Child care is a critical part of the public health emergency response team

The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.

Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks.
These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
Some recent studies have suggested that COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms.

Knowing these facts, ALL GOD’S CHILDREN CEC has implemented many new safety measures for families, children and teachers to follow so that we are an important part of reducing the spread and keeping everyone as healthy as possible.

Social Distancing Strategies

ALL GOD’S CHILDREN CEC staff and families will work with the local health officials to determine a set of strategies appropriate for ALL GOD’S CHILDREN CEC. We will use preparedness strategies and consider the following social distancing strategies that may/may not be implemented at some point of time during Covid-19

If possible, child care classes should include the same group each day, and the same child care providers should remain with the same group each day. If your child care program remains open, consider creating a separate classroom or group for the children of healthcare workers and other first responders. If your program is unable to create a separate classroom, consider serving only the children of healthcare workers and first responders.
Cancel or postpone special events such as festivals, holiday events, and special performances.
Consider All God’s Children CEC either to alter or halt daily group activities that may promote transmission.
- Keep each group of children in a separate room.
- Limit the mixing of children, such as staggering playground times and keeping groups separate for special activities such as art, music, and exercising.
Consider staggering arrival and drop off times and/or have child care providers come outside the facility to pick up the children as they arrive. Your plan for curb side drop off and pick up should limit direct contact between parents and staff members and adhere to social distancing recommendations.
If possible, arrange for administrative staff to telework from their homes.

Guideline for onset of illness at All God’s Children CEC

Child

If a child becomes sick during the day. The director will remove child to the office and keep child comfortable until the family can arrive.
The lead teacher will immediately call the child’s family and request an immediate pick up.

Employee

Employees Who appear to have symptoms (i.e., fever, cough, or shortness of breath) upon arrival at work or who become sick during the day should immediately be separated from other employees, customers, and visitors and sent home.
If an employee is confirmed to have COVID-19 infection, employers should inform fellow employees of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace but maintain confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The fellow employees should then self-monitor for symptoms (i.e., fever, cough, or shortness of breath).

Guidelines for onset of illness while at home

Child

If a child becomes sick at home with any symptoms, cough, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches, generally not feeling well, we ask that you notify us and keep your child at home. Follow our current Illness Policy to understand the return to school policy. If symptoms are consistent with Covid-19, please phone your child’s pediatrician and ask for guidance. Please phone us and share that guidance so that ALL GOD’S CHILDREN CEC will know how to proceed with our next steps of notifying the proper and required people, and/or authorities.

Employee

Stay home: Most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and are able to recover at home without medical care. Do not leave your home, except to get medical care. Do not visit public areas.

Stay in touch with your doctor
Stay away from others: As much as possible, you stay away from others. You should stay in a specific “sick room” if possible, and away from other people and pets in your home. Use a separate bathroom, if available.
If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately. Emergency warning signs include*:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion or inability to arouse
- Bluish lips or face

Family member

If caring for a sick household member, follow recommended precautions and monitor your own health
Have the person stay in one room, away from other people, including yourself, as much as possible.
- If possible, have them use a separate bathroom.
- Avoid sharing personal household items, like dishes, towels, and bedding
- Have them wear a cloth face covering (that covers their nose and mouth) when they are around people, including you.
- It the sick person can’t wear a cloth face covering, you should wear one while in the same room with them.
- If the sick person needs to be around others (within the home, in a vehicle, or doctor’s office), they should wear a cloth face covering that covers their mouth and nose.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after interacting with the sick person. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Every day, clean all surfaces that are touched often, like counters, tabletops, and doorknobs
- Use household cleaning sprays or wipes according to the label instructions.
Wash laundry thoroughly.
- If laundry is soiled, wear disposable gloves and keep the soiled items away from your body while laundering. Wash your hands immediately after removing gloves.
Avoid having any unnecessary visitors.
For any additional questions about their care, contact their healthcare provider or state or local health department.

Keep surfaces disinfected

Avoid sharing personal items
Monitor for emergency signs, prevent the spread of germs, treat symptoms, and carefully consider when to end home isolation.

Children/Staff who have had close contact with a person with symptoms or diagnosed with COVID-19

Children who have symptoms should stay home
Employees who have symptoms (i.e., fever, cough, or shortness of breath) should notify their supervisor and stay home.
Sick employees should follow CDC-recommended steps. Employees should not return to work until the criteria to discontinue home isolation are met, in consultation with healthcare providers and state and local health departments.
Employees who are well but who have a sick family member at home with COVID-19 should notify the director and follow CDC recommended precautions.
If an employee is confirmed to have COVID-19 infection, director should inform all staff of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace but maintain confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. All staff should then self-monitor for symptoms (i.e., fever, cough, or shortness of breath).
All Staff should not return to work until the criteria to end home isolation is met as instructed in consultation with healthcare providers and state and local health departments.

