Health officials are currently taking steps to prevent the introduction and spread of COVID-19 into US communities. Childcares play an important role in this effort. Through collaboration and coordination with local health departments, schools should take steps to disseminate information about the disease and its potential transmission within their community. Childcares should prepare to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among their students and staff should local health officials identify such a need.
Little School House Learning Center Plan
Purpose of Work Safe Plan
This guidance will help us as childcare program to understand how to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19. It also aims to help us react quickly should a case be identified. The guidance includes considerations to help administrators plan for the continuity of teaching and learning if there is community spread of COVID-19.
Our role in responding to COVID-19
Our childcare is working together with local health departments and have an important role in slowing the spread of diseases to help ensure students have safe and healthy learning environments. Childcares serve students, staff, and visitors from throughout the community. All of these people may have close contact in the school setting, often sharing spaces, equipment, and supplies.
Information about COVID-19 in children is somewhat limited, but the information that is available suggests that children with confirmed COVID-19 generally had mild symptoms. However, a small percentage of children have been reported to have more severe illness. People who have serious chronic medical conditions are believed to be at higher risk. Despite lower risk of serious illness among most children, children with COVID-19-like symptoms should avoid contact with others who might be at higher risk, such as older adults and adults with serious chronic medical conditions.
When there is moderate community transmission
If local health officials report that there are multiple cases of COVID-19 in the community, we may need to implement the following strategies:
Consider ways to accommodate the needs of children
· Coordinate with local health officials. This should be a first step in making decisions about responses to the presence of COVID-19 in the community. Health officials can help a school determine which set of strategies might be most appropriate for their specific community’s situation
· Implement multiple social distancing strategies. Select strategies based on feasibility given the unique space and needs of the center.
· Cancel field trips, assemblies, and other large gatherings. Cancel all parent meetings.
· Increase the space between desks. Rearrange student desks to maximize the space between students. Turn desks to face in the same direction (rather than facing each other) to reduce transmission caused from virus-containing droplets (e.g., from talking, coughing, sneezing).
· Avoid mixing students in common areas. For example, allow students to eat lunch and breakfast in their classrooms rather than mixing in the cafeteria.
· Do not allow more than 9 kids in a naptime area.
· Staggering playground use rather than allowing multiple classes to play together and limit other activities where multiple classes interact.
· Stagger arrival and/or dismissal times. These approaches can limit the amount of close contact between students in high-traffic situations and times.
· Prohibit nonessential visitors. Prohibit the presence of volunteers for classroom activities, mystery readers, cafeteria support, and other activities.
· Teach staff, students, and their families to maintain distance from each other in the school. Educate staff, students, and their families at the same time and explain why this is important.
· Consider ways to accommodate the needs of children to continue the curriculum according to their development.
· Make sure that children with special needs receive proper care, Curriculum activities must include these children. Adapting the equipment if necessary.
§ Licensing Department
We are in constant contact with Licensing Department who receives instructions from Texas Health and Human Services. They have sent us emails with the following restrictions that we have implemented already:
🚷 Prohibit any person except the following from accessing an operation: operation staff; persons with legal authority to enter, including law enforcement officers, HHSC Child Care Licensing staff, and Department of Family and Protective Services staff; professionals providing services to children; children enrolled at the operation; and parents who have children enrolled and present at the operation.
🤒 Before allowing entry into the operation, screen all of the individuals listed above, including taking the temperature of each person upon arrival at the operation each day, and deny entry to any person who meets any of the following criteria:
😰 A temperature of 100.4°F or above;
🤧 Signs or symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as a cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, and low-grade fever;
🦠 In the previous 14 days has had contact with someone with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19; is under investigation for COVID-19; or is ill with a respiratory illness; or
🌎 In the previous 14 days has travelled internationally to countries with widespread, sustained community transmission. For updated information on affected countries, visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/travelers/index.html.
🚸 Require pick up and drop off of children outside of the operation, unless you determine that there is a legitimate need for the parent to enter an operation.
🥪 Ensure that each child is provided individual meals and snacks. Do not serve family style meals.
