We are taking this opportunity to share the most recent COVID-19 (coronavirus) information with you, both about what is happening in the wider world and what is happening at SYC.
We are in touch with the Centers for Disease Control, the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (our licensing agency), professional child care organizations such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and directors of other programs both local and national. We will continue to use the best advice from these professional organizations in the coming weeks and will keep you informed should our plans change. Our goal is to minimize disruptions while keeping children, families, and teachers safe.
To reduce the chance of transmission of this or any other illness at school, SYC is:
-Disinfecting surfaces/items that children touch on a regular basis
-Encouraging everyone to wash their hands often (upon entering, after using the bathroom, before eating, after wiping their nose, when soiled)
-Working on effective hand-washing techniques and coughing into a tissue or arm
-Requiring teachers to stay home if they are feeling unwell, or are not 24-hr fever free – if they are unsure about coming in to school, we are encouraging them to err on the side of caution and not come in
-Temporarily not using some materials that go on/near children’s faces (masks, baby bottles, face paints)
-Conducting regularly scheduled deep cleaning days (most recent was on 3/9/20)
-Working on obtaining some hand sanitizer to have in the foyer so you/your family can sanitize your hands on the way out of SYC. Until then, there is a container of sanitizer in the office that you’re welcome to use on your way in/out.
You can help reduce the chance of transmission of this or any other illness by:
-Keeping your child at home until they are 24-hr fever free without medication or are feeling miserable – if you are unsure about keeping your child home, we ask you to err on the side of caution and not come in
-Helping your child practice effective hand-washing techniques when they come into school (Happy Birthday 2x, ABCs or Table Table are all about 20 sec)
-Encouraging your child to cough/sneeze into their arm and wash their hands after wiping their nose
-If you are sick or your non-SYC child is sick, please consider keeping your SYC child home just in case they are infected but haven’t shown symptoms yet, or call the office and we can walk your child in/out to the car so you don’t have to come in.
-Making sure that Holly has a current phone number and that your voicemail is not full so that we can quickly get in touch with you should your child become ill at school
-Signing up to take home toys/play food/other items to wash. Sign ups and directions are here.
Helpful Links: Talking with kids: https://www.ahaparenting.com/blog/talking-with-children-about-the-corona-virus
Handwashing tips for families: https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/handwashing-family.html
Coronavirus and Children: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/children-faq.html
For the most part, we are doing the things we always do to try to keep kids, families, and teachers safe, knowing that preschoolers are still learning about hygiene, where to put/not put their hands, and some are still oral learners. Our goal is to encourage safe behavior while recognizing that it is primarily the role of the adults to keep kids safe.
As described on the Aha! Parenting Blog, keeping kids physically safe is only one part of what we can do. By limiting their exposure to the news, asking what they know about the coronavirus, giving age appropriate information, focusing on the helpers, and addressing any worries they may have, we can keep them emotionally safe as well. Importantly, the article also suggests that you “work out any worry you have about this BEFORE talking with your kids. Your own attitude will always communicate itself to your child. Children take their cues from us. So don\’t let your children overhear you venting your own fears to other people.”
Finally, we trust you to make decisions about what you need to do to keep your child and your family safe. As always, if you feel your child needs to stay home for a period time, whether because they are sick, you suspect they might be sick, or you want to limit their exposure to others, please feel free to do that and give us a call so we know what’s up.
Again, we will continue to be in contact with the official agencies who are on the front lines and will let you know immediately if anything changes, including a recommendation from the authorities that we close for a time. Please stop by the office or email/call Susan and Amy if you have further questions or concerns.
Susan & Amy – SYC Co-Directors