COVID-19 Preparedness Plan

Updated August 2021

All Seasons Preschool will offer safe opportunities for children to play and explore  the natural world in a social setting. All Seasons has always spent large blocks of time outdoors and that will continue.  Additionally, many of our indoor activities will be moved outdoors, weather permitting. We anticipate being indoors more as the weather changes in the fall and into winter.

Frequent Handwashing
Children and staff will wash their hands frequently throughout the day, including upon arrival, after using the bathroom and before eating.
Children will be supervised when handwashing and instructed on proper procedures.
When soap and water are not readily available, such as when out on a hike, teachers will carry hand sanitizer in their backpacks and help children to use it when needed.

Cleaning and Disinfecting
Staff will follow protocols from the MN Department of Health and CDC guidance for cleaning and disinfecting.
If a person in the program is suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19, additional cleaning and disinfecting will happen in any indoor spaces where that person was.

Arrival and Departure
Parents will pick up and drop off children to their assigned teacher at their classroom. Because we are housed inside a healthcare facility, parents and children over the age of two must wear masks inside the building. Families will enter the preschool through the preschool doors.
Parents are asked to keep drop off and pick up brief to avoid extended exposures.
We expect families to inform the teachers at drop-off about any possible exposures or symptoms of illness in the child or the family.
If a child has a temperature of 100 degrees or higher, or symptoms of illness, they will not be able to attend school.
Parents must apply sunscreen and insect repellent as needed before coming inside the preschool to limit time spent inside the school.
Each child will bring a backpack containing: a complete change of clothes, head to toe, rain gear, a nutritious snack, and a packed lunch (if the child stays for lunch).

Plans For Sick Children and Staff
We will ensure that children and staff stay home when they have symptoms of illness, including fever, cough, unusual fatigue, flu-like symptoms, etc. We will maintain a list of qualified substitute teachers who know the program and have been trained on our COVID-19 procedures.
Any child or staff person who becomes sick with COVID-like symptoms will be sent home.
Parents must be available to pick up their children right away if they show symptoms. Multiple children attending the program from the same family must stay home if a family member tests positive.
Ill children will be isolated from other children and will be supervised while waiting to be picked up.
The MN Department of Health Decision Tree will be used in determining any COVID-19-related exclusion.
If a child or household member tests positive for COVID-19 or has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, families must contact the preschool immediately.

Face Coverings
Any parent or staff will wear a face mask when they are indoors.
In accordance with the most recent guidance from the MN Department of Health, preschoolers will wear a face mask indoors. Parents should send a well-fitted mask to preschool with their child. Children can remove masks outdoors.

Vaccinations
All staff are fully vaccinated.
Because we are part of a community that includes a vulnerable senior population, we strongly encourage all eligible family members to be vaccinated.

Ventilation
All Seasons will maximize our time outdoors, as weather allows.
When children are indoors, we will maximize the circulation of fresh air by opening windows, weather permitting.
The HVAC system in the preschool does a complete air exchange 2.56 times per hour.

Meals and Snacks
Families will send nutritious snacks and a packed lunch (for children eating lunch at school) with their child each day.
Families will be reminded to send snacks and lunches that meet the Minnesota Department of Education child meal pattern guidelines. All Seasons Preschool will supplement snacks and lunches from home if they are inadequate to meet the guidelines.

Communications and Training
Staff will review guidance from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control for child care providers on health and safety practices that prevent the spread of COVID-19 in a child care environment. We will make decisions about the program in light of the guidance.
Our plan will be communicated to families in writing and updated as the pandemic situation and health guidance changes.
Staff will be trained to ensure that everyone follows the plan and will be updated about any changes to the plan. The plan will be posted in a prominent place in the preschool, readily accessible to staff and substitutes.
Staff with concerns about their employers’ COVID-19 Preparedness Plan or questions about their rights should contact MNOSHA Compliance at osha.compliance@state.mn.us, 651-284-5050 or 877-470-6742.