§ Hidalgo County Emergency Order
Judge Richard F. Cortez issued an Emergency Shelter-At-Home Order due to a public health emergency. Judge Cortez issued an order valid until April 30, which adheres to the Center for Disease Control guidelines and issued a Shelter-At-Home order. Hidalgo County must also abide by all orders issued under Governor Greg Abbott who declared the state of Texas a disaster area because of a public health emergency. Only critical infrastructure and essential personnel should be working. And childcare is considered an essential business that may remain opened. However, we must abide to certain regulations:
😷 All children over the age of 3 are required to wear some form of covering over their mouth and nose, such as homemade masks.
👮🏻 Childcare services will only be provided to employees of Essential Businesses.
👭 Childcare must be carried out in stable groups of 10 or less. (Same 10 children are in the same group every day.
🏘 To the extent practicable, stable groups shall be in separate rooms.
❌ Stable groups shall not mix with each other
👩🏻🏫 Childcare providers shall remain solely with one stable group.
🚫 All activities shall be performed in compliance with Physical Distancing including maintaining 6 ft physical distance, washing hands for at least 20 seconds often; covering coughs or sneezes; cleaning high-touch surfaces; not shaking hands; covering mouth and nose.
§ Exceeding Expectations
🧼 Teachers wash their hands and our children’s hands multiple times an hour, including arriving at the center.
9️⃣ Classes are being managed with no more than 9 students, plus 1 teacher.
😷 Commonly touched areas like door handles, check in touchpad are being sanitized throughout the day!
🧹 Classrooms are sanitized daily.
✅ Our Director visits each class daily to assess the children, as well as classroom conditions and to ensure that our preventive infection control procedures are being properly implemented.
🔖 Please take this seriously, we do not receive any child if they show any signs of a cold. If any child develops a fever, they must have a doctor’s note to return to care. We emphasize with parents that children with these symptoms shows a weak immunologic system which makes them more prone to this disease.
§ 746.3407 Healthy Environment
1) Setting aside toys and equipment that are placed in children’s mouths, or are otherwise contaminated by body secretion or excrement, to be sanitized before handling by another child;
2) Machine washing cloth toys, if used, at least weekly and when contaminated;
3) Machine washing all linens at least weekly, and when soiled or before another child uses them;
4) Sanitizing sleeping equipment before a different child uses it and when soiled;
5) Sanitizing potty-chairs after each child’s use;
6) Emptying water play tables and toys used in water tables daily, sanitizing, and ensuring children and caregivers wash their hands before using the water table;
7) Maintaining sand boxes and sand tables in a sanitary manner;
8) Garbage inaccessible to children. keep the child-care center inside and outside, free of insects, rodents, and offensive odors, and disposing of it according to local and state requirements;
9) Keeping all floors, ceilings, and walls in good repair and clean. Paints used at the child- care center must be lead-free;
10) Keeping all parts of the child-care center used by children well heated, lighted, and ventilated;
11) Sanitizing tabletops, furniture used by children when soiled or contaminated with matter such as food, body secretions, or excrement;
12) Clearly marking cleaning supplies and other toxic materials and keeping them separate from food and inaccessible to children; and
13) Using, storing, and disposing of hazardous materials as recommended by the manufacturer.
Sanitizing
4 STEPS
· Water and soap;
· Clean water;
· Disinfecting solution (2 minutes). Rinse with water only the toys that are likely to be put in children’s mouth, and
· Allow air-dry
§ 746.3415 Employees Wash their Hands
1) Before eating or handling food or medication;
2) Before feeding a child;
3) After arriving at the child-care center;
4) After diapering a child;
5) After assisting a child with toileting;
6) After personal toileting;
7) After handling or cleaning bodily fluids;
8) After handling or feeding animals;
9) After outdoor activities;
10) After handling raw food products;
11) After eating, drinking, or smoking;
12) After using any cleaners or toxic chemicals; and
13) After removing gloves.
§ 746.3417 Children Wash their Hands
1) Before eating;
2) Before playing in a water play table;
3) After toileting or having a diaper changed;
4) After outdoor activities;
5) After playing in sand;
6) After feeding or touching animals; and
7) Any other time that the caregiver has reason to believe it is necessary.
§ 746.3419 How to Wash Hands
Children 18 months and older and employees must wash their hands with soap and running water.
