All drop off and pick ups are done outside and no adults other than staff are allowed in the building. There is one exception: One parent at a time is allowed inside during pickup if there are no other parents inside and a 6-foot distance is achievable between staff and parent.
Each child will have their temperature checked upon arrival with a no contact thermometer. Parents are asked if there are any changes in health since completing the health attestation stating that they have not experienced any symptoms or been in contact with anyone who displayed symptoms. A 14-day quarantine must be done if a family has traveled outside of New Mexico to any area determined by the state to be at an increased risk. Staff also completes a self assessment before arriving at the center and have their temperatures checked upon arrival.
All adults must wear masks during drop off and pickup. All staff will wear a face mask for the duration of the day. We are using see-through shields for class instruction so that the children are still able to see their teachers faces! Children over 2 are recommended to wear face masks by the Department of Health. While it was previously thought that they will be required we received confirmation today that it is not mandatory. We will leave this up to the discretion of each parent.
Staff will maintain a 6 foot distance from each other and with children to every extent possible. During meals, naps, bathroom breaks, circle time, and table top activities children will be placed 6 feet apart. During free play and outdoor time children will be encouraged to remain 6 feet apart and play engaging games that promote physical distancing.
In cases when staff are unable to maintain 6 foot distance (i.e diaper changes, clothing help, feeding) they will be wearing a sanitized smock and gloves. Staff will also have additional sets of clothing to change into should an interaction occur where they were unable to obtain a sanitized smock.
Children are closely monitored during hand washing to ensure they are properly washing their hands. We are implementing a stamp strategy to encourage good hand washing where the child receives a stamp in the morning and get a sticker on their chart if it is gone by the end of the day. After a set amount of stickers they get a special treat!
All of our toys are placed into individual bins and taken out one at a time to be used with a child. Once the child is done with the item it immediately gets placed into the sanitizing bin to be cleaned. The item will be replaced with a clean item should another child want to use the same toy. We also have individual sets of art supplies so that no child shares any items as much as possible.
We ask parents to bring as minimal an amount of items to school possible. We will be using sheets and blankets provided by Brilliant Bees so that it can be washed everyday. We are trying our best to make sure parents do not have to worry about additional things (such as bringing sheets home everyday to wash) and so that there is less being brought to the center. We also ask that absolutely no outside toys be brought to school.
Everything brought in with each child will be sanitized before it enters the room. Shoes are taken off, cleaned, and placed in a bin to be put in their cubby. Their indoor shoes will be put on before entering class.
All of the toys are placed in bins immediately after use. The bins are then sanitized and disinfected using bleach and water, lysol, or other state approved methods of cleaning. They are then all placed in disinfecting bins overnight and brought back out in the morning.
Each classroom is fully cleaned and sanitized a minimum of three times. Once after breakfast, once after nap, and once in the late afternoon. We have additional cleaning staff to ensure the cleaning standards are easily achieved.
We are ensuring that children are with the same staff from the beginning of the day to the end without having staff float between rooms. This way we can easily contain any potential spread of illness.
