Newswise — Washington, D.C. – May 19, 2022 – The American Cleaning Institute (ACI) is launching a refreshed version of its C is for Clean toolkit, a resource for parents and child care workers amid continued efforts to keep children and child care facilities healthy and clean.

This toolkit was originally created in 2021 to help the child care community navigate a return to in-person activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic transitions into an endemic, many in the child care community are still feeling the impact. In fact, one in six parents experienced either a school or a day care shut down in early 2022, and many child care directors have few substitutes to cover for sick staff and early childhood educators.

What’s more, children under five are not approved for the COVID-19 vaccine and child care centers can be a high-risk environment for other easily transmittable illnesses such as the cold, flu, norovirus and strep.

The refreshed version of the C is for Clean toolkit includes “How to Use Disinfectants Safely,” a quick and easy-to-understand resource on the safe use and storage of disinfecting products.

“Child care centers and their staffs play such an important role every day for millions of American families,” said Brian Sansoni, ACI Senior Vice President, Communications, Outreach and Membership. “ACI’s ‘C is for Clean’ toolkit offers resources for child care workers to properly and safely use and store cleaning products to help ensure a healthy environment for children and staff alike.”

The C is for Clean: Building Blocks of Health toolkit provides families, educators and child care facilities with helpful resources backed by public health guidelines focused on cleaning, disinfecting and basic hygiene measures. Materials include:

In addition to these resources, ACI has created tailored materials for a variety of audiences including the K-12 school community, businesses and college students on proper cleaning, hygiene and disinfecting protocols. For more information, visit https://www.cleaninginstitute.org/cleaningiscaring.

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The American Cleaning Institute® (ACI – www.cleaninginstitute.org) is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry® and represents the $60 billion U.S. cleaning product supply chain. ACI members include the manufacturers and formulators of soaps, detergents, and general cleaning products used in household, commercial, industrial and institutional settings; companies that supply ingredients and finished packaging for these products; and chemical distributors. ACI serves the growth and innovation of the U.S. cleaning products industry by advancing the health and quality of life of people and protecting our planet. ACI achieves this through a continuous commitment to sound science and being a credible voice for the cleaning products industry.