§ 746.3420 Sanitizer
1) Only use hand sanitizers on children 24 months and older;
2) Do not use hand sanitizers to wash hands that are visibly dirty or greasy or have chemicals on them, unless you are away from the classroom and soap and water are not available for hand washing;
3) You follow the labeling instructions
4) Children have adult supervision when using hand sanitizers; and
5) You store hand sanitizers out of the reach of children when not in use.
§ 746.3421 Washing Infant’s Hands
1) Before the infant is old enough to be raised to the faucet and reach for water (-12 months)
1) Using an individual cloth or disposable towel with soap.
2) cloth or disposable towel used to rinse with clear water.
3) Dry
4) When the infant is old enough to be raised to the faucet and reach for water (+12 months)
1) Use soap and running water
§ 746.3425 Blood and Bodily Fluids
When handling blood, vomit, or other bodily fluids that may contain blood:
1) Using disposable, nonporous gloves;
2) Placing gloves contaminated with blood in a tied, sealed, or otherwise closed plastic bag and discarding them immediately;
3) Discarding all other gloves immediately after one use; and
4) Washing hands after using and disposing of the gloves.
§ 746.3501 Diaper Changing
1) Promptly change soiled or wet diapers or clothing;
2) Thoroughly cleanse a child with individual cloths or disposable towels. You must discard any disposable towels after use;
3) Ensure that a child is dry before placing a new diaper.
4) Not apply powders, creams, ointments, or lotions unless you obtain the parent’s written permission. If the parent supplies these items, permission is implicit and you do not need to obtain permission for each use;
5) Label powders, creams, ointments, or lotions with the individual child’s name; and
6) Keep all diaper-changing supplies out of the reach of children.
§ 746.3505 Spread of Germs
1) You must wash your hands.
2) You must wash the infant’s hands.
3) If you use disposable gloves, you must discard them after each diaper change and wash your hands with soap and running water.
4) Caregivers with open wounds and/or any injury that inhibits hand washing, must not change diapers.
5) Sanitize the diaper-changing surface after each use. If you are changing diapers on a number of children consecutively, you may cover the surface with a non-absorbent paper liner that is disposed of between each diaper change.
6) You must cover containers used for soiled diapers or keep them in a sanitary manner, such as placing soiled diapers in individual sealed bags.
7) You must place soiled clothing in a sealed plastic bag to be sent home with the child.
§ 746.3425 Blood and Bodily Fluids
When handling blood, vomit, or other bodily fluids that may contain blood:
1) Using disposable, nonporous gloves;
2) Placing gloves contaminated with blood in a tied, sealed, or otherwise closed plastic bag and discarding them immediately;
3) Discarding all other gloves immediately after one use; and
4) Washing hands after using and disposing of the gloves.
§746.3505. Diaper changing
(a) You must wash your hands as specified in §746.3419 of this title (relating to How must children and employees wash their hands?).
(b) You must wash the infant’s hands or see that the child’s hands are washed after each diaper change as specified in §746.3421 of this title (relating to How must I wash an infant’s hands?).
(c) If you use disposable gloves, you must discard them after each diaper change and wash your hands with soap and running water.
(d) Caregivers with open wounds and/or any injury that inhibits hand washing, such as casts, bandages, or braces, must not change diapers.
(e) You must sanitize the diaper-changing surface after each use. However, if you are changing diapers on a number of children consecutively, you may cover the surface with a non-absorbent paper liner that is disposed of between each diaper change.
(f) You must cover containers used for soiled diapers or keep them in a sanitary manner, such as placing soiled diapers in individual sealed bags.
(g) You must place soiled clothing in a sealed plastic bag to be sent home with the child.
§746.4503. Mat for each child
· Disinfect them after each use.
(a) You must provide or have the parent provide an individual cot, bed, or mat that is waterproof or washable for each walking child through four years to sleep or rest on.
(b) Cots, beds, or mats must be labeled with the child's name. As an alternative, you may label cots, beds, or mats with a number and have a number/child assignment map available.
(c) Floor mats used for napping must be marked or colored so that the sleeping side can be distinguished from the floor side.
Substantial Community Transmission
Additional strategies should be considered when there is substantial transmission in the local community in addition to those implemented when there is no, minimal, or moderate transmission. These strategies include:
· Continue to coordinate with local health officials. If local health officials have determined there is substantial transmission of COVID-19 within the community, they will provide guidance to administrators on the best course of action for childcare programs.
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