Current COVID Policies

IT IS REQUIRED TO KEEP (OR TAKE) A CHILD HOME WHEN THE CHILD:

During this most difficult time with COVID 19 if a child has any of the symptoms listed below, they will not be permitted to attend day care until 14 days after the last incidence of symptom or per Dr. note clearing them to attend daycare provided to center.

Children with the following symptoms shall not be allowed at the center:

 

• Fever of 100 or greater

• Severe diarrhea (cannot be contained by the diaper or toilet)

• Unexplained rash (child will not be allowed in daycare until a medical exam has

         indicated it is not a communicable disease)

• Vomiting

• Sore Throat

• Unusual dry continuous dry cough

• If anyone in your home is being tested you must keep your child/children at home until you receive a negative test result

 

**During COVID 19 the State of Connecticut requires the following: if any family member who has any of the above symptoms or been diagnosed positive for COVID 19 please know your child must remain home for a minimum of 14 days.

 

Parents will inform the childcare within 24 hours of a diagnosis of a serious illness or contagious disease of any communicable nature in the family.  The center will post certain communicable diseases inside the child’s room.

 

This is to protect my family and the other families who attend the childcare.  Failure to do so is grounds for immediate termination of care.  Parents agree to strictly follow the centers sick child policy.  We reserve the right to ask for a note to return to the center from your family doctor, depending on the illness/disease.

 

Please respect the illness policy.  If a child is not well enough to go outside to play or attend school, they are not well enough to attend childcare.

 

The State of Connecticut Department of Childcare Licenses explained if there was a reported cases of COVID 19 from the center, if our contact is limited from parents entering the center tracing would be much easier for State and Health Officials,  It has been highly recommended for us to keep contact precautious at a minimum during the re-opening of the State. I have decided to try a drop off and pick up policy that will help keep contact at a minimum but will not disrupt our children’s normal routine.  

What I am going to try I know may be challenging but as I stated the State of Connecticut Department of Licensing, CDC along with government officials are urging us to make a temporary change. Please remember this should be for a limited time.  The temporary change will begin Tuesday May 26, 2020 to allow one parent in the center at a time.  Please note that if both parents from the same family normally come together for drop off and or to pick up, both parents will be allowed in the center at the same time as you normally are  With this temporary change please allow yourself extra time for drop off in the mornings, we will do our best to keep the flow for drop off as quick as possible.

 

Pick up time may become more challenging because as we know some children do not want to leave at the end of the day. We do not want to rush a child out of their room and discouraging them from staying a few extra minutes like they do at times, (children do not understand this new normal so I want to make it as less noticeable as I can for them).   I also do not want to discourage parents from talking to their child’s teacher If at any time your child wants to stay in their room at pick up for little longer and or the parent wants to discuss their child’s day and I know it’s been a few min. since you have entered the center, I will allow a second parent to enter the building as long as the second parent does not have a child in the same room the first parent is in.  To be safe I ask each parent prior to leaving your child’s room please look down the hallway, if there are no parents walking to a child’s room feel free to exit at this time, if you do see another parent please wait until that parent enters their child’s room.  If there is only one parent waiting to enter the center I will not ask parents to stay outside, a parent waiting to enter  can come into the office and wait for the parent who is currently in the center preparing to leave as long as I have only one parent at a time in the center, then only one allowed in the office.   I really hope this makes sense, lol.  It is hard to explain things in writing sometimes and this is one of those times.

 

I have paid close attention the last few days since the State has called me urging some form of change in drop off and pick up of the children while the State re-opens.  There have been only a few parents arriving at pick up at the same time so I think this may work.  Again, this is temporary and I am open to any suggestions if temporary drop off and pickup policy change, I am making seems to be difficult.  The State has suggested the children be dropped off at the front door.  I am sorry, I am not comfortable with that.  This pandemic has forced many changes to our lives and for very good reasons but when it comes to children and families, we must do our best to be safe but at the same time we cannot lose the personal one on one with our parents and children.

 

The following is also a “New Normal” daily required drop off routine for staff and children: that we have been doing for almost two months now and will continue until further notice (the OEC of Connecticut requires all policy changes to be in writing):

 

• Staff and children temperatures will be taken each morning upon arrival as well as when they leave each day.

• Staff and children hands will be washed and or sanitized upon arrival and throughout the entire day.