As we prepare our 2021-2022 school year at St. Jude Early Learning Ministry, we want families to be aware of the additional precautions and procedures we have implemented to minimize any risk in the facility. We are closely monitoring all requirements from the Center of Disease Control (CDC) and local health authorities. Should any situation occur at St. Jude Early Learning Ministry we will act in accordance with our COVID-19 plan. St. Jude Early Learning Ministry staff will be prepared and well educated of our COVID-19 plan if any actions are needed to take place.

St. Jude Early Learning Ministry staff has been advised of the COVID-19 plan and procedures which will be implemented to reduce and eliminate possible spread of infection. The plan is taken from the CDC requirements and recommendations. The plan includes measures from staff and children wellness, hand washing, sanitizing/disinfecting the classrooms, and reporting illness. All plans will be altered depending on Marion County advisory level. The guidelines will be more stringent if our county moves to yellow, orange, or red. We will keep everyone updated. 

Preventive Actions

• Wash hands often with soap and water.
• Use hand sanitizer when soap and water is not available
• Cover cough and sneezes that are not related to COVID-19 symptoms
• Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face covering when you must enter the hallway and when during pick up and drop off
• Bleach solution (in accordance with the CDC and state regulations) will be used to clean and disinfect classrooms, restrooms, and hallways frequently.
• Disinfecting Solution will be sprayed every night to eliminate germs
• Frequently used surfaces will be cleaned after each use
• Children will remain in the same classroom, with the same staff as much as possible. Limit the mix of children
• Children’s nap time cots are spaced out as much as possible, ideally 6 feet apart. Place children head to toe too order to further reduce the potential for viral spread.
• Each child is required to have 2 sets of extra clothes at school. Clothes will be changed in the event bodily fluids contaminate their clothing.
• Consider a backup childcare plan in the vent daycare is required to close.
• Talk to your child to prepare them for the changes they will see when they return. Discuss the health screening and drop off procedures.
• Any visitors will be put on hold if our county moves to yellow
• All children must have a must in their book bag if we enter an unfortunate circumstance 

Employee Screening Procedures

Daily health assessments will be implemented towards staff that will be reporting to work. Staff will be required to do a self-assessment of symptoms before arrival in the workplace. Daily temperature checks of staff will be required to prevent any infections. If an employee shows signs of symptoms the employee will be asked to go home immediately.

Children Screening Procedures

A staff member is required to take the child’s temperature upon arrival at the facility if our county moves the advisory level yellow. Persons who have a fever of 100.4 or above or other signs of illness should be admitted to the facility. Parent/ guardian will confirm with teacher that the child does not have fever, shortness of breath, or cough. Staff will make a visual inspection of the child for signs of illness which include flushed cheeks, rapid breathing or difficulty breathing (without physical activity), fatigue, or extreme irritability.

Children who have had COVID-19 like symptoms such as fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle/body aches, headaches, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion, vomiting, diarrhea or have tested positive for COVID-19 should self-isolate at home and not return to child care until they have been fever-free for at least 72 hours without being give fever-reducing medications and had improvement in their symptoms and at least 10 days have passed since their symptoms first appeared or have a negative test after the 7th day. 

Parent Drop-Off and Pick-Up Procedures

• Hand hygiene station will be set up at the entrance of the facility for parent/ guardian to use before entering the main building.
• Children must wash their hands immediately entering the classroom
• Keep 6 feet distance from other families while entering the building
• Vaccinated teachers and parents do not have to wear a mask. If you are unvaccinated we highly recommend for you to wear a mask. 
• All staff will have masks on hand if we enter an unfortunate circumstance that we will need them
• Face mask coverings to be worn by staff all day if our county advisory level is moved to yellow or higher. 
• The parent/guardian will bring their child to their assigned classroom and make acknowledgement to the staff member they have arrived, and a staff member will meet each family at the door and sign them in.
• The parents will not enter the classroom and keep 6 feet distance during drop off.
• We do advise, 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.
• Ideally, the same parent or designated person should drop off and pick up the child every day.

Clean and Sanitize Actions

 

• 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 staff member wearing gloves. Clean with water and soap, rinse, bleach solution, rinse again, air-dry.

• Set aside toys that need to be cleaned. Place in a dish pan with soapy water or put in a separate container marked for “unclean toys”. Wash toys and air-dry.

• Removal of stuffed toys, pillows, and other toys difficult to sanitize daily from the classroom.

