Keeping Children, Families, and Staff Safe During Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Nature’s Gift Preschools is committed to providing high quality care and a safe environment for our children, staff, and families during the (COVID-19) pandemic. We are following guidelines from the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Community Care Licensing Department (CCLD). We will adapt, implement, and update our policies to align with safety measures, protocols, and policies as advised by these agencies.

Taking Temperature and Wellness Check Upon Arrival

  •  Staff is required to take each child’s temperature with a no touch thermometer to ensure that the child is fever free. The child’s forehead temperatures must be less than 100 degrees to admit the child to school.

  • Staff will do a visual health inspection of the child, looking for signs of illness. The symptoms may include cough, sore throat, continuous crying/extreme fussiness/fatigue, and difficulty breathing (without recent physical activity).

  • Staff will ask questions regarding family wellness, travel, etc.

  • Parents must notify the school if a child has taken any fever reducing medications in the last 72 hours and must not bring the child to school.

  • Please send your child to school only if he or she is well and there are no family members sick with fever, cough, or cold.    

Drop Off Time Procedures

  • Each class (a group of 12 children or fewer) will be assigned a staggered drop off time.

  • To facilitate drop off, it is imperative that students arrive on time.

  • It is recommended that the children are taken to the restroom immediately prior to arrival at school.

  • If a child arrives late, the child will have to wait with the parent until staff is available to help the child with hand washing.

  • Parents/adults are required to wear a mask and line up 6 feet apart from other adults at drop off/pickup.

  • Parents/adults may not enter the school during drop off/pickup.

  • The teachers/staff will accept children at the gate and complete the usual check-in process.

  • Procare Connect is required for download for a touch less sign in and daily communication.

  • CDC recommends having the same parent (designated adult) drop off and pick up the child daily. It further warns that older adults (those over 65) and those with serious underlying medical conditions NOT pick up children because of the increased risk for severe illness from a COVID-19 infection.

During the School Day

  • The ACPHD and CDC recommend physical distancing and wearing mask for children 2 years old and above.

  • The Community Care Licensing Department of California requires keeping all groups of children aged 3-5 years old at numbers of 12 children or less and making every effort to maintain six feet of distance between individuals during the school day.

  • Children from the same family are to stay in the same group/unit.

  • One teacher is assigned to a group of 10 -12 children and will remain with her group/unit for the entire class time except for personal lunch breaks. There will be staggered times for outside play, restroom breaks, snack times, and lunch times to keep groups separate throughout the day.

  • Children may play together. Teachers will implement strategies to model social and physical distancing as best as possible.

Daily Group Activities and Circle time

Within the classroom, children will be spaced apart as much as possible. Children can stay spread out in an assigned space for proper distancing in the classroom. Circle time and art activities can be outdoors. We will do our best to do any activity outside the classroom as weather permits.

Hygiene and Daily Routines during the School Day

  • During the school day children will be focused on projects and lessons that encourage independent completion while physically distancing as much as possible.

  • Plastic separators/sneeze guards will be placed around each child’s work areas to increase physical distance. These barriers will be sanitized at the end of each class.

  • Windows will be left open prior to/during/after class to ensure maximum outside air circulation.

  • When weather permits, lessons will incorporate outdoor activity to increase distance.

  • The playground will be divided into two sections and classes will stay separate with another class. Children will be allowed to partake in playground activities within his or her group.

  • Each class may use the playground in 25-minute rotating intervals.

  • A staff member/teacher will wipe down high-touch areas of the playground after each class leaves the playground.

  • Following outdoor playtime, all students will wash their hands in the restrooms prior to the next activity.

  • Only one class with its teacher can use the restroom at a time.

  • Staff will carefully supervise children when they are using toilets and washing hands.

  • Staff will engage students at each phase by using this time as a teachable moment, dispensing the hand soap, singing the hand washing song, demonstrating the scrubbing process, etc.

  • Staff will turn off faucets and hand children paper towels to decrease contamination.

Safety and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

  • Safety of the children, teachers, and families is Nature’s Gift’s priority.

  • We require all adults visiting our preschool to wear masks.

  • Children above 2 year’s old are highly encouraged to wear a face mask unless the child cannot tolerate them. If your child is currently wearing a mask outside the home, please continue to provide a clean mask for your child daily at school.

  • Children may also wear a face shield in addition to a face mask.

  • Nature’s Gift staff will have access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including masks, gloves, and face shields to prevent the spread of germs.

  • Masks are always mandatory PPE for all staff during the workday.

  • Staff may additionally wear gloves or face shields, which will be provided.

Personal Supplies & Toys

Children should not bring anything to school except for an extra set of clothing to leave at school in case of emergency. If a “nap friend” or blanket is needed, the object must be left at school for the entire week.  It will be sent home to be laundered with the bedding.

Napping

Rest cots are to be placed 6 feet apart while in use. If this is not feasible, rest cots may be placed 3 feet apart (head to toe position). Shields may also be used to add an additional barrier. Bedding will be sent home once a week for laundering.  

Disinfection of surfaces during the day

  • Staff will wipe down tables, chairs, and high touch areas before the class and at the end of each class with a disinfectant bleach solution.

  • High-touch areas of the playground equipment will be wiped down with disinfectant bleach solution between classes.

  • Restrooms will be wiped down with disinfectant between classes.

  • Snack areas will be swept and wiped down with disinfectant between classes.

  • High-touch classroom supplies will be disinfected at the end of the day.

  • At the end of the day, a cleaning crew will maintain the property to ensure our customary level of cleanliness.

A Child Needs to Stay at Home WHEN...

The ability for Nature’s Gift to stay open and for your children to attend depends on the health of our students and staff. To ensure the highest possible chance of sustaining our operations, please KEEP YOUR CHILD AT HOME if they:

  • Experienced a fever in the prior evening--even if his/her temperature is normal in the morning. Fever is defined as 99.5° F or higher.

  •   A child’s temperature must be normal without medication to lower a fever, like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) for 73 hours/3 consecutive day before he/she is brought into proximity with any others, especially to school.

  • Experienced cough or flu like symptoms

  • Have been near someone who had flu-like symptoms in the last 14 days

  • Experienced vomiting during the night--unless it is certain that the vomiting was not due to an infectious condition.

  • Experience diarrhea--as defined by the CDC (consists of more than one abnormally loose stool). A child should not return to school until his/her bowel movements have returned to a normal consistency.

  • Experience conjunctivitis (pinkeye): a child with pinkeye must be on a regimen of medication and showing signs of improvement before returning.

  • Experience any unusual rash (not associated with diapering, heat, or allergic reactions) especially with fever or itching.

  • Have a sore throat and/or runny nose

  • Cough: cough is persistent

  • Lice, Scabies: Children must not return until they are free of lice and nits (eggs). Children with scabies can be admitted after proof of treatment and doctor’s note.

  • If a child is unusually tired, pale, shows a lack of appetite, is difficult to wake, confused, or irritable, it is sufficient reason to keep her/him home.

  • Family Travel Overseas-- A child should remain at home if they or a family member has traveled overseas within the past two (2) weeks.

  • If a child experiences flu like symptoms, the child may return 10 days after symptoms disappear

  • For the safety and well being of all the children at school, a doctor’s clearance letter is required to return to preschool if the child has any of the above symptoms.

  • For more information, please read: http://acphd.org/media/576680/acphd-covid-19-childcare-faq-english.pdf