These policies and procedures are subject to change to comply with the health and safety requirements.
SOCIAL DISTANCING
• The classrooms will be physically rearranged to promote more individual play.
• Children will continue to eat in their classes. Tables will be arranged to ensure that there is a distancing of students.
• The same small group of children and staff members will be kept together throughout the day; there will be no combining of groups. To the degree possible, staff will be maintained with the same groups from day to day week to week. This will help reduce potential exposures.
• Drop off and pick up procedures will be required to be done at curbside to limit direct contact and adhere to social distancing recommendations. For the first 2 weeks of our ramp-up schedule, all drop-offs and pick-ups will take place at the front and side gate (trike yard). Please have your child dressed for the weather. We will not be offering any bathroom use for families so please plan accordingly. Your child's items will be placed into their cubbies by staff.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
• Group size and ratios Reduction
-12 children per group
• Students will be involved with individual work/play activities as much as possible.
• No large group activities will be planned. We will be creative with circle time.
• The distance between tables will be increased for children during table work.
• Item sharing will be limited, shared items will be disinfected between each use. Students will be reminded not to touch their faces and wash their hands after using these items.
• Additional outside time will be planned daily. There will be an outdoor handwashing station available at all times and children will be encouraged to wash their hands frequently.
• We will encourage children to wear masks all day, but understand it may not be possible all the time.
ADULT PROCEDURES
• Social distancing will be practiced by staff to the maximum extent while still allowing for the care of children. We understand that staff needs to be near children when providing care, but our program will limit physical proximity as best as they are able. The teacher will be required to wear masks and/or face shields as much as physically possible
INFECTION CONTROL AND SANITATION PRACTICES
Washing hands and sanitizing surfaces are the most important things we can do now.
• Employees and children are required to wash hands multiple times during the day.
• Pens should not be shared. Parents/ Guardians should use their pen when signing in or clean pens before and after usage.
• Frequent handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds will be required handwashing upon arriving at the program, when entering the classroom, before meals or snacks, after outside time, after going to the bathroom, and before leaving for home. If soap and water are not readily available, using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Students, families, and staff will be reminded to avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands and to cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash and clean hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer (if soap and water are not readily available).
All snacks and lunch must be provided by parents/guardians for their child and placed in reusable or throw-away containers to reduce the spread of germs.
FACILITY CLEANING
• Our cleaning service will be cleaning once a day: after school. The staff will be doing a mid-day cleaning of the classroom while the children are outside.
• We will follow a schedule for cleaning and disinfecting throughout the day. Surfaces and objects that are frequently touched, such as doorknobs, light switches, faucet handles, etc. will be routinely cleaned throughout the day.
• Outdoor playgrounds generally require normal routine cleaning and do not require disinfection. Spraying disinfectant on outdoor playgrounds is not an efficient use of disinfectant supplies and has not been proven to reduce the risk of COVID-19 to the public. However, we will routinely clean high-touch surfaces made of plastic or metal. Cleaning of wooden surfaces or ground coverings such as sand and mulch is not recommended.
CLEANING OF STUDENT ITEMS AND MATERIALS
• Each child’s bedding for a nap will be stored in individual cubbies.
• Cots will be labeled for each child.
• Works/materials for activities that cannot be cleaned and sanitized will not be used.
• Materials will be cleaned and sanitized after each use.
-we will provide certain materials, like colored pencils, crayons in a 1:1 ratio.
• Children’s books, like other paper-based materials such as mail or envelopes, are not considered high risk for transmission and do not need additional cleaning or disinfecting. However, we will set aside any books that have been placed in a student’s mouth or are otherwise contaminated by bodily secretions or excretions until they can be sanitized properly.
ENHANCED OPERATING PROTOCOLS
• Nonessential visitors are not permitted in the center.
• Posted health notice restricting entry
• Drop-offs/pick-ups are restricted to the lobby or outside the center
• Reduced class sizes – determined concerning applicable local guidance
• Consistent groupings in separate classrooms
•Outdoor time-limited to one group in an area at a time, with limited back-to-back use of the play area
ENHANCED HEALTH AND HYGIENE PROTOCOLS
• Daily temperature and health check conducted on arrival
• Social distancing is practiced as much as possible
• Staff wears face masks/coverings when close to children
• Frequent cleaning and disinfecting of high-touch surfaces, toys, and laundered items
• Enhanced COVID-19 exclusion policy restricting center access in the event of a suspected or known exposure.
