Covid-19 Health and Illness Policy
Revised 8/2021 for Covid-19 CDC Guidance
SYMPTOMS CHECKS
Upon arrival at the center, all staff and children will be checked for fever and for symptoms of COVID-19. Parents and staff must disclose if anyone in their household has any symptoms of COVID-19 including cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, and loss of taste or smell, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
If a child or staff member exhibits any symptoms and/or has a fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, they cannot be admitted to the building. Children or staff not admitted to school should consult with a health care provider. The school may also need to consult with the Health Department and Licensing office.
If the school identifies symptoms of Covid-19 in a staff member or child at morning the symptom check, the staff member or child will be asked to remain at home until they are symptom-free for 2 days before returning to the school.
EXPOSURE TO COVID-19
Children and staff should not enter the school if they are unvaccinated and have been in contact with someone with a confirmed or probable case of Covid-19 in the last 14 days without using recommended infection control precautions. If you think that there is possible exposure to someone with Covid-19, please quarantine at home for 14 days. If a member of the household has a positive or probable case of Covid-19, the staff member or child must quarantine for an additional 14 days after the household contact is released from isolation. Parent of the child or the staff member should provide documentation from a doctor that the household contact has been released from isolation at the time the child or staff returns to school. If the child or staff member develops symptoms at any time during their quarantine, they may be considered a probable case of Covid-19 and the doctor should determine if the individual should be tested and how long the individual needs to remain excluded from school.
If a child or staff member was present at the school with symptoms developed after entry to the school in the morning, the school will immediately exclude the child or staff member. Children who develop symptoms during the day will wait in an isolated space with a staff member to maintain isolation until they can be picked up. Parents should have a plan in place to pick up students as soon as possible if necessary. Students or staff members leaving school with symptoms should consult with a doctor immediately and inform the school of the doctor’s recommendation. The school will contact the Health Department and the Licensing office for additional guidance if appropriate.
If there is an exposure in the school building, the school will immediately follow Health Department guidelines to notify parents of the risk of exposure. Our most recent guidance suggested that we should review the video feed from the classroom to determine which students had sufficient direct contact with the Covid-positive individual to constitute an exposure. All parents in the class were contacted. Students with a confirmed exposure were asked to quarantine and students who had limited contact with the affected individual were informed of their specific risk of exposure and given the choice of whether they preferred to quarantine or not. The affected classrooms will undergo thorough cleaning and sanitizing We will also review video feed from the affected classrooms to determine any other possible exposures outside of the affected classroom. If we need to close a classroom due to an exposure, if individual students are asked to quarantine, or if parents choose to quarantine, we will waive all tuition fees for the students. At this time, staff members who have been vaccinated do not need to quarantine following an exposure unless they begin to experience symptoms.
CONFIRMED CASE OF COVID-19
If a child or staff member is confirmed to have Covid-19, the individual will need to follow guidelines for self-quarantine during the recovery period. The child or staff member can return to school when he or she has met the CDC criteria for discontinuation of home isolation:
COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS ABOUT HEALTH RISK
If there is a staff member or child sent home during the initial symptom screening, the school will not consider that the other children and staff in the school have been exposed and no further communication with families will be necessary. If a child or staff member becomes ill during the day or contacts the school to report a possible exposure to Covid-19, the child will be immediately excluded from care and the parents will consult with a doctor. If the case is determined to be a possible exposure, parents will be notified immediately following consultation with the Health Department. Parents notified during the day about a possible exposure must be prepared to arrange for immediate pick up their children from care and for self-quarantine at home for 14 days. Parents may not contact another childcare facility to arrange for care during the self-quarantine period, as this will cause other potential exposures.
MASKS
Parents are required to wear masks during drop off and pick up for children when entering the building. Parents picking up outside between 3-4 PM do not need to wear a mask for pick up outside. The Health Department does still highly recommend masks for children over 2 and adults who are not vaccinated. Parents are still asked to maintain a 6-foot social distancing if possible. We are asking that all children in our preschool and Kindergarten classes bring a mask to school to wear. Children over age 2 have been very successful with wearing masks during the day. We have found that most of our 2s do have difficulty wearing a mask safely through the day. Children will wear masks while they are inside except when eating or resting on cots. Children will not wear masks to play outside. At this time, we are asking all teachers, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, to wear masks inside the building.
PARENTS IN THE SCHOOL
Parents can now enter the building for drop off and pick up but will need to submit to a temperature check before coming inside. We are asking that parents limit their time in the building to 5 minutes for each drop off or pick up to help us limit exposure of the children to additional adults in the school environment. Parents entering the school will need to wear a mask unless you have a medical exemption from wearing a mask. Parents with medical exemptions for wearing a mask will need to provide the school with a note from your doctor.
