During COVID, parents have FAQ (frequently asked questions) surrounding how this illness influences child care programs and family access to care. When will the program be closed for COVID? For how long? What is quarantine and how long does it last? So here is the best we can do with the information up to this moment, Tuesday, December 1, 2020;
Q:Â If I test positive for COVID19 can my child attend school?
A: NO, your child will be in quarantine and at home with you for 14 days from your test date. You watch for symptoms from the child and other household members during this time.
Q:Â If I test positive for COVID19 does the preschool close?
A: NO. As long as you practice social distancing drop-off prior to the diagnosis and did not enter the building, the school will remain open.
Q:Â If I test positive for COVID19 does my child need to get tested?
A: NO, you child will be in mandatory quarantine with you for the entire time (14 days, plus 48 hours past the last symptom). A test is not necessary.
Q:Â If I test my child for COVID19 and they test positive, what happens next?
A: Contact the Preschool. We have to report this to many different agencies and close the classroom your child was in. Teachers, students and anyone in contact with your student’s class will now go into a 2 week quarantine (14 days).  There will not be school for this class.
Q:Â If I was positive for COVID and my child test negative can they come to school?
A: NO. Someone who has come into contact with a COVID infected person must quarantine for 14 days, despite a negative test result.
Q:Â What if I came in contact with someone who has a positive COVID19 test result?
A: You will be in quarantine for 14 days. We ask you do not pick up or drop off during this time. If you develop symptoms, please keep your child at home for 14 days from your first symptom and 48 hours past your last symptom. School will not close for this, permitting parent has followed social distancing protocols (6 ft from other students and families) and stayed outside of the building. At Bend Preschool our policy is your child can attend if they are socially distancing from the infected family member. If that is not possible, the child will need to remain at home during quarantine.
Q: My child has a fever, cough, upset stomach (diarrhea, vomiting), chest congestion, wheezing, etc. When can I return to school?
A:Â You child can return in 10 days from onset of symptoms.
Q:Â What if I then want to return sooner than the 10 days?
A: If your child gets tested and the test is COVID19 negative you still have to wait until 48 hours past symptom resolution and the child must be Tylenol/Motrin/Fever Reducer FREE. If the test comes back COVID19 positive, the school will need to be notified and the class will close for 14 days. All Teachers, students and any others exposed will go into quarantine for 14 days.
Q:Â My child is asymptomatic with COVID, can they still attend?
A:Â No, a positive COVID19 test for your child means the class closes, the teachers are off of work and anyone who has contact with this class (cook, licensing specialist, etc) is in quarantine.
Q:Â If the school closes with COVID19, will I get a refund?
A: No, tuition remains the same (don’t forget the 4% increase for January) and school will reopen at the end of the quarantine. We are proud to have NOT raised our rates for COVID. Our increase is just the normal annual cost of living increase.
Q:Â I’m going to be traveling out of the country, how long do I quarantine when I return?
A: If it is just you, 14 days and we ask you don’t pick up or drop off during your quarantine. If the child is also going out of the country, they will also need to quarantine 14 days after.
Q:Â What special practices has the school put into place to minimize risk?
A:
WHAT WE ARE DOING:
No shoes inside of the schools. Hand washing immediately after shoe removal. Wash/rinse/sanitize of every toy that is touched or played with, as soon as the child puts it down. Tables and chairs are scrubbed with soap, washed off with water and then sanitized.
Teachers wear masks and do not work when they are ill. Parents and all visitors are kept out of the building (except our mandatory inspections, or a repair that is required to allow the school to remain open). Playground equipment is sanitized after each use. Deep cleaning upon end of the day, of all floors and surfaces (handles, knobs). Water and soap is moving over to touch less systems (for hand washing) in each place where it is possible. Teachers are not shared between schools, classes and group sizes are kept to 10 students or less. This last measure helps if we must close due to exposure, allowing the unexposed class to still attend school.
THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY
We rely heavily on the kindness of our families. Thank you to all of you who push through this new frontier with us (and with all the new regulations we are following). We appreciate your encouragement, especially when the time comes to be forced to temporarily close a class due to exposure.
New information is expected out from the CDC tomorrow, December 2, 2020 about new quarantine periods after being exposed to an infected person. Child Care programs in Oregon have a massive amount of rules governing everything from sanitation, food prep, naps to bottle feeding in regards to COVID19.
While these rules change frequently, OHA and other government agencies are quick to get out the newest information and make sure providers are in the know. Those who have been open since March, are operating under an Emergency Child Care license. Without this, child care through out Oregon is closed.
Here are some links to the CDC page for updates on COVID19 studies. I find this useful when trying to sort out what the media or social media is saying and what the facts are as of this moment in time.
****UPDATE 12/3/2020*****
The CDC has announced today the quarantine will reduce to 7 days if you test negative and were exposed to a COVID positive person (but have ZERO symptoms). The quarantine time for COVID exposure without a test is dropping to 10 days. This has NOT YET been adopted by OHA (Oregon Health Authority). Here is a link to the transcript with the CDC interview with the new guidelines (Oregon has yet to follow this change).