Preschool COVID Protocol

Classes will remain with the same teachers throughout the day. Playground time will be limited to each individual class. Before care and aftercare will be limited to the same teachers.

All nap mats will be placed 6 feet apart when possible with students sleeping head to toe.

Chapel will be held outside with distance between classes.

The Librarian will be subject to the same screening required for teachers and students (see below) and wear a face covering. They must wash hands between classes.

All normal group events, i.e., Meet and Greet, will be held outdoors with social distancing procedures.

All other group events are subject to cancellation, including holiday parties, spaghetti dinner, Fall Fair, Breakfast with Santa, and Dad’s and Mom’s breakfasts.

Handwashing
All children, staff, and volunteers will engage in hand hygiene at the following times:

• Arrival to the facility and after breaks 
• Before and after preparing food or drinks  
• Before and after eating or handling food, or feeding children  
• Before and after administering medication or medical ointment  
• Before and after diapering  
• After using the toilet or helping a child use the bathroom  
• After coming in contact with bodily fluid  
• After handling animals or cleaning up animal waste  
• After playing outdoors or in sand  
• After handling garbage

In addition to frequent hand washing, hand sanitizer will be used as the child exits the car in the morning.

All surfaces will be wiped with Vital Oxide throughout the day, particularly upon arrival, after center activities, and before all meal/snack times.

All nap mats will be cleaned with Vital Oxide daily and each student will have a nap mat assigned to them.

The restroom will be cleaned each hour and after group bathroom breaks at a minimum of three times per day. Sink knobs will be disinfected each hour and after group wash times. The teachers will sign off on a checklist each time.

In addition, Vital Oxide will be used to disinfect all surfaces at the end of the day, as well as toys.

Toys that cannot be cleaned and sanitized daily will not be used.

Books and other paper material will be removed if used by one group in a cohort. They will not be used by any other cohort or group for at least 36 hours.

All personal belongings of the student’s will be stored in his/her cubby and labeled. Belongings will go home weekly for washing.

Before diapering a child, staff will wash their hands and the child's hands, and they will wear gloves. Staff will adhere to the following procedure:

1. Prepare (includes putting on gloves)
2. Clean the child
3. Remove trash (soiled diaper and wipes)
4. Replace diaper
5. Wash child’s hands 
6. Clean up diapering station
7. Wash hands

After comforting a crying, sad, or anxious child, staff will wash their hands, neck and anywhere touched by a child’s secretions. If secretions are on the child’s clothing, clothes must be changed.

All students will provide 2 sets of clothing to be kept in their cubby.

Carpool only will be used for all drop-off and pick-up times throughout the day.

A bell will be installed on the back gate for students arriving late after regular carpool times.

All teachers and parents of students will complete a self screening daily before arriving for themselves and their child. They will be asked to indicate if they have had  the following symptoms:

• Cough 
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing 
• Chills 
• Repeated shaking with chills 
• Muscle pain 
• Headache 
• Sore throat 
• Loss of taste or smell 
• Diarrhea 
• Feeling feverish or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit
• Known close contact with a person who is lab confirmed to have COVID-19

All teachers and students will be required to stay home if sick.

We will communicate to parents the importance of the daily screening and encourage them to stay home.

Children and staff will be isolated if they are sick while at school. The isolation room will be the Preschool resource room. If a child is sick, the room will be off limits to others.

Any location where a sick child or teacher has been will be thoroughly disinfected.

If COVID-19 is confirmed in a child or staff member, the Director will contact the local health authority, contact Child Care Licensing, close off areas used by the person who is sick, open outside doors and windows to increase air circulation in the areas, wait up to 24 hours to disinfect, and then clean and disinfect all areas.