Don’t wait for Winter. Promote hand washing habits for a healthier student body from the beginning of the school year.

The Clean Hands Coalition campaign can help your local efforts.  This alliance of public and private partners creates and supports coordinated, sustained initiatives to improve health and save lives through clean hands. Details on the campaign, sample press release and proclamation and access to poster at www.cleanhandscoalition.org. The coalition wants to know about your community events.

CDC’s handwashing promotion message is Clean Hands Save Lives.  Details can be at www.cdc.gov/cleanhands  which includes a number of resources and links.
School Network for Absenteeism Prevention (SNAP) is an initiative for middle schools designed to help keep students in school by improving health through promoting clean hands. Details at www. itsasnap.org include the ten-page color educational tool kit that can be downloaded at no cost.

CDC offers a one-page handout on Hand Washing in Emergency Situations that covers use of alcohol-based products as well as standard soap and water technique. The handout is at http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/handwashing.asp
CDC has Germ Stopper educational handouts in multiple languages for use in school and at worksites to promote handwashing. The documents are available at http://www.cdc.gov/germstopper/home_work_school.htm.
Partnership for Food Safety Education continues to offer educational materials with details at www. fightbac.org