Healthy Together

Building Bright Futures in a Safe Environment

Every Child Deserves an Enjoyable Experience at School

That’s why we’re exceeding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 guidelines to safeguard our school during the coronavirus pandemic. To create the most effective safety protocols, we have consulted with the CDC, Johns Hopkins University and several infectious disease pediatricians. We have also trained our staff members in sanitation and public health safety procedures recommended by top experts.

We want to make it possible for children to be safe while continuing to receive the benefits of attending school. We also want to make sure parents know the extent of our safety plans. We are taking many measures to ensure that the children in our learning community are as safe as they can be while also experiencing a rich childhood.

School Entry Precautions

We have several restrictions on entry into our facilities that apply to everyone, including children and staff members. Anyone that has been in close contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, or traveled internationally or domestically to any area which is the subject of travel restrictions under applicable state and local guidance must remain out of the school for 14-days after the last potential exposure.

After 14-days, individuals may return based upon meeting all the following criteria:

10-days have passed since any household member first experienced symptoms
Any household member that was experiencing symptoms, has shown improvement
All household members have been fever-free for at least 72-hours without the use of fever-reducing medication

Masks and Temperature Checks

Each day, we enforce the following restrictions before entry into our school is allowed:

All individuals must participate in a temperature and health check
Drop-off and pick-up of children is limited to the main lobby or outside the school
Children and teachers are required to wash their hands upon entering and before exiting their classrooms
Staff adheres to CDC guidelines on mask usage
Children 3 years of age and older are encouraged to wear masks during their attendance
If any child shows cold or flu symptoms, we immediately separate them from other children and call their parents to take them home

Enhanced Deep-Cleaning Protocols

Each school day, all surfaces and play areas are sprayed with an EPA-approved solution that eliminates the coronavirus within four minutes. At the end of each school day, a professional cleaning company services our school. In addition, staff members are also required to frequently clean and sanitize high-touch areas and other surfaces and objects throughout the day, as well as objects that children touch after every use.

After each use, toys are put in a separate container marked for “soiled toys” to prevent cross-contamination between children
Toys and learning materials are cleaned and sanitized after every use with an EPA-approved disinfectant
Cloth toys are limited to one child and washed after every use
Any toys or learning materials that a child puts into his or her mouth is immediately set aside to be cleaned
To make these precautions possible without lessening the child’s school experience, we are providing many toys and learning materials so that there will always be enough, despite the rules to limit use
All our schools are well stocked on hand soap, and utilize touchless hand sanitizing stations located at the main entrance
Children are guided by our teachers to ensure that they thoroughly wash their hands, multiple times per day; and refrain from touching their eyes, nose and mouth

Specially Trained Staff

Our staff members have recently been trained to adhere to CDC guidelines and proper PPE usage, as well as additional safety precautions set by our parent company, Endeavor Schools. These guidelines were designed specifically for school environments to keep children both safe and comfortable. They are also designed to keep our staff members safe.

Under the guidance of our academic team, our educators have been trained to lead academic exercises and activities that conform to social distancing guidelines

Improved Air Quality

We have taken several steps to enhance the air quality inside our schools. This includes enhanced air filtration using higher Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) filters, and maintaining temperature and humidity levels by running our HVAC systems 24/7. We are committed to keeping our indoor air quality safe and healthy at all times.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a high-quality HVAC system, combined with other best practices recommended by the CDC, can help prevent the spread of COVID 19
We run our HVAC fan systems continuously throughout the day so that air inside our building is constantly filtered for maximum quality

Balancing Social Distancing with Social Development

One of the most important reasons for children attending school in person is the opportunity for social-emotional learning with peers. This is why we are taking extra steps to enable children to enjoy the benefits of social interaction and development while minimizing the risk of exposure to COVID-19. To accomplish this aim, we are doing the following:

Limiting classroom occupancy as determined by state guidelines
Providing at least six feet of space in between seats
Limiting capacity on playgrounds with extra staff on duty to ensure social distancing
Ensuring that all seating and playground areas are sanitized before a new group of children use them
Preventing family-style eating and food-sharing

Extra Safety Protocols for Infants

Staff members who work with infants will wear see-through plastic face masks so children can see their faces. We know that infants learn language by watching how words are formed on the mouths of their caregivers. We also know that facial recognition is vitally important for infant attachment and social-emotional development.

To further protect our youngest learners and the educators who love and care for them, all staff members who interact with infants will wear an additional layer of sanitized, protective clothing, such as a smock, to provide additional safety for infants. If any bodily fluids from infants get on the staff member’s clothing, they are required to change that article of clothing. We are keeping multiple smocks and aprons in our facilities and staff members are required to have extra changes of clothing on hand.

Helping Children Understand

In addition to taking measures to keep children physically healthy in the midst of COVID-19, we are also working to support children’s emotional health. Our team is drawing on the work of the Fred Rogers Center, the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University as well as our school’s professional associations to support children as they engage with educators in conversations about the changes in the school environment, the wider community and their own daily routines. Children will be given age-appropriate instruction about germs and virus transmission, so they understand why these changes have been made. We have a Conversation and Care Plan for all children, including those at higher risk because of medical conditions.

A Note to Parents

We are parents, too, and we understand the difficulty your family may be experiencing during these times. That’s why we have created a space where children feel safe and parents feel confident when they bring their child to our school. This is a time for communities to stick together and we want our families to know that we are doing all we can to ensure that each child is physically and emotionally safe in our learning community. We have always maintained open lines of communications with parents to address any questions or concerns and we encourage you to reach out to us at any time. Let’s work together to keep our families safe.

Learn More

For the most current information from the CDC, please visit: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

CDC COVID-19 Fact Sheet:

English - click here
Spanish - click here