• What are the arrival and dismissal procedures for the program? The parents will line up outside of the school 6 feet apart and will be addressed one family at a time accordingly. One person will ask the COVID 19 questions and do the health screening. There will be two adults- one to ask the questions and the other to perform the temperature check. The person responsible for temperature check will also control the flow and distance in the line. The support staff paraprofessionals (Teacher’s Assistant, Aides  and Family Workers) will help escort the children to their classrooms on rotation. They will be required to wear gloves and a mask. The gloves can be changed out with every hand they touch. Hand sanitizer they will use before putting on new gloves. The incoming teacher will track the child in the classroom and will ask the staff member who brought the child to school, time and any health concerns. Parents will sign their child into ClassDojo.

 

• What if a family skips the line?   We will orient families on expected behavior for drop off and arrivals and will discourage the behavior. 

 

• What if a family said that their child has only one sign of illness, what does our health and safety/sickness policy stipulate?  We will thank you family for bringing their concern to our attention and will make a note of it in the screening log. We will also reiterate our sickness policy if a child becomes sick in our care and exhibit the signs of illness we will call and ask the family to pick up. In the event the parent can not pick up their child we will ask for someone from the emergency list/authorized pick up to pick up the child. We will expect that families share the procedure for pick up with their respective parties. Authorized/Emergency people must be of legal age 18 or older and can act on behalf of the parent and or guardian.

 

• If a child is sick in our care where is the isolation room and who will escort and supervise?  The teachers will notify the leaders and the social service staff of symptoms of illness. The family and Social Service staff will contact the parents and will share the symptoms. They will escort the child to the isolation room and supervise them accordingly. All toys in the isolation room will be cleaned and sanitized accordingly- washed with soap and water and sanitized with a bleach and water solution. The room (commonly touched surface) will be immediately cleaned and sanitized. 

 

• What if a family member during arrival insists on a particular staff member to escort that child to the classroom?  We will assure the family that all staff have been trained on arrival procedures and will greet the child warmly in preparation of meeting their teacher. We will also reiterate to families that staff members escort on rotation. We understand sometimes a preference may develop but the procedure is to move the children along quickly while practicing social distancing. 

 

• What if a child exhibits health concerns- red and watery eyes- parent says it’s allergies but we are unaware of this in the health records?   We are not in the place to diagnose the child. If allergy related we will share it with the nurse and may ask the parent to see an allergist so we can create a plan with the family for the child. 

 

• What if a family complains that they can no longer bring their child to school by stroller and asks if accommodations can be made?  We will make accommodations based on medical needs (child has difficulty with physical development). This is a conversation with families, leadership and the child’s physician.

 

• What if a family member wants to share something personal at arrival and drop off time?  This conversation is to be discussed discreetly either to the side or on another platform (telephone or Zoom/Google Meets). Families will also have the contact information of the leaders and can arrange a discussion accordingly. 

 

• What if a family member hears of another person (child or adult getting sick) and is afraid that if their child is sick the child will be blamed as a carrier or may fear if it is addressed that their child may be a victim of retaliation?   We, the staff at Escuela will adhere to our privacy and confidentiality policy and will not discuss information regarding someone else to another. If a parent shares information they have learned from another staff member we will immediately investigate this. The action can and will lead up to discipline actions. 

 

• What if the child does not have any COVID-19 symptoms but has a fever of 100.4 or higher is the child permitted to enter the school? Unfortunately if the child has a fever of 100.4 or higher they did not pass the temperature reading and furthermore it is a violation of our sick policy. Children with a temperature of 100.4 of higher were not permitted to join our program prior to Covid-19 safety protocols & procedures. At this time any child with a temperature of 100.4 or may not join our program.

 

• What happens if a person is found with COVID 19 what are your procedures for alerting the community and cleaning the environment? How long will the school be closed?  We will share with our governing and fiduciary agencies alerting the agencies that we have a confirmed case. We will also notify the families and community at Escuela. For those who may have been in contact with the person we will address and recommend further testing if exhibiting symptoms. We will clean and sanitize the school accordingly- all touched surfaces soap and water, bleach and water solution. We will also launder bedding of exposed classrooms and PPE gear (washable masks for staff). We will follow the CDC and DoH guidelines for exposure- closing the program for 24 hours unless noted otherwise. We will share with our governing and fiduciary agencies alerting the agencies that we have a confirmed case. We will also notify the families and community at Escuela. For those who may have been in contact with the person we will address and recommend further testing if exhibiting symptoms. 

