Covid Procedures

Beach Babies Covid-19 Procedures

We Are Currently Open

Monday – Friday from 7:00am - 5:30pm

Please remember that we are licensed to operate from 7:00am – 5:30pm, we can not let children in before 7:00am. We ask that you please make sure you pick your child up by 5:30pm. If you run into an emergency or traffic please give us a call to let us know that you are running late and may arrive after 5:30pm.

Pre-children arrival

Before entering the building teachers must take their temp, fill out the health questionnaire and use hand sanitizer. If a teacher answers yes to any if the health questions or has a temp over 100 degrees they are not allowed in the building and must immediately notify Allison.
Upon entering the building teachers remove shoes and wash hands in the 1st bathroom with the open door. This is also where we leave our personal belongings. Pocket books, personal bags may not be put in or near the classrooms or common areas. This is for everyone’s safety. Just as children’s belongings can not touch, neither can teacher’s/childs.
Windows are closed if it’s too cold outside. If the weather allows windows remain open.
Heat/ac turned on if needed – only if the windows are closed.
Hands are washed or hand sanitizer is used any time a teacher enters a classroom or does a different task.

Hand sanitizer is used before a teacher enters the kitchen.
Teachers MUST wash hands and put on clean gloves before entering the refrigerator, emptying the dishwasher, getting clean silverware, plates, cups, etc.
Clean toys are emptied from the dishwasher and placed on our “clean toy shelves” either in the kitchen pantry or on the shelves in the kitchen. Theme toys are put back in the proper theme bin and returned to the preschool theme shelves.
The dishwasher is reloaded with anything from the “dirty toy pile”.
Clean laundry is folded and put away in the proper place. Children’s bedding is returned to their Ziploc and returned to either the “sheet drawers” or diaper changer depending on the class, plush toys are returned to the proper classroom’s diaper changer, bibs, burp clothes, sheets are returned to the proper classroom and put in labeled bin in the diaper changer. Laundry is not allowed to sit out to eliminate it from being exposed to any possible germs.
Another load of laundry is started if needed.
Classrooms are restocked with supplies and clean toys.
Animals are cared for, fed, cleaned, etc.
Garbage bags are put in garbage cans.
Health screening supplies are put outside.
Arrival activities are set up for children in each classroom.
All lesson plan and activity supplies are gathered and in classroom as teachers are not allowed to go in and out of supply areas during the day. Teachers must wash hands or use hand sanitizer before gathering supplies.
Teachers must check tadpoles to see which child’s daily health screen was entered in. Parents if you choose to enter daily health screenings into tadpoles please do so by 7:00am.

Child Drop Off

Currently all children are being dropped off at the main entrance of the infant/toddler building.
Children arrive parents ring the door bell and one of us goes to the door.

Beginning Monday, August 31st infants will go through the playground in between the 2 buildings. The gate will be left open to eliminate germs. Parents please knock on the infant door and a teacher will be right with you.
Teachers must washes their hands/use hand sanitizer before they open the door to greet your child.
Parents will ring the doorbell upon their arrival and the teacher will bring the child to the main entrance, shoes will be put on, hands washed/hand sanitizer and brought outside. Parents are asked not to stand right at the door and to maintain at least 6 feet apart while waiting for their child.
Parents MUST wear a mask when picking up and dropping off their child. This is mandated and teachers have been instructed not to open the door if a parent is not wearing a mask.
Parents must fill out the health screening questions if they have not already entered them into tadpoles. If they answer yes to any question the child can not enter the building and Allison must be informed immediately.
The parent must take the childs temp and document it on the health report. Children can not enter the building if they have a temp of 100 or higher, with no exceptions. If a child does have a temp of 100 or higher Allison much be notified immediately.
The teacher steps outside, wearing a mask and greets the child. They say goodbye to mom or dad and go inside.
The teacher and the child take their shoes off and use hand sanitizer and/or wash their hands in the designated bathroom and the child is taken to their classroom.
Parents we appreciate that communication between parents and teachers is of the upmost importance however please understand that we are working in classrooms caring for our children. We work together to stay within ratio while children arrive so we ask that drop offs be limited to pertinent details. You can also use your tadpoles app to input information into your child’s daily sheet.

Classrooms

Currently we have 4 classrooms open. Beginning on August 31st we will open an additional classroom.
We do not have more than 16 children in 1 “open area”. So for instance the whole toddler room (both sides) is one open area because air is shared.
Before each activity children and teachers wash hands or use hand sanitizer.
After each activity children and teachers wash hands or use hand sanitizer.
We will not be doing group sensory activities unless individual materials are used. Children will not share any materials.
Children have designated/labeled chairs, places at the tables, cots/pack and plays.
Children do not share supplies like play dough, markers, crayons, etc. If they do share things like paint brushes they are sanitized after each use.
Toys are put in a dirty bin after each use and will be run through the dishwasher/washing machine or hand washed with bleach/water solution at the end of the day.
Staff wear gloves when handling food, preparing bottles, or assisting children with any personal hygiene, including diapers, wiping noses.
Circle time still happens however children are spread apart.