Children/Staff with COVID-19 who have home isolated can stop isolation with these conditions

If a test will not be administered to determine if you are still contagious, children and staff can return to ALL GOD’S CHILDREN CEC after these three things have happened:
- No fever for at least 72 hours (that is three full days of no fever without the use medicine that reduces fevers)
  AND
- other symptoms have improved (for example, when cough or shortness of breath have improved)
  AND
- at least 7 days have passed since symptoms first appeared
If a test is required to determine if person is still contagious, children or staff can return to ALL GOD’S CHILDREN CEC after these three things have happened:
- No fever (without the use medicine that reduces fevers)
  AND
- other symptoms have improved (for example, when cough or shortness of breath have improved)
  AND
- Received two negative tests in a row, 24 hours apart. Your doctor will follow CDC guidelines
Time-since-illness-onset and time-since-recovery strategy (non-test-based strategy)
Persons with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who have not had any symptoms may discontinue isolation when at least 7 days have passed since the date of their first positive COVID-19 diagnostic test and have had no subsequent illness provided they remain asymptomatic. For 3 days following discontinuation of isolation, these persons should continue to limit contact (stay 6 feet away from others) and limit potential of dispersal of respiratory secretions by wearing a covering for their nose and mouth whenever they are in settings where other people are present. In community settings, this covering may be a barrier mask, such as a bandana, scarf, or cloth mask. The covering does not refer to a medical mask or respirator.

Staff paid sick time and mental health

Employers that do not currently offer sick leave to some or all of their employees may want to draft non-punitive “emergency sick leave” policies.
Connect employees to employee assistance program (EAP) resources (if available) and community resources as needed. Employees may need additional social, behavioral, and other services, for example, to cope with the death of a loved one

If ALL GOD’S CHILDREN CEC has a case of Covid-19

ALL GOD’S CHILDREN CEC will notify families and staff of the exposure
ALL GOD’S CHILDREN CEC will report the confirmed case to the local health department and follow their specific guidelines
ALL GOD’S CHILDREN CEC will notify Denise Worley, licensing consultant and Chrissy Wolfe, health consultant.
ALL GOD’S CHILDREN CEC will report the confirmed case to the state Department of Public Health
Determine the date of symptom onset for the child/staff member
Determine if the child/staff member attended/worked at the program while symptomatic or during the 2 days before symptoms began
Identify what days the child/staff member attended/worked during that time
Determine who had close contact with the child/staff member at the program during those days.
Close off areas used by the individuals with COVID-19
Exclude the children and staff members who are determined to have had close contact with the affected/child/staff member for 14 days after the last day they had contact with the affected/child/staff member
Wait as long as practical before beginning cleaning and disinfection to minimize potential for exposure to respiratory droplets.
- Open outside doors and windows to increase air circulation in the area.
- If possible, wait up to 24 hours before beginning cleaning and disinfection. If 24 hours is not feasible, wait as long as possible
- Clean and disinfect all areas used by the sick person, such as offices, bathrooms, common areas, shared electronic equipment like tablets, touch screens, keyboards, and remote controls.
- If more than 7 days since the sick person visited or used the facility, additional cleaning and disinfection is not necessary. –
- Continue routine cleaning and disinfection
  - When cleaning•
    - Wear disposable gloves and gowns for all tasks in the cleaning process, including handling trash.
    - Additional personal protective equipment (PPE) might be required based on the cleaning/disinfectant products being used and whether there is a risk of splash.
    - Gloves and gowns should be removed carefully to avoid contamination of the wearer and the surrounding area.
    - Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds.-Always wash immediately after removing gloves and after contact with a sick person.

Dismiss students and most staff for 2-5 days

This initial short-term dismissal allows time for the local health officials to gain a better understanding of the COVID-19 situation impacting the school. This allows the local health officials to help the school determine appropriate next steps, including whether an extended dismissal duration is needed to stop or slow further spread of COVID-19.

Local health officials’ recommendations for the scope (e.g., a single school, multiple schools, the full district) and duration of school dismissals will be made on a case-by-case basis using the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 and the specific cases in the community.
During school dismissals, also cancel extracurricular group activities, school-based afterschool programs, and large events (e.g., assemblies, spirit nights, field trips, and sporting events).
Discourage staff, students, and their families from gathering or socializing anywhere. This includes group child care arrangements, as well as gathering at places like a friend’s house, a favorite restaurant, or the local shopping mall.

