Our COVID-19 Practices

Our highest priority at The Little Birch Tree Nest is the health and safety of our community. By working together we can maintain a harmonious space for children free of adult burdens to continue social-emotional development and keep families and the community at large in good health. While guidance may change from time to time, we believe that the following practices will be sufficient to maintain a healthy balance between the developmental needs of young children and potential exposure to the COVID-19 virus. We expect that you and your family will be diligently following CDC guidelines to ensure the well-being of our community. In the event that you choose not to, you risk forfeiting your child’s place at The Little Birch Tree Nest.

Teacher

Programs will not run if teacher has:

  • Any symptoms of COVID-19 (as updated by the CDC here).

  • A fever of 100.4 or higher

  • Any close contact with someone who is suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 in the past 14 days.

  • Has travelled or lives with someone who has travelled in the past 14 days.

Children

Parents must not bring children to Nest if any of the following are present:

  • Child has an unmedicated temperature of 100.4 or above within 24 hours of drop off.

  • Child is coughing or having any difficulty breathing.

  • Any two (2) of the following symptoms are present:

  • Chills, fever, headache, muscle pain, new loss of taste or smell, repeated shaking with chills, sore throat

    If children develop any of these symptoms, parents will be notified and are expected to pick up their children immediately.

    If any child becomes ill during the day, teachers will physically distance them from others and contact the parents.

Families

Any person who may have COVID-19 and their immediate family members must stay away from Nest until the symptom-based criteria for discontinuation of isolation are met.

  • At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared and

  • At least 3 days have passed since recovery from symptoms.

These criteria may be updated from time to time and can be found here.

Use of facemasks

(including cloth or disposable masks that disguise the face)

We believe that wearing a mask in the presence of young children under age 3 has a detrimental effect on the caregiver’s bond with the child and in addition will adversely affect speech development.

Teachers working with children under 3 will not wear facemasks that disguise the mouth. Due to the small number of people gathered (under 10) and the mixed age group, face masks will not be worn by the teacher.

No facemasks are required outdoors.

The wearing of facemasks requires proper handling which greatly influences any benefit. Guidance on the proper handling of facemasks can be found here

Hand Hygiene

Frequent handwashing is critical to controlling the spread of infectious disease. At a minimum teacher and children will wash their hands using the CDC recommended protocol at the following times:

  • On arrival to the facility or into the classroom

  • Before and after all meals and snacks

  • After toileting or diaper change

  • After handling any bodily fluid

  • After handling any garbage

Teacher will ensure that hands are washed before and after handling food (as per our usual practice)

  • If recommended handwashing is not available, the use of hand sanitizer which meets the standard of 60% alcohol will be used. Hand sanitizer should never be used on children under age 2 and should be kept out of reach at all times.

    Hand sanitizer should be available in the backpack used during outdoor activity.

Regardless of strict adherence to these guidelines, infectious transmission is possible. Everyone who comes to The Little Birch Tree Nest including children, teachers and parents should be comfortable with the requirements set forth above. Anyone who is not comfortable with the above should not enroll their child until the risk of COVID-19 transmission is adequately controlled.

Daily meals and snacks

Teachers will prepare all meals and snacks in the kitchen using practices to avoid cross contamination.

Children will not share bowls, spoons, cups, or food.

The table will be cleaned and sprayed with disinfectant after each meal or snack. We do not use harsh chemical cleaning products around the children- natural disinfectants permitted by the CDC include vinegar and rubbing alcohol.

General Cleaning

Daily cleaning will be completed at the end of each day by the teacher. After cleaning, any frequently touched surfaces will be sprayed with disinfectant and allowed to dry overnight. All toys that were used during the day will be cleaned and disinfected. If at all possible, the toys will be washed in the dishwasher for best sanitation.

All soft or cloth toys will be laundered daily or sprayed with disinfectant daily.

All bibs and handcloths will be designated for individual use by each child and laundered daily.

General building cleaning will be done weekly or semi-weekly.

Additional requirements will be modified over time as the recommendations evolve.