food, which delivers essential nutrients. So, if she's hungry, let her eat. And remember, regardless of whether she has a cold or a fever, she needs to drink plenty of liquids, since both colds and fever dehydrate the body.

Don't let kids go out with a wet head. Keep their chest covered and their feet dry-otherwise they'll catch a cold.

Fiction: The only way to catch a cold is to come in contact with a cold virus. Hand-to-nose contact, touching a person or surface contaminated with a cold virus and then touching your nose, is the most likely means of transmission. To help prevent germs from spreading at and away from home, encourage thorough hand washing and regularly disinfect commonly touched surfaces with a hospital type disinfectant such as lysol® Disinfectant Spray.

Drinking milk makes congestion worse.

Hard To Say: According to the very few studies done to date, milk consumption is not associated with an increase in congestion or nasal secretions. Milk allergy, however, may produce a stuffy or runny nose.

Bring down a fever by rubbing the skin with alcohol.

Fiction: Rubbing alcohol can make your child sicker. Alcohol evaporates so quickly that it can bring on chills, which signal the body to raise its temperature even higher. Instead, ask your doctor; he may suggest you administer acetaminophen and/or give your child a lukewarm bath.

For a free copy of the KidsHealth Germ Alert, containing information on how to help prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other children's infectious diseases, write to KidsHealth Germ Alert, P.O. Box 4415, Young America, MN 55558-4415.(NAPSI)

HEALTH TIPS

This is the season for illness as you know.  Washing hands frequently greatly reduces the spread of germs.  You should wash your hands after toileting, upon entering your home, before eating, after playing with pets and after wiping noses.  Always cover your mouth when you cough and sneeze into a kleenex or away from others.  Drink plenty of liquids, for this will help flush your body.  Make sure you get enough sleep.

 PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES!

It’s that time again!  Parent Teacher conferences will be held February 22^nd    - 26^th.  The conferences provide an opportunity for you to ask questions and address concerns.

IT’S COLD OUTSIDE!

I know what you’re thinking:  it’s cold outside, it will only take me a minute to drop off my child, I’ll just run in, why turn the car off.  These are things you tell yourself when you leave your car running with no driver inside.  Do you tell yourself: someone could steal my car in seconds, my car could malfunction and cause injury to someone, the child I left in the car could put the car in drive and run into another child?  These are the things you should be asking yourself.  DO NOT leave your car running.  It is a major safety

      “Too often we give our children answers to remember
rather than problems to solve.”               
  -Roger Lewin

Please keep in mind that breakfast is served at 8:30 am.  Lunch is served at 11:30 am.  If you would like your child to participate in these meals, they must be in attendance at those times.  If your child is arriving at an unusual time for you, please let us know the day before.  This way we can properly schedule the teachers.  If your child is arriving after 10:30 am please call us and let us know.  We take lunch counts at that time and want to make sure we have enough for everyone.  We close at 6:00 pm.  Just like you, we want to go home on time.  Please respect our closing time.  
 

Go to www.familyfun.com for great family activities for Valentine’s Day or any old day!  Your child will remember quality time not quantity of things.