Health Screening Of Children/Staff

All children and staff are required to be screened for any observable illness, including cough or respiratory distress, and to confirm temperature below 100 degrees

Child

Perform hand hygiene
Check each child’s temperature upon arrival. A fever is considered 100 degrees
Thermometer must be disinfected before and after use of checking child’s temperature
If performing a temperature check on multiple individuals, ensure that the thermometer has been thoroughly cleaned in between each check.
Staff can protect themselves by wearing an over-large button-down, long sleeved shirt and by wearing long hair up off the collar in a ponytail or other updo.

Staff should wash their hands, neck, and anywhere touched by a child’s secretions.
Staff should change the child’s clothes if secretions are on the child’s clothes. They should change the button-down shirt, if there are secretions on it, and wash their hands again.
Contaminated clothes should be placed in a plastic bag or washed in a washing machine. Infants, toddlers, and their providers should have multiple changes of clothes on hand in the child care center or home-based child care.
Show the temperature to the parent, and have the parent write in the correct column the child’s temperature.
Staff should sign off on Student/Staff Arrival Questionnaire

Staff member

Staff should expect to arrive at least 5-10 minutes early than their scheduled shift
Staff will have temperature taken by another staff member and will answer all health questions.

During the day- prevention of Covid-19

Arrival of children

Stagger arrival and drop off times and/or have child care providers come outside the facility to pick up the children as they arrive.
Plan for curb side drop off and pick up should limit direct contact between parents and staff members and adhere to social distancing recommendation.
The same parent or designated person should drop off and pick up the child every day
If possible, older people such as grandparents or those with serious underlying medical conditions should not pick up children, because they are more at risk for severe illness from COVID-19
Parents will verbal give their codes and staff will input on the iPads for check in and check out
Check each child’s temperature upon arrival. A fever is considered 100 degrees. Families also need to complete a daily summary of child’s exposure to Ciovid-19, and if child has any of the identified symptoms set by the CDC guidance, the child should not be permitted to attend.
- There are several methods that staff can use to protect themselves while conducting temperature screenings. The most protective methods incorporate social distancing (maintaining a distance of 6 feet from others) or physical barriers to eliminate or minimize exposures due to close contact to who has symptoms during screening.
Staff will help child remove coat and get hands washed

Arrival of Staff

Have temperature taken and answer health questions
Bring in to the center as little as you possibly will need for the day.
Place your items down and wash hands

Departure of children

Currently there is staggered pick up, if enrollment increases and staggered pick up cannot be practiced, ALL GOD’S CHILDREN CEC will practice the Call practice
- Upon arrival into the driveway and parking area, the family will phone the center of their arrival
- The staff member will gather the child’s things
- The staff member will have child wash his/her hands
- Staff member will take child, belongings to the who will complete the pickup time in the parking lot

Departure of Staff

Once all children have departed and center is cleaned

Use a glove to remove any more garbage to the dumpster
Wash hands
Take all belongings home

Various times of the day

All children’s blankets and extra clothes are to stay at the center to reduce the transmission of Covid-19 from home to school
Keep classroom size as small as possible.
At nap time, ensure that children’s cots are spaced out as much as possible. Continue to practice head to toe in order to further reduce the potential for viral spread.
Children’s books, like other paper-based materials such as mail or envelopes, are not considered as a high risk for transmission and do not need additional cleaning or disinfection procedures. We do encourage a light spray down of bleach throughout the day

Midday cleaning

Clean the area or item with soap and water or another detergent if it is dirty. Then, use disinfectant.
Recommend use of 1000PPm bleach solution.
Follow the instructions on the label to ensure safe and effective use of the product.
Keeping surface wet for a period of time two minutes
Precautions such as wearing gloves and making sure you have good ventilation during use of the product.

Soft surface Cleaning

For soft surfaces such as carpeted floor, rugs, and drapes

Clean the surface using soap and water or with cleaners appropriate for use on these surfaces.
Launder items (if possible) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Use the warmest appropriate water setting and dry items completely or
Disinfect with an EPA-registered household disinfectant. These disinfectants meet EPA’s criteria for use against COVID-19.

Electronics

For electronics, such as tablets, touch screens, keyboards, and remote controls

Consider putting a wipeable cover on electronics.
Follow manufacturer’s instruction for cleaning and disinfecting.
If no guidance, use alcohol-based wipes or sprays containing at least 70% alcohol. Dry surface thoroughly.

