Leading Edge’s Commitment to Safety
In this historic time of disruption and uncertainty, it’s more important than ever to help our families meet their rapidly changing needs. We’ve put together an updated protocol to guide us through this ever-changing environment.
Below are our current procedures to promote social distancing and ensure safety based on state and federal guidelines. These guidelines will be applied in addition to our normal guidelines outlined in our Family Handbook and Employee Handbook. These guidelines may change as further guidance is received from state and federal agencies.
Classroom Access
We see our sites as safe and clean places for students to learn and grow. We also want you and your children to continue to have the best possible pick-up and drop-off experiences, including great conversations with teachers. However, at this time and until further notice, no visitors will be permitted into the classrooms during programming times, including parents/guardians.
If a visitor must be permitted due to emergency or state licensing requirements, that individual must complete a health screening as outlined in Appendix A.
All staff are also required to complete a health screening prior to each shift as outlined in Appendix A.
Drop-off/Pick-up
- Students and Adults must be wearing a face covering/mask which covers both the nose and mouth during drop-off/pick-up and wellness screenings.
- Wellness screenings will occur at drop-off for all children which include a temperature check and questionnaire as outlined in Appendix A.
- Children with a fever of 100.4°F or higher and/or other signs of illness as defined below will not be permitted to join the program.
- Children or staff who do not complete the wellness check will not be permitted into the program.
- Families will drop-off/pick-up children from a designated location outside of programming spaces.
- Additional drop-up/pick-up procedures may be implemented at your location such as assigned pick-up time slots to minimize clustering.
- 6 ft of separation from other families/children must be observed during the drop-off/pick-up process.
Please see your Site Coordinator for your location’s pick-up and drop-off processes.
During this unprecedented time, it is up to all of us to take basic precautions to avoid illness and to be vigilant for any signs of illness. If you suspect you or your child may be ill, or have come in contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, share that information with your Site Coordinator immediately and make plans to keep your child home.
Symptoms
Each day families and staff will be asked to prescreen for COVID-19 symptoms prior to coming to school and attest that there have been no household contacts with COVID-19 symptoms or with a COVID-19 diagnosis. Children displaying symptoms of COVID-19* will be sent home immediately. Leading Edge will consult with the local Department of Health regarding the need for a child or staff member to remain quarantined for 14 days.
*Symptoms of COVID-19 as defined by the CDC and Department of Health.
- Fever (100.4°F or higher)
- Cough
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of smell/taste
- Difficulty breathing
- New muscle aches
- Gastrointestinal symptoms
- Fatigue in combination with other symptoms
- Any other signs of illness
Travel Outside the State
As states and countries lift their restrictions, please pay close attention to CDC guidance around travel to specific regions. If you travel to these regions, you will need to follow CDC guidance for quarantining yourself and your family before returning to Leading Edge.
Isolation of a Child/Staff Member
If a child develops symptoms while in program, they will be moved to a dedicated isolation space where they will stay until a family member is able to pick them up. Leading Edge will ensure that the child is isolated in a positive and reassuring manner and is always in the sight line of a staff member. Any staff member who develops symptoms will be sent home immediately. The area that child or staff member utilized will remain unoccupied for the rest of the day where possible and will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized prior to subsequent use.
Below you will find a chart explaining how we will respond to COVID-19 exposure or symptoms. In all cases the local Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Human Services (DHS) must be notified of a suspected/confirmed case of COVID-19.
| Event | Response for Child/Staff | Requirements for Return to School | Notification |
| Child/staff displays symptom of COVID-19 | Child or Staff remains at home until DOH is consulted regarding need to quarantine. | Leading Edge will require a note from the Child’s PCP indicating the date the child received care and that the symptoms and situation are not indicative of COVID-19.
Children with any symptoms of illness, but not positive or presumptive positive will be required to remain at home for 48 hours before returning to school. Leading Edge staff displaying a symptom must complete a 14 day quarantine from the date of first symptom, provide a doctor’s note indicating their symptoms are not indicative of COVID-19, or receive a negative COVID-19 test prior to returning to work. |
None unless the case is presumptive or confirmed positive.
Contact Leading Edge staff and families. Notified via email and phone call if needed. Contact local DOH & DHS via email/phone. |
| Child/staff tests Positive for COVID-19, is asymptomatic | Isolation: Leading Edge will determine if the individual attended or worked at Leading Edge in the two days prior to being determined as positive for COVID and identify possible close contacts.
If asymptomatic positive, isolation will start from date of test. |
No symptoms after 10 days (or recieve a subsequent negative test) following a positive test and be fever free for 72 hours without the use of fever reducing medication and improvement of respiratory symptoms. | Contact Leading Edge staff and families. Notified via email and phone call if needed.
Contact local DOH & DHS via email/phone. |
| Child/Staff tests positive for COVID-19, or doctor says they have confirmed or probable COVID-19 | Isolation: Leading Edge will determine if the individual attended or worked at Leading Edge in the two days prior to becoming symptomatic or while symptomatic and identify possible close contacts. | Symptom free for 10 days from the first day of symptoms (or recieve a subsequent negative test) and be fever free for 72 hours without the use of fever reducing medication and significant improvement of respiratory symptoms. | Contact Leading Edge staff and families. Notified via email and phone call if needed
Contact local DOH & DHS via email/phone. |
| Child/staff in close contact to confirmed or presumptive case, remains asymptomatic | Quarantine | Excluded from Leading Edge for 14 days after the last day of contact with sick persons (or receives a negative test result), symptom free, fever free. | Contact Leading Edge staff and families. Notified via email and phone call if needed
Contact local DOH & DHS via email/phone. |
| *While these procedures serve as a guideline, every case will be reviewed with the local Department of Health and specific actions including isolation and quarantine may vary based on Department of Health guidance. | |||
While families may wish to know the identity of a staff member or student who has developed COVID-19 symptoms, Leading Edge will NOT disclose this information as it is protected by HIPAA.
