COVID Straight Talk for Early Childhood Settings

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A quick guide to help childcare providers reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections 

 

All of the varying information and advice about COVID-19 may feel overwhelming or confusing. 

The virus can stay in the air for a long time and may pass through vents and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning) systems. It can float into your nose or mouth, even if you’re not in the same room or near someone who has symptoms.


 

Last Mile has created these easy-to-remember tips focused on the three key factors that will reduce the risk of getting and spreading the virus: Masks, Air, and Distance (M.A.D.). Click here for our full length M.A.D. Guidelines.  

Our guidelines will help you create spaces that are safe for your staff, children, families, and communities, as well as help you assess when it might be necessary to close in order to prevent outbreaks.  

We can’t make childcare as safe as it was before COVID-19, but we can take measures to reduce risk.


How to help your community mask correctly.

How to help your community mask correctly.

 

DO:

  • Do: Ask all children older than 2 years to wear a mask

    • A good mask forms a seal against the cheeks and covers the nose, mouth, and chin but should not extend over the neck. 

    • Ask families to send 2–3 clean spare masks each day, labelled with their child’s name. Keep a supply of child-sized masks on hand.

  • Do: Wash hands often! Have everyone wash their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water often, especially if they touch their mask.

    • Have kids and teachers sing a familiar song completely while they wash their hands (The “ABC” song and the “Happy Birthday” songs are great options with kids). Remember that singing expels more virus particles for longer distances, so only do this while wearing masks. 

  • Do: Give young children positive reminders, encouragement, and assistance with masks. Offer positive reinforcement (i.e., “Wearing masks keeps us safe from germs so we won’t get sick.”) to children and their families.

  • Do: Provide high quality masks for all adults including teachers, staff, kids, families, and visitors. Check the CDC’s most updated masking guidelines for additional information.

DO NOT:

  • Do not: Allow children or staff to leave their noses or mouths exposed, dangle masks from their ears, or place masks under their chins or foreheads.

  • Do not: Allow children or staff to remove their masks or place them under their chins in order to talk. We exhale more particles while speaking, so it’s important to keep masks on! People can hear you!

  • Do not: Allow children to share items from home (e.g., books, toys, school supplies, backpacks).

  • Do not: Exclude a child from play if the child refuses or struggles to wear a mask. Instead, make sure that the child maintains a safe distance from others (6 feet/2 meters) until they can return to safely wearing a mask.

Air-safety made simple

Air-safety made simple

 

DO:

  • Do: Hold classes outside as often as possible to allow physical distancing and lots of fresh air.

    • Even if the weather is cold, children can safely go outdoors with the appropriate winter clothing.

    • Consider serving meals and snacks outdoors in good weather.

  • Open windows and doors as much as possible to improve airflow in classrooms.

    • When it is too cold or not feasible to do so for long periods, open the windows for 5–10 minutes a few times every hour, especially during unmasked activities, such as mealtimes.

    • Run any exhaust fans that help circulate fresh air from outside or a filtration system as much as possible to keep air moving. These are likely in your bathrooms or kitchenettes.

  • Upgrade your HVAC system with a HEPA filter or MERV 13+ filter, if applicable. Set the air refresh rate to take in fresh air about 5–6 times an hour We’ve compiled an air cleaner guide for more info on how to keep your air safe.

  • Check out our hacks for low-cost ways to improve ventilation. Make sure to childproof the fans for safety.

 

For some easy air hacks you can use to make your spaces safer, read here.

Children and adults should try to stay 6-feet (2-meters) apart when indoors, especially if they are unmasked. This isn’t always an easy task with young children, so don’t feel bad if you can’t pull it off! Here are some good ways to keep kids safer:

Children and adults should try to stay 6-feet (2-meters) apart when indoors, especially if they are unmasked. This isn’t always an easy task with young children, so don’t feel bad if you can’t pull it off! Here are some good ways to keep kids safer:

 

DO:

  • Do: Take extra precautions with adult-child interactions.

    • Infants or young children should be held only by a masked adult. 

  • Do: Take the temperature of everyone who enters the building. Ask parents to take their kids (and their) temperatures at home before bringing them to your facility. 

    • If anyone (the child or their family member) has a temperature of 100℉ or higher, the child should stay/go home for 14 days or until they can present a negative COVID-19 test result.

  • Do: Reduce crowding and contact in classrooms and other shared spaces.

    • Organize indoor spaces to allow for and encourage physical distancing and lower adult:child ratios.

    • Separate children into small “pods” that stay together and do not intermix with each other.

    • Keep staff assigned to a specific pod. Limit staff “floaters” and subs who move between pods.

    • Limit access to and use of offices, kitchens, and other enclosed areas to a few individuals at a time to allow 6 feet of distancing, and/or provide an outdoor dining area for staff.

    • Limit visitors to those providing essential services and for emergencies only.

  • Do: Reduce crowding in hallways and other enclosed or confined spaces.

    • Stagger staff as well as client arrival and departure times.

    • Use multiple points of entry.

    • Create a one-way flow of traffic.

    • Post reminders to maintain physical distance on the walls.

  • Do: Cancel all large group gatherings (10+) and consider hosting virtual events or smaller outdoor gatherings where participants wear masks and can maintain physical distance.

DO NOT:

  • Do not: Allow children into your building if they, or anyone in their household, has a fever or other symptoms of COVID-19, or were exposed to a COVID-positive person. 

