COVID-19 Safety Plan
Dear Parents
We have received an updated guideline from BC Centre for Disease Control on December 15, 2020, and we update and list our Safety Plan accordingly.
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This plan provides updated guidance for parents and child care providers need to do in case your child is sick, and steps required for them to return to daycare. Please carefully review the revised plan and do not hesitate to let us know if you have any questions. We will continue to monitor the operation and update further revisions if needed. Please understand that our top priority is keeping our children and staff safe during this challenging time.
Thank you for your patience and support.
Warm regards,
Chanelle Chen / Founder
Daily Health Check
We have followed the Work Safe BC and Disease Control policy. Parents are responsible for performing daily health checks every day before arriving at the facility.
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If your child is showing any of the following symptoms, please follow the instructions in the chart beside for your next steps.
When a COVID-19 test is recommended by the health assessment:
• If the COVID-19 test is POSITIVE, children should stay home until you are told by public
health to end self-isolation.
• If the COVID-19 test is NEGATIVE, children can return to school once symptoms have
improved and children feel well enough.
• If a COVID-19 test is recommended but is not done or you choose not to have the test,
children should stay home from school until 10 days after the onset of symptoms and
then you return if the children are feeling well enough.
• If the COVID-19 test is NEGATIVE, children can return to school once symptoms have
improved and children feel well enough.
During classroom:
• Maintaining children in different spaces in a small group.
• Staffs remain in the same group.
• Clean and disinfect the premises at least once every 24 hours
• Clean and disinfect the frequently-touched surface at least twice every 24 hours.
• Clean and disinfect cots, cribs, and changing stations after each use.
• Avoid physical contact between staff, avoiding unnecessary physical contact between
staff and children, minimizing close, prolonged, face-to-face interaction where
possible.
• Force air system should be on and increasing air circulation.
• Outdoor space when weather permits.
Drop off/Pick up
From February 1st, 2021, for staff safety, we will ask all parents to remain outside of the classroom during the morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times. Staff will invite the child or bring the baby into the classroom. Teachers will sing on/off for your child at this period of time until further notice.
• Please wash/sanitized your hands when you pick up/drop your child.
• Teachers will check each child’s temperature before he/she entre the classroom. We
remind children to wash their hands frequently.
• Staff will use Personal protection equipment (PPE) in the facility.
• We require all parents to wear a face mask when they enter our center picking up or
dropping off their child. Masks are mandatory all the time when you enter our facility.
Thanks for your cooperation.
• If there is more than one family at the front entrance, please line up and maintain the social distancing between each family.
• If you can notice teacher advance when you wish to pick your child up, staff will get your child ready to shorten your waiting.
When a child develops symptoms at home
Parents and caregivers must keep their child at home and see your family physician. If a
COVID-19 test is required, please do the following:
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Positive result: Please stay at home and following Public health procedures.
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Negative result: The child may return to the daycare after 48 hours or until the symptoms have resolved.
• A doctor’s note or a COVID-19 test result showing NEGATIVE must be provided in order
to return to the childcare centre.
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• The same household members who have tested positive for COVID-19 must also take your child for testing and provide a negative result before returning.
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• If you have more than one child attending our daycare, if one child is sick please keep
the other child at home as well.
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• Please do not give your child fever reducing medication before sending them to the
childcare entre.
When a child develops symptoms while at daycare
Staff must take the following steps:
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• Identify a staff member to supervise the child.
• Identify staff member should immediately separate the symptomatic child from
others in a supervised area until they can go home.
• Contact the child’s parents or caregiver to pick them up right away.
• When possible, maintain a distance of 2 meters from the ill child. Staff members
require wearing a mask if available and tolerated or use a tissue to cover their nose
and mouth.
• Provide the child with any support as necessary so they can practice respiratory
hygiene.
• Open outside doors and windows to increase air circulation in the area.
• Clean and disinfect the space where the child was separated and any areas used
by the child.
• If concerned, contact the local public health unit to seek further advice. Parents or
caregivers must pick up their child promptly once notified that their child is ill.
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After you pick up your child, please see the family physician or any public health unit.
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When a staff develops symptoms at home
Staff must be excluded from work, stay home and self-isolation from a minimum of
10 days from the onset of symptoms and until all symptoms resolve, whichever is
longer. Staff should also contact their family doctor to get tested.
When a staff develops symptoms while at daycare
Staff should go home right away where possible. If unable to leave immediately, the symptomatic staff person should:
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• Separate themselves into an area away from others.
• Maintain a distance of 2 meters from others.
