310-316-8997
OUR COVID-19 FAQ
Below are answers to some common questions
DOES MY CHILD HAVE TO WEAR A MASK?
In accordance with licensing, we require families to send their child with a clean mask daily as well as continue to practice social distancing as a family, based on LA County Public Health Guidelines.
CAN MY CHILD STILL BRING A WATER BOTTLE?
Licensing has recommended that we use all disposable goods in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, therefore we will not be using reusable water bottles. We will have pitchers of water and disposable cups in each classroom and on the playground. Please leave your reusable water bottles at home, they will not be used while your child is at school, and will be kept in your child's backpack and out of use, away from where they may become a contaminant.
CAN WE CHANGE OUR CONTRACT?
Due to licensing restrictions as they relate to staffing and classroom size restrictions we will not be able to facilitate contract changes as easily as we have before. Every contract change will be evaluated on availability for staffing as it relates to your child’s classroom. This includes contract changes requesting a reduction in hours/days, as it may jeopardize your child’s spot and we may offer it to a child that will be able to fill the availability appropriately.
DO YOU STILL PROVIDE SNACK?
We will continue to provide snacks for all children. Depending on your child's schedule, this includes one snack in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the early evening if your child is staying with us until 6pm.
We will be utilizing more tables to spread children out and use name cards to ensure adequate spacing of children. We will continue to practice proper hand washing before and after eating. Whenever possible we will avoid family- or cafeteria-style meals. Staff will handle utensils and continue to keep food covered to avoid contamination.
Whenever possible we will use paper goods and disposable plastic utensils, following CDC and CDPH COVID-19 food handling
DO YOU STILL OFFER A HOT LUNCH PROGRAM?
We've brought back our Hot Lunch Program! All families choosing not not to sign up for our Hot Lunch program may pack a lunch for their child. Please remember we are a peanut-free and kosher-style facility. We ask that families refrain from sending items that contain peanuts, pork, shellfish, and mixing of milk and meat in the same dish. We ask that families ensure that all foods are cut and ready to eat. At this time, in an effort to reduce possible contamination, we will not be storing children’s personal food items in the refrigerator or heating them up, please send food items that require refrigeration with an ice pack or require heating in an insulated container. And as always, label everything you send to school.
WHAT IF IT IS NECESSARY TO CLOSE?
We will communicate plans for facility closure to parents, authorized guardians, staff, and the community through email and BrightWheel. It is crucial to continue to practice social (physical) distancing and other preventive measures while the facility is closed. It is important to follow the guidelines of home quarantine to avoid spread among children and their families in case one or more have contracted COVID-19
WILL TUITION BE REFUNDED?
If there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 among our children or staff, we will follow the Department of Public Health Acute Communicable Disease Program for guidance on steps we need to take to minimize risk for other children and staff. This may include closing one classroom or closing the school for 10-14 days. If this occurs, we will not be refunding tuition for those 10-14 days. We will continue to provide online content, when possible, for those days. Should we be closed for a month, we will refund 50% of that month’s tuition.
WHAT HAPPENS IF A CHILD BECOMES SICK WHILE ONSITE?
Per CDC Guidelines:
Parents are required to update their emergency contact information regularly so site staff can get in touch quickly if they need to. When a child does show signs of illness, they will need to be picked up immediately.
Children who develop symptoms of illness after drop-off at an ECE site will be separated from others right away, in a sick room through which others do not enter or pass. The child will remain in isolation until they can go home.
When possible, we will place a surgical mask on a child with fever and/or cough as soon as possible after moving them to the sick room. Guidelines for isolation of sick children are the same as those for an adult. The child must stay home in isolation and not return to the ECE facility for a minimum of 10 days after onset of symptoms AND until their symptoms have improved AND they are free of fever for at least 72 hours without fever-reducing medication.
Here is the LA County Public Health guidance on home isolation from the DPH website: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/docs/HomeisolationenCoV.pdf
Families are required to notify the school immediately if their child or an immediate household member develops symptoms of COVID-19.
WHAT STEPS WILL WE TAKE IF A CHILD TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID?
We will contact the Department of Public Health Acute Communicable Disease Program for guidance on steps we need to take to minimize risk for other children and staff. They will discuss if and for how long we may need to close for appropriate cleaning and other steps. The program can be reached at (213)-240-7941 during daytime hours or (213) 974-1234 (After Hours Emergency Operator).
Identify adults or children who may have had close contact with the ill individual for more than 10 minutes or those who may have had unprotected direct contact with body fluids or secretions of the ill individual starting from two days (48 hours) before symptoms appeared. Body fluids or secretions include saliva, sputum, nasal mucus, vomit, urine or diarrhea. These people should home-quarantine for 14 days from the date of the contact.
Please note that while all parents/caregivers and staff should be informed of a confirmed case of COVID-19 in someone connected to the facility, it is not legal to share the name of the infected individual. It may not be hard for children or staff to guess who the person is, but that is different from an intentional release of private medical information about someone.