Covid-19 Enhanced Safety Strategies & Practices

In our continuous effort to keep our employees and children safe, we have been following strategies and policies for:

1. Social Distancing
2. Cleaning and disinfecting
3. Children Pick-up and Drop off

A. Practicing Safety & Social Distancing

• Limiting the people who enter the building to current team members and enrolled families only
• Further reducing student-to-teacher ratios and eliminating combining children from different classrooms
• Temperature checks for children and staff
• Touchless check-in
• External drop-off and pick-up of children
• Increased frequency of handwashing
• Increased sanitation of frequently touched surfaces and toys
• Limiting the use of playground equipment to one classroom at a time and disinfecting playground equipment before and after each use
• Suspended family-style dining
• Substituting field trips with virtual field trip experiences

B. Intensified Cleaning & Disinfecting

Our intensified cleaning schedules

Areas	Before Each Use	After Each Use	Daily (End of the Day)	Weekly	Monthly	Comments
Food Areas
Food preparation surfaces	Clean, Sanitize	Clean, Sanitize				Use a sanitizer safe for food contact
Eating utensis & dishes		Clean, Sanitize				If washing the dishes and utensils by hand, use a sanitizer safe for food contact as the final step in the process; Use of an automated dishwasher will sanitize
Tables & highchair trays	Clean, Sanitize	Clean, Sanitize
Countertops		Clean	Clean, Sanitize			Use a sanitizer safe for food contact
Food preparation appliances		Clean	Clean, Sanitize
Mixed use tables	Clean, Sanitize					Before serving food
Refrigerator					Clean
Child Care Areas
Plastic mouthed toys		Clean	Clean, Sanitize
Pacifiers		Clean	Clean, Sanitize			Reserve for use by only one child; Use dishwasher or boil for one minute
Hats			Clean			Clean after each use if head lice present
Door & cabinet handles			Clean, Disinfect
Floors			Clean			Sweep or vacuum, then damp mop,(consider micro fiber damp mop to pick up most particles)
Machine washable cloth toys				Clean		Launder
Dress-up clothes				Clean		Launder
Play activity centers				Clean
Drinking Fountains			Clean, Disinfect
Computer keyboards		Clean, Disinfect				Use sanitizing wipes, do not use spray
Phone receivers			Clean
Toilet & Diapering Areas
Changing tables		Clean, Disinfect				Clean with detergent, rinse, disinfect
Potty chairs		Clean, Disinfect
Handwashing sinks & faucets			Clean, Disinfect
Countertops			Clean, Disinfect
Toilets			Clean, Disinfect
Diaper pails			Clean, Disinfect
Floors			Clean, Disinfect			Damp mop with a floor cleaner/ disinfectant
Sleeping Areas
Bed sheets & pillow cases				Clean		Clean before use by another child
Cribs, cots, & mats				Clean		Clean before use by another child
Blankets					Clean

Cleaning toys and classrooms

• 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 are set aside until they are cleaned by hand by a person wearing gloves. We will clean these with water and detergent, rinse, sanitize with an EPA-registered disinfectant, rinse again, and air-dry or may also use a mechanical dishwasher. Be mindful of items more likely to be placed in a child’s mouth, like play food, dishes, and utensils.
• Machine washable cloth toys are not used at all. These toys should be laundered before being used by another child.
• We do 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 set aside toys that need to be cleaned. Place in a dishpan with soapy water or put in a separate container marked for “soiled toys.” Keep dishpan and water out of reach from children to prevent the risk of drowning. Washing with soapy water is the ideal cleaning method.
• 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 disinfection procedures.
• Use bedding (sheets, pillows, blankets, sleeping bags) that can be washed. We keep each child’s bedding separate and consider storing in individually labeled bins, cubbies, or bags. Cots and mats are labeled for each child. Bedding that touches a child’s skin should be cleaned weekly or before use by another child.

C. Modified Drop off and pick up Procedures

• Hand hygiene stations are set up at the entrance of the facility so that children can clean their hands before they enter. Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol next to parent sign-in sheets.
• Keep hand sanitizer out of children’s reach and supervise use.
• Children are greeted in the designated reception area as they arrive.
• Upon arrival, maintain at least 6 feet distance from the parent/guardian and child.
• The parent/guardian will confirm that the child does not have a fever, shortness of breath, or cough.
• Make a visual inspection of the child for signs of illness, which could include flushed cheeks, rapid breathing, or difficulty breathing (without recent physical activity), fatigue, or extreme fussiness.
• Use non-contact (temporal) thermometers and do not have physical contact with the child and clean them with an alcohol wipe (or isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab) between each child. You can reuse the same wipe as long as it remains wet.
• The Center will walk all children to their classrooms. At the end of the day, we will walk all children back to their cars.
• Persons who have a fever of 100.40 (38.00C) or above or other signs of illness should not be admitted to the facility. Parents should be on the alert for signs of illness in their children and to keep them home when they are sick.
• To protect our employees while conducting temperature screenings, we incorporate social distancing (maintaining a distance of 6 feet from others).