Extension educators who taught their local communities to properly measure detergents and promoted important handwashing skills to young students are recipients of national awards presented by the American Cleaning Institute.
 
The 2013 “Clean and Healthy Families & Communities” Award was presented at the recent Galaxy IV Conference in Pittsburgh, a national meeting of Extension Professional organizations.  ACI partners with the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) on the annual award.
 
The Importance of Washing Up
Robin Eubank, a Kansas State University FCS Extension Agent in Barber County, Kansas, wanted to make sure local students learned about the importance of washing their hands with soap and water, so she worked with the local school system to make that happen.
 
Kindergarten and pre-K students read ACI’s Hooray for Handwashing story book. Proper handwashing techniques were pantomimed, handwashing posters were displayed in restrooms and students took home Hooray for Handwashing to share with their parents.
 
A pre-K teacher noticed one student mimicking handwashing actions while looking at a poster, while a decrease in flu-related absences was reported by the school.

“How Do You Measure Up?”
University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service agents Donna Fryman, Debra Cotterill, Sally Mineer and Shannon Smith discovered that many consumers in their communities weren’t properly measuring detergent while doing the laundry.
 
The Family and Consumer Science (FCS) agents created a display, “How Do You Measure Up?” at a local expo to creatively promote the proper use and accurate measurement of laundry detergents. The agents surveyed visitors about their detergent measuring habits and used the opportunity to share ACI educational materials on reading product labels and proper product use.
 
Making the Connection Between Cleanliness and Health
“We have a long standing relationship with Extension educators and applaud the work that they do in their communities to teach individuals and families important life skills that link cleanliness and health,” said Nancy Bock, ACI Senior Vice President of Education. “ACI is proud to honor Family and Consumer Science professionals who work so hard to improve the lives of others.”
 
The Clean and Healthy Families & Communities Award honors outstanding educational programming efforts that use many of ACI’s educational materials and promote the connection between cleanliness and health. Programs must demonstrate innovative outreach efforts that impact the local community and raise the awareness of the proper use and/or storage of cleaning products.