  • Do not: Allow separate pods to intermix. If it’s unavoidable, adhere to our M.A.D. guidelines and wear Masks, keep clean Air moving, and maintain physical Distance.

    • Each pod should stay in their own area apart from other pods.

    • For activities in shared spaces (eg, gym, recess, lunch), each pod should have a scheduled time to use the space and walk to and from the hall on their own. Open windows between sessions and clean and disinfect frequently used surfaces. 

    • Whenever possible and when age-appropriate, put siblings or children who share living space in the same pod or classroom. 

  • Do not: Consider yourself alone! Create a relationship with your local health department to stay informed of health updates and to communicate effectively with health officials if someone in your program tests positive. They may also be able to help you with safety recommendations, contact tracing, or if a sibling in another school tests positive.

  • Do Not: Hesitate to temporarily close your program if you cannot open safely. While it’s a difficult choice, It is most important to keep everyone safe.

 M.A.D. FAQ

Now that you know the Dos and Don’ts for COVID-19 safety,
here are the answers to some other questions you might have:

Q: Will children’s development be harmed because they can’t see adult faces?

Masks cover the lower half of your face, but you have eyes that shine and can smile, arms that wave and can tell stories, voices that sing and can express emotion, and bodies that move and can dance. There are other ways to communicate that encourage more expression than we might use without masks!

Q: How can I get kids to consistently wear their masks?

  • Inspire children by making masks into fun accessories that feature fun patterns or designs.

  • Teach children how to safely put on a mask.

  • Read picture books that feature characters who wear face masks to encourage masking. Click here for a list of free to download books.

  • Make a storybook for your unique classroom featuring photos of the children at your center. This story helps to create a “mental script” for kids. Check out  “Now I Wear a Mask” for inspiration.

  • Educate children on the importance of wearing masks to keep themselves and others healthy and safe. Gently encourage children to wear their masks over their mouths and noses at all times, offering them reminders as needed.

Q: How can I keep kids enthusiastic and safe about mask wearing?

  • Children learn best when they are told and shown what “to do” rather than what “not to do” (ie, “Wear your mask over your mouth and nose.” versus “Don’t wear your mask on your chin.”).

  • Give yourself and your clients time to adjust to the new normal.  Persistence, patience, and support are so important. Very young children won’t be experts overnight. They need a lot of help and time learning how to wear masks properly.

  • If a child doesn’t want to wear a mask, acknowledge their feelings and give them some time and space to calm down away from others before asking them to wear it again. Don’t exclude them from their friends or the group.

  • Teach kids these simple rules:

    • Wear your mask at all times when at school and around others.

    • Ask friends to wear a mask, and say “Thank you for keeping me safe by wearing your mask.” 

    • Don’t move your mask around on your face. It must be over your mouth, nose, and chin to keep you and others safe.

Q: How do I know if the weather is safe to bring children outdoors?  

What is most important is that children are dressed appropriately for the weather. Download the “Child Care Weather Watch” sheet to help you make decisions. Ask families to provide extra changes of clothing and outdoor gear on days weather may be a factor.

How do I maintain a healthy humidity level in the building?

Maintaining a humidity level* between 40%–60% is best. You can adjust your HVAC system settings or bring in portable humidifiers to achieve this level of humidity. Consider buying a small humidity measurement tool (hygrometer)  if your system doesn’t provide this information. Remember, you want to keep nasal passages hydrated, not dry.

A portable humidifier can help maintain the ideal humidity, but make sure it is adequate for the room size or use multiple units.

* All references to humidity are for relative humidity, not absolute humidity. 

Q: What sanitization protocol should I use?

  • Clean high-touch surfaces at frequent intervals: between class periods, before and after school is in session, and take toys that cannot be cleaned out of circulation for a limited time period (5–7 days).

  • At a minimum, schools should implement once-daily sanitizing of tables, bathroom surfaces, door handles, etc.

  • We highly recommend you clean and sanitize surfaces in shared spaces more frequently than that, especially before and after sessions with different pods of kids.

Q: How can I keep track of people for contact tracing? 

  • Put a contact tracing form on the outside of every classroom door so that staff can record the date and time when they enter a room for longer than 5 minutes. You can customize the form to include specifics such as if the person participated in direct care (touching children or interacting in close proximity).

Q: What are some strategies to encourage children to maintain physical distance?  

Use hula hoops, carpet squares, or other creative markers to establish boundaries for play and to establish visual guides for appropriate physical distancing. Give children their own bagged supply of crayons, markers, scissors, etc.

Q: What should I do if a child tests positive for or has symptoms of COVID-19? What should their parents do?

The child should be kept home and away from others outside of their household.

Provide resources to family members on how to care for their children when they get sick. Check out our “what to do if you get sick” guide for more info.

Q: When should a child be brought to the ER or hospital?

If a child has difficulty breathing or experiences fatigue, is not eating or drinking normally, is urinating less frequently, or is not behaving as they usually do, seek medical attention or take them to the nearest emergency room (ER) or urgent care facility.

If a child has a high fever, cracked lips, a rash affecting the entire body, inability to stay awake, extreme weakness and fatigue, red eyes, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea, swollen hands or feet, low blood pressure, or chest pain or pressure—these could be symptoms of a COVID-19–related illness called MIS-C, or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. If a child shows any signs of MIS-C, they need to get to the ER immediately.

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