Health check

If a child or teacher who shows any sign of a cough, cold, fever, upset stomach, trouble breathing or a rash they are removed from the classroom and brought to an unused classroom and either assessed closer or sent home.
- The difference from past protocols is anyone who is sent home must contact their Dr for further guidance/evaluation. If the Dr does not recommend the child or teacher be tested they can not return to Beach Babies until fever free for 72 hours without fever reducing meds, until symptom free for 72 hours without any type of medication.
- If the Dr recommends the child or teacher be tested they may not return until either the test is negative or they meet the “return criteria” and approval has come from the Health Department.

In the event that a child or teacher tests positive for covid we will notify the families of any child who has been in direct contact and those children and staff need to self quarantine and can not return to Beach Babies for 14 days. This is mandated by the Department of Health. There is a possibility that the health department could determine that it is necessary to close the entire center for 14 days.

Pick up

Parents will ring the doorbell upon their arrival and the teacher will bring the child to the main entrance, shoes will be put on, hands washed/hand sanitizer and brought outside. Parents are asked not to stand right at the door and to maintain at least 6 feet apart while waiting for their child.

Parents MUST wear a mask when picking up and dropping off their child. This is mandated and teachers have been instructed not to open the door if a parent is not wearing a mask.
These pick up and drop off procedures are not ideal as we appreciate that parents like to be able to come into the building, see their child’s classroom and talk to the teachers however this is state mandated. Not allowing parents into the building cuts down on the amount of germs coming into and out of our classrooms.
We will make every effort to give parents a quick update on their child’s day when they pick up however teachers must get back to the classrooms and bring other children to their parents. Tadpoles will also be used to inform parents of their child’s day.

Children’s personal belongings

In an attempt to keep children personal belongings from touching others we ask that you please limit what you send your child to school with. 1 bag and lunch box should be enough to pack the items that they need. Children should bring 1 water bottle or sippy cup which we will refill with water when empty. Food/cups are not allowed to touch in the fridge so we empty each child’s lunch box and put their food into their labeled Ziploc before it is put in the fridge. There is simply not enough room for each child to bring more than 1 drink (babies who are still getting bottles can bring as many bottles as needed). We can supplying crib and cot sheets which we launder if soiled or at least weekly. You are welcome to send in a blanket and sheet for your child however it must remain at Beach Babies. All bedding is stored in individual ziplocs and is laundered if soiled or at least once a week.
If your child has a lovey or stuffed animal that they like to sleep with they are allowed to bring it. If at all possible we prefer that it remains at Beach Babies with their sheets and blankets however if it needs to go back and forth it must stay in the child’s bag until nap time. This is for your safety as well. Limiting the amount of things that you bring home each day also limits the amount of germs that you are bringing into your house.
We ask that children do not bring toys from home. We have talked to all of the older children about this so they are very well aware of the rules. We have been asked by the Health Department to limit personal items to necessities, pillows, extra stuffed animals, trucks, cars, extra blankets are not necessities.

Masks

We will make every attempt possible to follow the mask guidelines.
At this time children 5 and under do not have to wear a mask. The guidance that we receive from the State of CT and the CDC are very fluid and literally change weekly/daily so it is very possible that they will require younger children to wear masks at some point. We will do our best to follow all state and local guidelines.

Post Children

After children leave the first cleaning begins.
The health screening materials are cleaned and brought inside.
Outside door, door knob, key pad, table, doorbell are wiped down with bleach and water.
Refrigerators (inside and out) are sprayed and wiped with bleach and water.
Microwaves (inside and out) are sprayed and wiped with bleach and water.
The dishwasher is unloaded – teacher must wash hands and put on gloves.
Clean laundry put away – teacher must wash hands and put on gloves.
Every toy that was in the classroom that day is brought to the kitchen and put in the dirty pile or put into the laundry basket.
Dirty toys and laundry are loaded
Every surface in the classrooms are sprayed with the bleach/water solution.
Bathrooms, soap dispensers, doors, door knobs, kitchen areas, floors, playground equipment and toys are prayed with the bleach/water solution.
Everything is vacuumed.
Windows are opened – AC OR HEAT IS TURNED OFF IN EVERY ROOM IF WINDOWS ARE OPENED
Surfaces are not wiped down until the following morning allowing the bleach solution plenty of time to kill any germs.
Lysol is sprayed on carpets, surfaces, doors, doorknobs