Laundry

For clothing, towels, linens and other items

Launder items according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Use the warmest appropriate water setting and dry items completely.
Wear disposable gloves when handling dirty laundry from a person who is sick.
Dirty laundry from a person who is sick can be washed with other people’s items.
Do not shake dirty laundry.
Clean and disinfect clothes hampers according to guidance above for surfaces.
Remove gloves, and wash hands right away.

Clean and Sanitize Toys

Toys that cannot be cleaned and sanitized should not be used.
Toys that children have placed in their mouths or that are otherwise contaminated by body secretions or excretions should 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.
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 to be used during Covid-19 or must be laundered as soon as a child finishes playing with it
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.” Keep dish pan and water out of reach from children to prevent risk of drowning. Washing with soapy water is the ideal method for cleaning. Try to have enough toys so that the toys can be rotated through cleanings.
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.

Hand washing

All children, staff, and volunteers should engage in hand hygiene at the following times

Arrival to the facility and after breaks
Before and after preparing food or drinks

Before and after eating or handling food, or feeding children
Before and after administering medication or medical ointment
After diapering
After using the toilet or helping a child use the bathroom
After coming in contact with bodily fluid
After handling animals or cleaning up animal waste
After playing outdoors or in sand
After handling garbage
After blowing one’s nose, coughing, or sneezing
After using the restroom
Before coming in contact with any child
After touching or cleaning surfaces that may be contaminated
After using shared equipment like toys, computer keyboards, mouse, scissors, pens. etc
All staff and children must adhere to regular hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Turn water on and wet hands, remove from water
- Add soap to hands and create friction to make bubbles
- Scrub for 20 seconds, sing Happy Birthday or ABC’s
- Staff member should use a scrub brush under nails
- Rinse hands under running water
- Dry hands with single use paper towels
- Turn off faucet with paper towels

Alcohol based sanitizers

Use of an alcohol based hand sanitizer should only be practiced when soap and water method is not available. If a child needs to use alcohol based sanitizer, an adult/staff member must be physically present to observe and guide child in proper use.

Respiratory Hygiene

All staff should coughs and sneezes with tissues or the corner of the elbow
Encourage children when appropriate to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues or the corner of the elbow
Dispose of soiled tissues immediately after use

Eliminating transmission points

Reduce common touch points by opening internal doors where possible.
Frequent cleaning of all touch points.
Recommended to provide disposable wipes so that commonly used surfaces (for example, doorknobs, keyboards, remote controls, desks, other work tools and equipment) can be wiped down.
Staff should not share phones, desks, or other work tools and equipment, when possible. If shared, clean and disinfect equipment before and after use.
Employees should clean their personal workspace at the beginning and the end of every shift.
If a sick employee is suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19, follow the CDC cleaning and disinfection recommendations.

Essential functions and reliance that the community may need us for our services

ALL GOD’S CHILDREN CEC is prepared to change our business practice to maintain critical operations this may include enrolling on a temporary basis children of various ages of essential personnel.
ALL GOD’S CHILDREN CEC will identify alternate supply chains for critical goods and services. Some good and services may be in higher demand or unavailable. If for some reason there is not adequate PPE for a child care center, cleaning supplies, paper supplies, the director or her designee will close the center until proper materials have arrived
- Currently, the best defense to Covid-19 is hand washing therefore, using gloves all day everyday could become the false security therefore gloved hands will be reserve for the following times
  - Universal Precautions
  - Diaper changing
  - Nose blowing
  - Garbage removal
The Director or her designee will communicate with necessary outside visitors such as DSS or well testing personnel.
- ALL GOD’S CHILDREN CEC procedure for these persons to enter the building
  - Director or her designee will take visitors temperature
  - The visitor will answer health questions
  - Visitor will wear a mask

Center Family/Staff Communication Plan

Communication is important for all center staff and families. Regular communication will continue through Tadpoles by the director as well as face to face from teachers.

Determine how ALL GOD’S CHILDREN CEC will operate if absenteeism spikes amongst staff

While assuring that same staff person is to remain with the same children over the course of the day it is understandable that absenteeism may increase in employees, those who stay home to care for sick family members, and those who must stay home to watch their children if dismissed from childcare programs and K-12 schools.

ALL GOD’S CHILDREN CEC will plan to monitor and respond to absenteeism at the workplace to provide consistency for families and children
Implement plans to continue your essential business functions in case you experience higher than usual absenteeism.
Prepare to institute flexible workplace and leave policies.
Cross-train staff to perform essential functions so the workplace can operate even if key employees are absent.

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