We will modify our program routines to follow social distancing guidelines throughout the day. Some of these modifications include:
- Staff and children wearing masks
- Seating children 6 ft apart
- Limiting the number of children in a group
- Keeping children in the same group throughout the day and day to day where possible
- Providing each child supplies which they do not share with other children (crayons, markers, pencils, etc.)
- Removing items not easily sanitized (such as cloth toys)
- Avoiding games that involve ball play, tagging, or other physical contact
- Creating “stations” for each child, limiting the number of students at each table
- Outside visitors will not be permitted except in cases of emergency
- Use of personal items/toys will not be permitted in program
- Creation of a rotating schedule for use of outdoor spaces
Leading Edge will intensify existing routine cleaning. The equipment, materials, items, or surfaces (including doors and tabletops) are cleaned with soap and water then disinfected as needed to maintain a sanitary environment. All floors must be swept throughout the day. All eating surfaces must be washed and disinfected before and after each use. Staff will clean, sanitize, and disinfect their areas prior to the start of programming and during programming, paying attention to frequently touched objects and surfaces.
Masks/Face Coverings
All children over the age of 2 must wear masks during programming which cover both the nose and mouth per CDC Guidelines. If a mask cannot be worn due to medical reasons, a note from the child’s PCP is required. We ask families to drop-off children with masks already in place. Families should have a plan in place to clean and sanitize masks at home. We recommend labeling your child’s mask with their name on the inside so it can be easily identified which side should face out. For children prone to misplacing items, a lanyard attached to your child’s mask can help.
Staff members are required to wear masks throughout the day.
Gloves
Non-latex gloves will be worn during snack distribution (if applicable), screening activities requiring contact, and applying sunscreen. Gloves will also be used when dealing with blood, respiratory or nasal secretions, or other body fluids. To prevent cross contamination, gloves will be changed after each use. Previously removed gloves will not be reused, and gloves will be discarded in a lined trash receptacle.
Administration of Medications
When administering medication, staff will wear full PPE including face covering, face shield, gloves, and disposable gowns.
Cleaning Plan
Leading Edge’s cleaning plan specifies which items will be cleaned, sanitized, and disinfected and by what frequency. The plan provides a daily schedule of cleaning before, during and after programming, and ensuring that all areas, materials, and equipment used for childcare are properly cleaned, sanitized, and disinfected.
Personal Belongings
Children will need to bring a backpack to school each day to hold their belongings. The bag should be large enough to contain all the child’s belongings. All bags should zip closed. Please clearly label the outside with your child’s name. Home toys will not be allowed at school. Children’s belongings will be sent home each night to be cleaned/sanitized.
Handwashing
As part of our daily curriculum, we continue to emphasize the importance of hand washing and align with recommended 20-second hand-washing techniques. Signs regarding proper hand washing will be posted by all sinks. Staff will be trained in the steps needed for effective hand washing. Staff are responsible for monitoring children’s hand washing practices and assisting as needed. Parents are asked to wash their own hands and their children’s hands before leaving their homes and coming to school and prior to coming to school to pick up their child.
Handwashing for students/staff will be reinforced during the following times:
- Upon entry into and exit from the program space
- When coming into the program space form outside activities
- Before and after eating
- After coughing, sneezing, or blowing nose
- Before handling food
- After touching or cleaning surfaces that may be contaminated
- After using any shared equipment such as computer keyboards
- After assisting children with hand washing
- Before and after administration of medication
- After contact with a facemask or face covering
- Before and after changes of gloves
- Anytime a child/adult touches his/her face (nose, eyes, mouth)
- After wiping a child’s nose, mouth face
Date:_____________ Name: ______________________________________
Instructions: Programs may use this form to screen all children and staff daily upon arrival and prior to entry into the child care space. It should also be used to guide the ongoing monitoring of children throughout the day. A similar form may be substituted where required by state childcare licensing.
If ALL of the below are NO, the child MAY attend the child care program. If the child shows any of the below during the day, follow exclusion protocols and call the child’s parent/guardian to come pick them up.
If ANY of the below are YES, the child SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED to enter the child care program. The child should return home with their parent or caregiver.
Time: _______ Employee’s or Child’s Temperature: _________________
| Today, or in the past 24 hours, have you or any household members had any of the following symptoms? | Yes | No |
| Fever (temperature of 100.4° or above), felt feverish or had chills? | ||
| Cough? | ||
| Sore Throat? | ||
| Rapid breathing or difficulty breathing (without recent physical activity)? | ||
| Gastrointestinal symptoms (diarrhea, nausea, vomiting)? | ||
| Fatigue? (Fatigue alone should not exclude a child from participation) | ||
| Headache? | ||
| New loss of smell or taste? | ||
| New muscle aches? | ||
| Undiagnosed rash? | ||
| Any other signs of illness? | ||
| In the past 14 days, have you had close contact with a person known to be infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) or someone who is ill with a respiratory illness? | ||
| Has the child/staff member taken fever reducing medicine to reduce a fever prior to arrival at the program? |
OH: https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/responsible/Sector-fact-sheet-8-Child-Care.pdf
CO: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/guidance-for-childcare.html
MA: https://eeclead.force.com/apex/EEC_ChildCareEmergencyReopenInfo
RI: https://reopeningri.com/child-care-youth-activities and https://reopeningri.com/
PA: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/guidance-for-childcare.html