COVID-19 Policy Updates
The health and well-being of our families and staff are our highest priorities. In the interest of limiting the opportunity for transmission to our vulnerable community, we are taking the following precautionary measures:
Your household must remain out of the center if any member of your household has (or has been in close contact with anyone who has):
(a) A suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 (for example – close contact at school, work, religious service, social gathering); or
(b) Traveled:
• internationally;
• from any area which is the subject of travel restrictions under applicable state and local guidance.
14 days after the last potential exposure, your household may return provided these three things have happened:
(a) At least 10 days have passed since any household member first experienced symptoms; and
(b) Symptoms have improved for any household member that experienced symptoms (for example, cough or shortness of breath has improved); and
(c) The household has been fever-free for at least 72 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicines.
Please note, we require you to obtain medical clearance before return to the center will be allowed.
HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS
Include individuals who may not live in the household but maybe staying there or are otherwise present in the household regularly (e.g. nannies, caregivers, home health workers, contractors, etc.) and includes anyone with a pick-up or drop off privileges at the center.
Applies to staff, children, and their household members, which states in part:
DAILY HEALTH CHECK
ALL STAFF, FAMILIES, CHILDREN, AND THEIR HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS MUST CONDUCT A DAILY HEALTH CHECK BEFORE COMING TO THE CENTER.
• Should you or any household member have any of the following symptoms, we ask you to remain out that day and notify the center.
• Fever of 100.4 F or higher, now or in the preceding 72 hours (or would have, but have used fever-reducing medicine)
• Cough
• Sore Throat
• Muscle Aches
• Difficulty Breathing
• New Loss of Taste or Smell
• Consistent with our COVID-19 Policy, the household will be required to remain out of the center for 14 days unless medical clearance is provided by a physician indicating that the presenting symptoms are associated with a known non-COVID-19 illness. The physician’s note must not be from a family member.
•Exclusion from the center is sometimes necessary to reduce the transmission of illness. For your child's comfort, and to reduce the risk of contagion, we ask that children be picked up within 1.0 hour of notification. Until then, your child will be kept comfortable and will continue to be observed for symptoms.
If a Child, Staff, or Parent Develops COVID-19 or Similar Symptoms
• If a child or staff member develops symptoms of COVID-19 (fever of 100.4 or higher, cough, or shortness of breath) while at the facility, we will separate the individual from all others until the ill individual can leave the facility. If symptoms persist or worsen, we will call his or her health care provider or parent for further guidance. Facility management must advise the employee or child’s parent or caregiver to inform the facility immediately if the individual is diagnosed with COVID-19.
• If we experience a confirmed case of COVID-19, we will close at least temporarily for 14 days, (or longer if so, advised by local health officials).
• If the infected individual with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 spent 10 minutes or less in close contact with those in the child care facility, the facility may consider closing for two-five days to do a thorough cleaning and disinfecting and continue to monitor for ill individuals.
• For any of these circumstances, we will be notifying parents of other children at the facility of the situation and the facility’s response, as well as communicating any updates regularly with parents.Returning to a Child Care Facility after COVID-19 or Similar Symptoms
• If individuals have fever, cough, or shortness of breath and have not been around anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, they should stay home until 72 hours after the fever is gone and symptoms subside. If the individual’s symptoms worsen, the individual should contact a health care provider to determine whether testing for COVID-19 is recommended.
• If staff members or parents believe that they or the child has had close contact to someone with COVID-19 but are not currently sick, they should monitor their health and the child’s health for fever, cough, and shortness of breath during the 14 days after the last day they were in close contact with the individual with COVID-19. They should not go to work or school and should avoid public places for 14 days.
• If a staff member or child is diagnosed with COVID-19, the individual must not enter the facility for at least seven days after the onset of the first symptoms.
The individual may return under any of the following conditions
• If the individual had a fever, entry to the facility is permitted three days after the fever ends and an improvement in the initial symptoms is observed (for example, when a cough and/or shortness of breath are not exhibited).
• If the individual did not have a fever, entry to the facility is permitted three days after an improvement in the initial symptoms is observed (for example, a cough and/or shortness of breath).
•If the individual exhibited any symptoms of COVID-19, entry to the facility is permitted no sooner than seven days after the onset of symptoms.
