The Children’s Education Center of the Islands COVID-19 Plan & Protocols
***Please note that these protocols are subject to change.***
We kindly remind you to take some time to have a gentle conversation with your kiddos on what to expect when they come back to school. They have had A LOT of changes in the past months. The school that they might remember will be a bit different than before. I encourage you, as you have this conversation to keep your anxiety and worries in check; trying not pass along your feelings onto their impressionable characters. Children are creatures of habit and thrive in structure; however they are the best at adapting to change. Communicating expectations and a new routine in a developmentally appropriate way will help ease them into this new transition. If you need any recommendations on how to approach this conversation, please reach out!
Drop off
● Child(ren) will ideally be dropped off by the same guardian every day at school.
● Ms. Kerra will be stationed at the white picnic bench in the front of the school.
o Parent/Guardian will park their car and take the child(ren) out of the car, along with their belongings. Please remain 6 ft. away during this process.
o Prior to drop off, parent/guardian MUST take their child(ren)’s temperature right before leaving home. This is a very important step! If it is 99.9 or above your child MUST remain home.
o Ms. Kerra will ask what their temperature was and record it. She will also ask if your child(ren) or anyone at home is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. She will record. Ms. Kerra will then take each child's temperature and log. If it is 99.9 or above your child will be sent home with you before being checked in. Children may not return to school without a doctor’s note.
o Ms. Kerra will check children in with time and date for attendance purposes. You will not need to sign your child in (or out).
o Parent/Guardian will say their goodbyes and Ms. Kerra will walk the child(ren) up the ramp and to the front door.
o Children will sanitize their hands prior to entering the building. We will provide hand sanitizer.
Pick Up
● When you arrive at the school’s parking lot, please call the school’s phone to notify staff that you have arrived.
o A staff member will walk your child out to your car for pick up. Please try to remain patient as staff members are collecting your child’s belongings and remaining within ratio for other students as well.
o Please remain 6ft away as you pick up your child.
o The staff member will sign out your child on the attendance roster.
Staff Members
o All staff before entering the building will sanitize their hands and take their temperature. This will be logged.
o All staff will adhere to CDC’s guidelines while at work and outside of work to avoid the spread of COVID-19.
o All staff is recommended to wear a cloth mask.
Prevent the Spread of COVID-19
We are encouraging staff and families to take everyday preventive actions to prevent the spread of respiratory illness. These include:
● Wash hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
● Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
● Remember to supervise young children when they use hand sanitizer to prevent swallowing alcohol.
● Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.
● Cover cough and sneezes.
● Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face covering when you have to go out in public.
● Cloth face coverings should NOT be put on babies and children under age two because of the danger of suffocation.
CECI requires sick children and staff to stay home
● It is vital to keep children home when they are sick!
● It is vital that staff is vigilant for symptoms and staying in touch with facility management if or when they start to feel sick.
● Sick children and staff will be kept separate from well children and staff until they can be sent home.
● Sick staff members will not return to work until they have met the criteria to discontinue home isolation.
Plan if someone is or becomes sick:
● CECI will have an isolation room or area (such as a cot in a corner of the classroom) that can be used to isolate a sick child.
● We will follow CDC guidance on how to disinfect your building or facility if someone is sick.
● If a sick child has been isolated in our facility, we will clean and disinfect surfaces in our isolation room or area after the sick child has gone home.
● If COVID-19 is confirmed in a child or staff member:
o We will close off areas used by the person who is sick.
o We will open outside doors and windows to increase air circulation in the areas.
o We will wait up to 24 hours or as long as possible before we clean or disinfect to allow respiratory droplets to settle before cleaning and disinfecting.
o We will clean and disinfect all areas used by the person who is sick, such as offices, bathrooms, and common areas.
o If more than 7 days have passed since the person who is sick visited or used the facility, additional cleaning and disinfection is not necessary.
▪ We will continue routine cleaning and disinfection.
Clean and Disinfect
Intensify cleaning and disinfection efforts:
● CECI will adhere to a daily/weekly schedule for cleaning and disinfecting. This schedule will be documented and posted in the facility.
● CECI will continue to have a professional cleaning company clean, sanitize, and disinfect twice a week.
● Staff will daily clean, sanitize, and disinfect surfaces and objects that are frequently touched, especially toys and games. This may also include cleaning objects/surfaces not ordinarily cleaned daily such as doorknobs, light switches, classroom sink handles, countertops, nap mats, toilet training potties, desks, chairs, cubbies, and playground structures.
● If possible, we will provide EPA-registered disposable wipes to staff members so that commonly used surfaces such as keyboards, desks, and remote controls can be wiped down before use. If wipes are not available, we will refer to CDC’s guidance on disinfection for community settings.
