As a parent, the thought of keeping your child home from school may mean a lost day of work and a pile of makeup work for the student. For teachers, a sick child in the classroom holds the potential to send the sniffles around to everyone — not just to other students, but to teachers as well.

No matter how you look at it, sickness takes its toll on classroom progress. Here are a few things you can do as a parent to help your child stay healthy and performing well in the classroom. Your family physician will be able to recommend further tips.

First, make sure your child is a good hand-washer. Show him how to wash his hands for 10 to 15 seconds with warm soap and water. Rinsing quickly in cold water, as many kids do, doesn't get rid of germs.

Second, while it is important for kids to share, this does not apply to things such as juice boxes, cups and utensils. It is easy for germs to be passed around the cafeteria table if children are sharing lunches.

Another thing you can do to help your child avoid sickness is to see that she gets enough sleep and has a healthy diet. Eight hours of sleep per night and a balanced diet will help keep your child's immune system functioning at its peak, fighting off everyday germs that your child comes into contact with.

Finally, if your child comes down with a sickness, make sure he has recovered before sending him back into the classroom. Even if your child is almost well, don't put other students and even teachers at risk of getting sick.

Teachers are more than willing to make arrangements for parents to pick up a child's missed work so that they are up to speed with the rest of the class.

This column is provided through the Hawai'i State Teachers Association. Rose Shin is a first-grade teacher at Mauka Lani Elementary School in Kapolei.