AGA Scholars has been planning ahead for several months so that we are ready to re-start operations and provide the critical afterschool and before school programming that children need to re-engage, re-connect, and thrive. Essential workers in many important fields are counting on the safe childcare program for their children that AGA Scholars will provide. 

 

Safe childcare services and afterschool enrichment activities are an essential part of our communities’ need in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Our program is innovative in its services to support children, families, and communities and will pivot to:

• Support essential workers by providing safe, enriching activities for their children.
• Find new ways to stay connected with youth, and to support families with resources and information on food assistance, unemployment, healthcare, and more.

 

All staff will take preventative measures to stop the spread of any illness by modeling the following procedures as per CDC Guidelines:

• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least twenty seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, the use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol will be made available.
• Practicing social distancing and limiting the number of students in groups and centers.
• Chairs will be placed at a safe distance from one another and children above the age of 3 will be required to wear a face mask.
• Every classroom will be designed to maximize space and distance between each student. Classroom furniture will be rearranged to provide additional space.  Program administrator will preview and approve classroom designs prior to the start of school, and throughout the year, as adjustments are required.
• Teachers and Counselors will minimize the use of shared items in the classroom, including toys, pencils and other items shared in a group setting. The program administrator will determine procedures that minimize the spread of the virus including minimal transitions and consistent grouping whenever possible.  
• Students will be required to:
  • Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty. o Cover coughs and sneezes
• Staff will be required to:
  • Remember to supervise young children when they use hand sanitizer to prevent swallowing alcohol. o Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as tables, chairs, and doorknobs.
  • Wear proper face covering at all times except during eating or drinking.
  • Remember that cloth face coverings should NOT be put on babies and children under age two because of the danger of suffocation.

 

 

 

Facility Sick Child/ Staff Policy • Communicate to parents the importance of keeping children home when they are sick.

• Communicate to staff the importance of being vigilant for symptoms and staying in touch with facility management if or when they start to feel sick.
• Establish procedures to ensure children and staff who come to the childcare center sick or become sick while at your facility are sent home as soon as possible.
• Keep sick children and staff separate from well children and staff until they can be sent home.
• Sick staff members should not return to work until they have met the criteria to return from isolation.

 

  Isolation Plan

• The back-left corner of classroom 1142 will be designated as an isolation area that can be used to isolate a sick child or staff member.
• Parents will be contacted immediately for pick-up. If parent does not arrive within 30 minutes designated emergency contacts may be called.
• If any person is sent home sick, the facility will follow the CDC guidelines on how to properly disinfect the area and notify the building managers.
• If a sick child has been isolated, the school will clean and disinfect surfaces in the isolation area and the room after the sick child has gone home.
• If COVID-19 is confirmed in a child or staff member:
  • All areas used by the person who is sick will be closed off immediately.
  • Notify all stakeholders to isolate and take proper precautions o Open outside doors to increase air circulation in the impacted areas.
  • Per the CDC guidelines the school will wait up to 24 hours or as long as possible before cleaning or disinfecting to allow respiratory droplets to settle. o           Clean and disinfect all areas used by the person who is sick, such as playground equipment, toys, bathrooms, and common areas using the following steps:
    • Wear disposable gloves to clean and disinfect.
    • Clean surfaces using soap and water, then use disinfectant.
    • Cleaning with soap and water reduces number of germs, dirt and impurities on the surface. Disinfecting kills germs on surfaces.
    • Practice routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces.
    • More frequent cleaning and disinfection may be required based on level of use.
    • Surfaces and objects in public places High touch surfaces include:

Tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, sinks, etc.

• Use of EPA registered household disinfectant to clean the area following the instructions on the label to ensure safe and effective use of the product.
• Many products recommend:
• Keeping the surface wet for a period of time (refer to product labels).
• Staff will take precautions such as wearing gloves and making sure there is good ventilation during use of the product and no children are present in the facility.

• 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. Continue routine cleaning and disinfection.

 

Parent Drop-Off and Pick-Up

• Hand hygiene stations will be set up at the designated before/ aftercare entrance of the facility, so that children can clean their hands before they enter. Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol will be placed next to parent sign-in/out tablet out of the reach of children outside the facility. Staff will obtain the four-digit pin from the parent for sign- in/out to avoid multiple people touching the surface. 
• To limit the exposure of the virus, parents and guardians will not have access to the building. Drop-off and pick-up will occur outside with designated staff after temperature and visual health screening.
• Ideally, the same parent or designated person should drop off and pick up the child every day. 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.
• All students and staff will be screened upon arrival at the door via temperature checks utilizing touchless thermometers. Persons who have a fever of 100.4⁰ (38.0⁰C) or above or other signs of illness will not be admitted to the facility. Parents will be encouraged to be on the alert for signs of illness in their children and to keep them home when they are sick.

 

Toys that are not able to be washed or wiped clean should not be sent to school to avoid the transmission of bacteria and germs. (NO STUFFED ANIMALS/TOYS FROM HOME).