COVID-19 Health & Safety Plan

Current COVID-19 Policies and Procedures

Notice of Important Well-Being, Health, Hygiene, and Cleaning Practices

St. Paul’s Preschool

To:  All Families

From:  Laurel Webster, Director

Effective August 2, 2022

The safety and well-being of your child is important to us!  We realize, too, it is of great concern to you as parents and caregivers of young children.  We recognize the importance of your entrusting the care of well-being of your young children in our program.  Accordingly, we wanted to make sure that you are aware of all the practices we have implemented in order to keep our program clean and to minimize the spread of germs.  The following list outlines our newly adopted practices:

Business Operations

• Our hours of operation are 9:00 -11:00 a.m. (Lavender class until January 10, 2023); 9:00 -11:30 a.m. (Turquoise, Green, Red, Yellow, Orange and Lavender [from January 10, 2023] classes); 12:30 -3:00 p.m. (Gold, Purple, Blue and STREAM classes)
• Adults will enter the building using their security fob. Adults will walk their child to the classroom door, after helping their child hang up their coat and back pack on labeled hook in hallway.
• Children will wash hands with soap and water upon entering the classroom.
• A daily health check and temperature screening (if needed), will be conducted by teaching staff

Classroom/Playground Practices

• All classrooms will remain separated to reduce the number of children in one area and to reduce the possibility of viral transmission.
• Large group activities will be limited to circle time, large motor time and snack time.
• We will clean/disinfect equipment between uses.
• Time standing in line will be minimized (each child will be given a “spot” to stand or sit while waiting).
• Staff will have access to antibacterial hand sanitizers and disposable gloves and use them as needed.
• Staff will wash/scrub their hands and children’s hands frequently at key transition times as this is recommended by the CDC as the most effective measure to reduce the spread of germs:

                        When arriving for the day

                        Before and after meals

                        After toileting/diapering

                        After being outside

• We will thoroughly clean and sanitize items in sensory tubs between groups of children.

Cleaning

• Classrooms will have large bins for sanitizing toys at the end of the day.
• Daily, staff will disinfect high-touch surfaces, such as door handles, light switches, faucets, toys and games that children play with at least twice daily.
• Nightly, after all children have left the building, we have implemented more extensive cleaning and disinfection of the entire program.

Communication

• Families will receive communications on any changes in Family Handbook policies and procedures.
• The preschool administration will communicate with families via email, telephone, text or other means of communications as needed.
• It is important for families and staff to communicate often and to be transparent with one another. Please voice concerns or questions you have with Laurel Webster, Director, as soon as possible.
• If the current situation changes and it becomes necessary to update our policies and procedures or close our program temporarily, we will notify key family contact by email or REMIND text messaging immediately.

Snacks & Service

• Staff will be using gloves to distribute snack individually to each child.
• An approved snack list will be given to families (in Parent Handbook).

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• All staff will have access to PPE should a situation arise in which PPE is necessary.
• Under-or unvaccinated children and adults may need to wear a mask if they have been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID, depending on the Allegheny County Department of Health and DHS guidelines.

Staff Training & Wellness

• All staff will receive training and education on COVID-19 symptoms, infection control, workplace disinfection and preventative measures including practices and procedures.

We wanted to take this time to communicate all the changes to our practices which have been implemented so that you are aware of all the things we are doing to keep our program clean, minimize the spread of germs and support the health and well-being of children and staff.  Please do not hesitate to reach out to Laurel Webster via email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or telephone: 412-486-5591 should you have any question or concern.

Helpful Videos For Kids 

Play Kids: Cover Your Cough    https://youtu.be/DG4nOr8-UPA

Sesame Street Sneeze Etiquette   https://youtu.be/QW1yodZJpG8

CDC Hand Washing Video  https://youtu.be/qJG72sycQB8

CDC Happy Hand Washing Song    https://youtu.be/kHPQrYthn6M

Elmo Talks to Dr. Sanjay Gupta about Face Masks    https://www.cnn.com/videos/health/2020/04/25/entire-cnn-sesame-street-coronavirus-town-hall-part-2-vpx.cnn