• Use a tissue or mask to cover their nose and mouth while they wait for a replacement or to be picked up.
• Other staff must clean and disinfect the space where staff was separated and any areas used by them.
• If concerned, contact the local public health until to seek further advice.
Visitors
• All visitors are always required to wear a mask in the facility, and booked by an appointment.
• All visitors are subject to the same screening procedure when they enter the school (temperature checking, questions for symptoms and travelling history).
• While in the facility, visitors will be asked to maintain social distance with staff and children working/play area. Visitors will be able to view the classroom through the classroom door.
Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette
• Ensure there is enough supply of handwashing supplies and alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Wash hands with plain soap and water for at least 20 seconds (sign the “ABC’s or“Happy birthday “twice )
• Staff, children and others are required to wash their hands or use alcohol-based hand
sanitizer immediately upon entering the facility. Keep hand sanitizer out of the reach of
children and supervise its use.
• Staffs are required to wash their hands regularly throughout the day, including:
o Arrive at the workplace and before they go home.
o After changing diapers.
o Before and after giving or applying medication to a child or self.
o Before and after handling food.
o After assisting a child to use the toilet.
o Before using PPE and after deposing PPE.
o After cleaning task, body fluids, handling garbage.
o After sneezing or coughing, handling pets or animals.
o Before or after.
o Whenever hands are visibly dirty.
Support children to wash their hands regularly through the day
• When they arrive at the centre and before they go home.
• Before and after eating and drinking.
• After a diaper/toilet.
• After playing outside, sneezing or coughing
• Whenever hands are visibly dirty.
For health safety, children and staff should:
• Cough or sneeze into their elbow sleeve or a tissue. Throw away used tissues and
immediately clean your hands.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Homemade food items should not allow at this time.
• Children and staff can bring their own reusable food and drink containers to the facility
for their own personal use.
Physical distancing
The physical space requirements for licensed child care settings set out in the Child Care
Licensing Regulation means that child care centres have sufficient space to practice physical distancing between staff without reducing the number of children in care at any one time.
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• Staff should maintain a distance of at least 2 meters from each other.
• Staff room’s occupancy limit is 2 persons.
• Stagger staff break times.
• Staff will plan more individual activities to encourage physical distancing between
children.
• Minimizing the frequency of direct physical contact with children.
• Reminding child to child space as two elbows distancing.
• Minimizing the number of different workers that interact with the same child or group of children.
Cleaning and disinfection
• Remove toys from the childcare center that have a surface not easily cleaned.
• If a child needed, Parents and caregivers can only bring one personal comfort item for napping. Please provide it into a zipper bag and laundered at the end of each day.
• Identify all common areas and frequently touched surfaces. Develop cleaning and disinfection schedule following by BC CDC’s Cleaning and Disinfectants for Public Setting Document.
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Public setting:
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• Clean and disinfect the premises at least once every 24 hours.
• Clean and disinfect the frequently-touched surface at least twice every 24 hours.
• Clean and disinfect cots, cribs, and changing stations after each use.
• Avoid physical contact between staff, avoiding unnecessary physical contact between staff and children, minimizing close, prolonged, face–to–face interaction where possible.
• Force air system should be on and increasing air circulation.
• If a staff or child leaves the workplace due to symptoms of COVID-19, clean areas those individuals were in, including surfaces they may have touched, immediately upon their departure.
• Maintain a supply of cleaning and disinfection products and materials frequently.
Use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
On November 19, 2020, B.C required masks in public indoor and retail spaces, following
months of calls for such a mandate. We encourage our staff to use no-surgical masks/shields in the facility. We are reminding each staff:
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• Wearing no-surgical mask, making sure to cover mouth and nose.
• Cleaning your hands each time you touch your mask.
• Wearing disposable gloves when you clean body fluids and diapering.
• Deposing mask properly (to garbage, place it in a bag, etc.).
Meals and Snacks
• Do not allow sharing of food or drink by workers or children.
• Do not use self-serve and homemade meals in the centre. Provide snacks and meals
directly to children in individual servings.
• Do not allow children to participate in food preparation.
• Staff will disinfect children’s lunch when they arrive in the childcare center each
morning.
• Children and staff should have their own utensils, drinking containers.
• A tabletop/countertop will be sanitized each time when children eating.
Nap time bedding
• Staff to keep a 2 feet distance between each cot.
• Staff to ensure each child uses their own beddings and send home the bedding for cleaning by the end of each week.
• Staff to sanitize the cots with bleach water spray.
• Organizing nap areas to space children apart and place children head-to-toe or toe-to-toe.