SYMPTOMS CHECKS
Upon arrival at the center, all staff and children will be checked for fever and for symptoms of COVID-19. Parents and staff must disclose if anyone in their household has any symptoms of COVID-19 including cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, and loss of taste or smell, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
If a child or staff member exhibits any symptoms and/or has a fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, they cannot be admitted to the building. Children or staff not admitted to school should consult with a health care provider. The school may also need to consult with the Health Department and Licensing office.
If the school identifies symptoms of Covid-19 in a staff member or child at morning the symptom check, the staff member or child will be asked to remain at home until they are symptom-free for 2 days before returning to the school.
EXPOSURE TO COVID-19
Children and staff should not enter the school if they are unvaccinated and have been in contact with someone with a confirmed or probable case of Covid-19 in the last 14 days without using recommended infection control precautions. If you think that there is possible exposure to someone with Covid-19, please quarantine at home for 14 days. If a member of the household has a positive or probable case of Covid-19, the staff member or child must quarantine for an additional 14 days after the household contact is released from isolation. Parent of the child or the staff member should provide documentation from a doctor that the household contact has been released from isolation at the time the child or staff returns to school. If the child or staff member develops symptoms at any time during their quarantine, they may be considered a probable case of Covid-19 and the doctor should determine if the individual should be tested and how long the individual needs to remain excluded from school.
If a child or staff member was present at the school with symptoms developed after entry to the school in the morning, the school will immediately exclude the child or staff member. Children who develop symptoms during the day will wait in an isolated space with a staff member to maintain isolation until they can be picked up. Parents should have a plan in place to pick up students as soon as possible if necessary. Students or staff members leaving school with symptoms should consult with a doctor immediately and inform the school of the doctor’s recommendation. The school will contact the Health Department and the Licensing office for additional guidance if appropriate.
If there is an exposure in the school building, the school will immediately follow Health Department guidelines to notify parents of the risk of exposure. Our most recent guidance suggested that we should review the video feed from the classroom to determine which students had sufficient direct contact with the Covid-positive individual to constitute an exposure. All parents in the class were contacted. Students with a confirmed exposure were asked to quarantine and students who had limited contact with the affected individual were informed of their specific risk of exposure and given the choice of whether they preferred to quarantine or not. The affected classrooms will undergo thorough cleaning and sanitizing We will also review video feed from the affected classrooms to determine any other possible exposures outside of the affected classroom. If we need to close a classroom due to an exposure, if individual students are asked to quarantine, or if parents choose to quarantine, we will waive all tuition fees for the students. At this time, staff members who have been vaccinated do not need to quarantine following an exposure unless they begin to experience symptoms.
CONFIRMED CASE OF COVID-19
If a child or staff member is confirmed to have Covid-19, the individual will need to follow guidelines for self-quarantine during the recovery period. The child or staff member can return to school when he or she has met the CDC criteria for discontinuation of home isolation:
- At least 72 hours have passed since recovery defined as resolution of fever without the use of medicine and improvement in respiratory symptoms, AND
- At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.
COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS ABOUT HEALTH RISK
If there is a staff member or child sent home during the initial symptom screening, the school will not consider that the other children and staff in the school have been exposed and no further communication with families will be necessary. If a child or staff member becomes ill during the day or contacts the school to report a possible exposure to Covid-19, the child will be immediately excluded from care and the parents will consult with a doctor. If the case is determined to be a possible exposure, parents will be notified immediately following consultation with the Health Department. Parents notified during the day about a possible exposure must be prepared to arrange for immediate pick up their children from care and for self-quarantine at home for 14 days. Parents may not contact another childcare facility to arrange for care during the self-quarantine period, as this will cause other potential exposures.
MASKS
Parents are required to wear masks during drop off and pick up for children when entering the building. Parents picking up outside between 3-4 PM do not need to wear a mask for pick up outside. The Health Department does still highly recommend masks for children over 2 and adults who are not vaccinated. Parents are still asked to maintain a 6-foot social distancing if possible. We are asking that all children in our preschool and Kindergarten classes bring a mask to school to wear. Children over age 2 have been very successful with wearing masks during the day. We have found that most of our 2s do have difficulty wearing a mask safely through the day. Children will wear masks while they are inside except when eating or resting on cots. Children will not wear masks to play outside. At this time, we are asking all teachers, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, to wear masks inside the building.
PARENTS IN THE SCHOOL
Parents can now enter the building for drop off and pick up but will need to submit to a temperature check before coming inside. We are asking that parents limit their time in the building to 5 minutes for each drop off or pick up to help us limit exposure of the children to additional adults in the school environment. Parents entering the school will need to wear a mask unless you have a medical exemption from wearing a mask. Parents with medical exemptions for wearing a mask will need to provide the school with a note from your doctor.