The safety and well-being of your child is our highest priority. The following protocols have been implemented to protect your child, your family, and our staff. If revisions are made, families will be notified.
Arrival and Health Screening
Parents and caregivers will park and walk their child(ren) to their classroom door. The greeting staff member will ask each adult to report their child’s temperature and confirm that their child does not have any symptoms of contagious illness. In addition, they will verify that the child has not been exposed to someone with COVID-19, is not currently being tested, has not been diagnosed with COVID-19 and is not yet cleared to discontinue isolation. If the adult is unable to provide this information, the staff member will take the temperature and screen the child.
All children, staff, co-oping adults, and visitors must be screened prior to entering the school. This data will be recorded and retained for review by the Office of Licensing.
Face Coverings and Vaccination Policy
Masks are optional for students, co-op adults, and staff with exceptions noted in this document. Each family and staff member should make their own decision on masking based on their comfort level. Please communicate your family’s choice to us and our staff will help your child follow your wishes.
This policy is contingent upon the current COVID-19 activity level in our area. There may be times when universal masking will be required, such as: if there is an active outbreak in our school or if an individual has been exposed to COVID-19 at school or elsewhere.
All Co-op staff and adults assisting in the classroom are strongly encouraged to be up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations.
Daily Procedures
Children should bring their own water bottle (labeled with their name) and a healthy, nut-free snack to school each day. If your child is staying until 1pm, please also pack a nut-free lunch for school. We will use our outdoor spaces for snack and other activities as often as possible.
Hygiene and Enhanced Cleaning Procedures
Teachers and aides will continue to teach and reinforce healthy hygiene practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19. They will give frequent reminders about covering coughs and sneezes, as well as the importance of handwashing. Children and staff will wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds upon arrival at school, after outside play, after using the bathroom, before and after lunch and snack, and before leaving for home.
Windows will be open and ceiling fans on to allow for fresh air flow. Frequently touched surfaces will be cleaned, sanitized, and disinfected throughout the day.
Domestic/International Travel Guidelines
If your family plans to travel outside of New Jersey, please monitor for symptoms upon return. If COVID-19 symptoms present, a negative PCR test will be required to return to the program and the results must be submitted to the office. Asymptomatic individuals may return to the program without testing, although testing 3-5 days after return is always encouraged.
Response to COVID-19 Symptoms or Positive Case
If a child or staff member develops symptoms while at school, they will be separated from their group until they leave the building. If an individual tests positive for COVID-19, we will contact our local health department. Anyone identified as a close contact of the positive individual will be notified. If the close contact is at school and is asymptomatic, the individual will be required to mask for 10 days, both vaccinated and unvaccinated. This does not apply to household exposures. Please consult the office if a household member tests positive for COVID-19.
Close Contact Protocol
This protocol allows asymptomatic individuals who have been identified as a close contact of someone who tests positive for COVID-19 to continue in-person learning and care.
Participation in this protocol will be limited to children who:
- Do not have any signs or symptoms of COVID-19.
- Are not a household contact of a COVID-19 case.
Traditional quarantine guidance will apply to individuals who are unable or unwilling to comply with masking and testing recommendations. NJDOH recommends that all childcare programs continue implementing layered prevention strategies based on the COVID-19 Community Level.
Close Contact Protocol Guidelines
Masking:
Wear a mask when around others, indoors at all times when at school (except for eating/drinking), for 10 full days after their last exposure to someone with COVID-19 even if all test results are negative. The mask should fit securely over the nose and mouth. Please provide a supply of masks for your child to keep at school in the event of an exposure.
Monitor For Symptoms:
Individuals who have been exposed must be monitored for symptoms daily. Monitoring must be done for a period of 10 days after their last exposure to someone with COVID-19.
Testing:
Close contacts may continue to attend in-person instruction, provided they are asymptomatic, and must then be tested on day 5-7 after exposure. The day of exposure is day 0. Testing may be performed using home-based tests including self-tests OR at a testing location (either on-site or off-site) using a rapid test. Directions will be provided on how to share results with the office.
Positive Test
If any child tests positive for COVID-19, the child will be excluded from school for the recommended isolation period from the date of the positive test. The school will identify the child’s in-school close contacts and will notify parents.
Symptomatic Individuals
If an individual develops COVID-19 symptoms, they will be excluded from school and referred for diagnostic testing, following NJDOH guidelines for school exclusion.