● All cleaning materials will be kept secure and out of reach of children.
● Cleaning products will not be used near children, and staff should ensure that there is adequate ventilation when using these products to prevent children from inhaling toxic fumes.
Clean and Sanitize Toys
● Toys that cannot be cleaned and sanitized will not be used.
● Toys that children have placed in their mouths or that are otherwise contaminated by body secretions or excretions will be set aside until they are cleaned by hand by a person wearing gloves. Clean with water and detergent, rinse, sanitize with an EPA-registered disinfectant, rinse again, and air-dry. You may also clean in a mechanical dishwasher. We will be mindful of items more likely to be placed in a child’s mouth, like play food, dishes, and utensils.
● Machine washable cloth toys should be used by one individual at a time or will not be used at all. These toys should be laundered before being used by another child.
● We will not share toys with other groups of infants or toddlers, unless they are washed and sanitized before being moved from one group to the other.
● We will set aside toys that need to be cleaned. Place in a dish pan with soapy water or put in a separate container marked for “soiled toys.” We will keep dish pan and water out of reach from children to prevent the risk of drowning.
● Children’s books, like other paper-based materials such as mail or envelopes, are not considered a high risk for transmission and do not need additional cleaning or disinfection procedures.
Clean and Disinfect Bedding
● We will use bedding (sheets, pillows, blankets, sleeping bags) that can be washed. We will keep each child’s bedding separate, and will store in individually labeled cubbies. Mats will be cleaned, sanitized, and disinfected after each use. Bedding that touches a child’s skin will be cleaned weekly or before use by another child. Children will nap 6ft apart from one another.
Diapering
When diapering a child, we will wash hands and wash the child’s hands before we begin, and wear gloves. We will follow safe diaper changing procedures. Procedures will be posted in all diaper changing areas. Steps include:
● Prepare (includes putting on gloves)
● Clean the child
● Remove trash (soiled diaper and wipes)
● Replace diaper
● Wash child’s hands
● Clean up diapering station
● Wash hands
After diapering, we will wash our hands and disinfect the diapering area with a fragrance-free bleach that is EPA-registered as a sanitizing or disinfecting solution. If other products are used for sanitizing or disinfecting, they will also be fragrance-free and EPA-registered. If the surface is dirty, it will be cleaned with detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.
Washing, Feeding, or Holding a Child
It is important to comfort crying, sad, and/or anxious infants and toddlers, and they often need to be held.
● Staff will wash their hands, neck, and anywhere touched by a child’s secretions.
● Staff will change the child’s clothes if secretions are on the child’s clothes.
● Contaminated clothes will be placed in a plastic bag or washed in a washing machine.
● Infants, toddlers, and their providers will have multiple changes of clothes on hand.
Healthy Hand Hygiene Behavior
● All children and staff will engage in hand hygiene at the following times:
o Arrival to the facility and after breaks
o Before and after preparing food or drinks
o Before and after eating or handling food, or feeding children
o Before and after administering medication or medical ointment
o Before and after diapering
o After using the toilet or helping a child use the bathroom
o After coming in contact with bodily fluid
o After handling animals or cleaning up animal waste
o After playing outdoors or in sand
o After handling garbage
● Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If hands are not visibly dirty, alcohol-based hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol can be used if soap and water are not readily available.
● Staff will supervise children when they use hand sanitizer to prevent ingestion.
● Staff will assist children with handwashing, including infants who cannot wash hands alone. o After assisting children with handwashing, staff will also wash their hands.
● CECI will place posters describing handwashing steps near sinks.
Food Preparation and Meal Service
● Food preparation will not be done by the same staff that diapers children.
● Sinks used for food preparation will not be used for any other purposes.
● Staff will ensure children wash hands prior to and immediately after eating.
● Staff will wash their hands before preparing food and after helping children to eat.
Vulnerable/High Risk Groups
Based on currently available information and clinical expertise, older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions might be at higher risk for severe illness
from COVID-19. To protect those at higher risk, it’s important that everyone practices healthy hygiene behaviors.
● Staff members or teachers age 65 or older, or with serious underlying health conditions, are encouraged to talk to their healthcare provider to assess their risk and to determine if they should stay home.
● Information about COVID-19 in children is somewhat limited, but the information that is available suggests that many children have mild symptoms. However, a small percentage of children have been reported to have more severe illness. If you have children with underlying health conditions, talk to the director about their risk. Follow children’s care plans for underlying health conditions such as an asthma action plan.
● If you have children with disabilities, please talk to the director about how your children can continue to receive the support they need.