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Notify Health Officials and Close Contacts 

In accordance with state and local laws and regulations, school administrators should notify local health officials, staff, and families immediately of any case of COVID-19 while maintaining confidentiality in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)external icon.

Inform those who have had close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 to stay home and self-monitor for symptoms, and follow CDC guidance if symptoms develop.

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Clean and Disinfect 

Close off areas used by a sick person and do not use these areas until after cleaning and disinfecting

Wait at least 24 hours before cleaning and disinfecting. If 24 hours is not feasible, wait as long as possible. Ensure safe and correct use and storage of cleaning and disinfection products external icon, including storing products securely away from children.

 

• What if a person, child or staff was exposed to COVID 19 are they able to return to work?  In which case the child or staff will have to produce a clearance note from their attending doctor to welcome back to the program. Depends on the level of exposure but generally they should immediately quarantine, get tested for COVID-19 and follow up with their primary care provider.  Employees and children who are ill are not encouraged to come to work/school https://www.zenefits.com/workest/covid-19-return-to-work-guidelines-for-employers-to-follow/

 

• Do they carry the antibodies or are they at risk for spreading the illness to others?  Researchers have found that those exposed with the COVID virus may still test positive after recovering, they aren’t able to spread the disease to others. They could also have the antibodies that prevent them from contracting the virus a second time. There is no data supporting that they are at risk for spreading the illness to others https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/can-covid-19-spread-after-recovery-and-testing-positive/ar-BB14mn0W

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Isolate and Transport Those Who are Sick 

Make sure that staff and families know that they (staff) or their children (families) should not come to school, and that they should notify school officials (e.g., the designated COVID-19 point of contact) if they (staff) or their child (families) become sick with COVID-19 symptoms, test positive for COVID-19, or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 symptoms or a confirmed or suspected case.

 

Immediately separate staff and children with COVID-19 symptoms (such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath) at school. Individuals who are sick should go home or to a healthcare facility depending on how severe their symptoms are, and follow CDC guidance for caring for oneself and others who are sick.

 

Work with school administrators, nurses, and other healthcare providers to identify an isolation room or area to separate anyone who has COVID-19 symptoms or tests positive but does not have symptoms. School nurses and other healthcare providers should use Standard and Transmission-Based Precautions when caring for sick people. See: What Healthcare Personnel Should Know About Caring for Patients with Confirmed or Possible COVID-19 Infection.

 

Establish procedures for safely transporting anyone who is sick to their home or to a healthcare facility. If you are calling an ambulance or bringing someone to the hospital, try to call first to alert them that the person may have COVID-19.

 

• What are the Dismissal Procedures?  Families will be given a contractual or agreed time to pick up. The children will be prepared to get ready at 3:30-4 (for those who will be dismissed before 4pm). They will meet at the first floor playground. Families will check out the same procedure as check in- family workers and support staff will help admin to check the child out. The Teacher will be informed of child leaving- complete the daily health check and track the child out. If the guardian is running late for the scheduled pick up they are to call the school ahead of time (30 min) with an estimated arrival time. For families with a late pick up schedule (aftercare-4-6pm) they will call the school 5 min before entering the school to announce pick up. The teacher will follow the same procedure- a support teacher (paraprofessional) or family worker will aid in escorting the child to their family member. 

 

• Will children be required to brush their teeth? According to the COVID-19 guidelines in California suggests that we discontinue brushing teeth in the classroom. https://files.covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-childcare.pdf

 

• If someone is tested positive with a communicable disease what are your procedures? We will alert the families of the classroom with the confirmed case or the community with the staff with the confirmed case. We will never divulge names of who has the communicable disease (as it is a violation of HIPPA and our confidentiality policy) but we will say that we have a confirmed case of the communicable disease and you or your child may have been exposed. We will describe the symptoms and if you or your child are experiencing these symptoms we recommend that you see your physician to test for the illness. If you are positive for the illness please share with us so that we may alert the proper agencies of a possible outbreak. We will clean and sanitize the school accordingly and will continue to follow our sick policy. 

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