Introduction
A communicable disease is an infectious disease of which is transmissable via direct contant with an affected individual. Throughout our childcare centre, there are many factors related to the risk of infection:
1. Hosts: Children and parents
2. Caregivers (us, the educators)
3. The environment 
("Infectious Disease: The Never-ending Threat", 2013)
This webquest provides you with an opportunity to develop your knowledge in regards to various communicable diseases including: hand, foot and mouth disease, school sores and chicken pox.
By participating in this webquest, you will learn more about some of the common communicable diseases that you have been, or are likely to be, exposed to while working in the centre.
Task
In room groups, you will be researching one communicable disease and making an informative poster/fact sheet about the disease to be displayed in your room. You may want to include basic information and facts regarding the spread, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and preventions strategies. You should also think about how you present this information and making it visually appealing and easy to comprehend for parents, other educators, as well as age appropriate for your particular room.
Babies room: Head lice
Toddler room: Hand, foot and mouth disease
Junior and Senior Kindy room: School sores
You will create your poster (A3) using Microsoft Word or Publisher. You may want to assign each member of your group with one or two specific areas to research before putting your poster together. Keep your information consise, for example, using dot points. Also try and accompany your information with pictures where you can.
Process
To begin, open Microsoft Word or Publisher. Start by making a large, eye-catching heading - you want this informative poster to stand out in your room. You may want to start by arranging where your information will go by making headings and allocating equivalent space for each section and photos.
Below are three videos (one for each communicable disease). You should watch the video on your given communicable disease to gain a general and basic understanding of the disease before doing any further research.
1. Head lice
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrScqdNuTpc align:left]
2. Hand, foot and mouth disease
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58bO17_ahys align:left]
3. School sores (Impetigo)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUci-G6JPD0 align:left]
You can now begin to explore your communicable disease! Below are a list of resources for each communicable disease of which you may wish to explore.
Head lice:
http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/head-lice.html
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/head…
http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/wellbeing/health/removing-head-lice-an…
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/headlice/Pages/treatment.aspx
http://www.moov.com.au/head-lice-tips/learn-more-about-head-lice/
http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/lice.html
Hand, foot and mouth:
http://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Hand_foot_and_mouth_disease_…disease:
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/hand…
http://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Hand_foot_and_mouth_disease_…
http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+…
http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/hand_foot_mouth_disease.html
School sores (Impetigo):
http://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Impetigo_school_sores/
http://www.healthline.com/health/impetigo
https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/infectious-diseases/diseas…
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/impe…
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/impetigo-overview
Evaluation
Once you have completed your informative posters, you will present it to your collegues and other room groups. Take on board any feedback - you will be given some time to amend anything if you need.
You will then print 3 copies of your informative poster to be laminated. Each room will place all three informative posters within their room.
Conclusion
You are now familiar with the basic information regarding communicable disease, particularly head lice, hand, foot and mouth disease and school sores.
Please be aware of any other communicable diseases that may spread through the centre. Now that you are familiar with the process of making an informative poster, you have the tools to adapt this activity to any other infectious disease and to add this information to the existing posters throughout your room.
Credits
References:
Infectious Disease: The Never-ending Threat. (2013). Public Health Agency of Canada. Retrieved 15 April 2016, from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cphorsphc-respcacsp/2013/intro-eng.php