Cleaning up: Bridgette Quaynor,  teacher Lauren Vandermeulen, Brady Harris and Alirah Riley.
Camera IconCleaning up: Bridgette Quaynor, teacher Lauren Vandermeulen, Brady Harris and Alirah Riley. Credit: Supplied/Jon Hewson        d458640

Kiddy Canter teaches kids dirt dangers

Francis CurroComment News

The program Kiddy Canter is run annually and is |designed to encourage good basic hygiene practices such as washing hands before eating, covering your mouth when coughing and not sharing food or drink among children.

About 350 schools and child care centres have signed up to the program, run by Southern River not-for-profit community organisation the Amanda Young Foundation.

Amanda Young contracted meningococcal disease and died at the age of 18. Her parents, Barry and Lorraine Young, established the Amanda Young Foundation in 1998 aiming to reduce deaths in WA from meningococcal disease and supporting survivors.

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Huntingdale Primary School is one of the schools that taught students about the disease.

Teacher Lauren Vandermeulen said the students loved listening to the big-book story and making the related craft activities.

“After school I heard my students telling their parents all about what they had made and learnt – it was fantastic to hear the information getting passed on from four-year-old children.”

Mr Young said it was simple basic skills that would be taught during the program.

He said they went home with a booklet that talked about hygiene at gatherings such as school parties.