 

• The facility will thoroughly be cleaned from a professional cleaning service
• Routinely clean, sanitize, and disinfect surfaces and objects that are frequently touched, especially toys and games. They may include cleaning objects/surfaces not ordinarily cleaned daily such as doorknobs, light switches, classroom sink handles. Countertops, cots, chairs, cubbies and playground structures.
• The whole building will be thoroughly sprayed with our COVID-19 cleaning solution 

Healthy Hand Washing Behavior

 

• All children, staff, and volunteers should engage in hand washing at the following times:

• Arrival to the facility and after breaks

• Before and after preparing food and drinks

• Before and after eating or handling food, or feeding children

• Before and after eating food

• Before and after administering medication

• After art activities

• After using the toilet or helping children use the bathroom

• After coming in contact with bodily fluids

• After playing outdoors

• After handling garbage

• After entering the classrooms from a public area

• Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

• Rinse and use paper towel to turn off water

 

Food Preparation

 

• Each child will eat in their classroom.

• Staff will wash their hands before and after preparing food for each classroom.

• Staff preparing for the food will wear gloves, hair nets, and apron.

• Each child will wash their hands before and after eating.

• Staff will wash their hands before and after helping children to eat.

• There will be no sharing of utensils or plates.

• Each child will be served their food and no child will touch another child’s food or tray.

• The children will be spaced out as much as possible in the classroom

• We will discontinue family style snack time. Each child will be served individually.

 

If a staff member or child becomes ill at home

• If a staff member or child becomes ill, they are required to stay home
• Do not bring your child to school if any family member has respiratory distress symptoms and/ or fever higher than 100.4.
• If exposed to or diagnosed with Coronavirus, notify St. Jude Early Learning Ministry immediately, as we are required to notify the public health authorities, and keep all children at home until cleared by a doctor to return to school.
• Staff members must notify the school if they have symptoms or start to feel sick
• Keep children and staff separate from well children and staff until they can be sent home.
• Sick staff members cannot return to work until they have met the criteria to discontinue home isolation.
• Removal from school will be mandatory for any child or staff member exhibiting signs of infection, including persistent cough, fever above 100.4 or any signs of viral or bacterial contagious including undiagnosed rash, yellow/green runny nose, diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, and loss of appetite. Children and staff will be permitted to return to school with appropriate medical documentation from a licensed physician who has attended to and treated the child or once the child has been symptom free without medication for 24 hours.

If a staff member or child becomes ill at school

• If a staff member becomes ill at work or start to show symptoms, they will immediately leave the building.
• If a child becomes ill at school they will be isolated in a separate classroom, on a cot with an activity, until they are picked up. The area will be disinfected once the child is gone.
• If someone becomes sick at school, we will follow the CDC guidelines on how to disinfect our building. Each staff will have a copy the CDC guidelines on how to clean their classroom, common areas, and restrooms.
• If COVID-19 is confirmed in a child or staff member:

• Close off areas used by the person who is sick
• Notify St. Jude Catholic School and public health authorities
• Open outside doors and windows to increase air circulation in the areas, if possible.
• Wait up 24 or a long as possible before you clean or disinfect to allow respiratory droplets to settle before cleaning and disinfecting.
• Clean and disinfect all areas used by the person who is sick, such as offices, bathrooms, and common areas. Routine clean.
• If more than 7 days have passed since the person who is sick visited or used the facility, additional cleaning and disinfection is not necessary

On-Site Playgrounds and Special Activities:

 

• Limit the mixing of classes together

• Marion County is in the advisory level blue playgrounds can be occupied by multiple units, so long as social distancing is being practiced.

• Playground structures will be disinfected after each class leaves the playground. 

 

Naptime:

 

• Staff will keep child’s bedding separate by storing them on an individual cot or cubby. Each cot will be labeled for each child. Bedding will be sent home every week to be cleaned.

• Children’s naptime cots will be spaced out as much as possible, ideally 6 feet apart. 

• Children will be placed head to toe in order to further reduce the potential for viral spread

 

COVID-19 Exposure Regulations

 

• If your child becomes a close contact of COVID-19 outside of the child care facility they must quarantine for days. 

• A close contact is considered You were within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more within a 24 hour period

• The child is asymptomatic can complete a COVID-19 test on day 5 or later and can return to school on day 8 with a negative test. They can return to school on day 11 without a COVID-19 test

• If your child becomes a close contact at St. Jude ELM, parents will be notified immediately along with St. Jude Catholic School and the public health authorities. 

• Teachers and children without symptoms and a completed COVID-19 (day 5 or later) negative test may return to school on day 8. Without a test they return to school on day 11. 

• Any vaccinated teacher or child does not have to quarantine.