The policies and procedures listed below were created with guidance from the North Carolina Dept. Health & Human Services Interim Guidance for Child Care Settings in order to keep our students, families and staff safe and healthy. Due to mandates and licensing requirements, as well as best practices, the policies and procedures listed below are mandatory for all staff, students and families. Thank you for helping us help you and your family.

The following people MAY NOT ATTEND JPS:

  1. Anyone showing any symptoms of COVID-19
    • Fever (100.4 or higher) or chills
    • Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing
    • New loss of taste or smell
    • Congestion or runny nose
    • Nausea or vomiting
    • New cough
    • Fatigue
    • Muscle or body aches
    • Sore throat
    • Headache
    • Diarrhea
  2. Anyone who thinks they have COVID-19
  3. Anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19
  4. Anyone awaiting the results of testing for COVID-19
  5. Anyone who recently had direct contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, this of course includes anyone living in your home.

DROP OFF/PICK UP PROCEDURES

Parents are permitted to come in the building and drop their child off.  We only offer carpool from 8:50-9:05 in the morning.  

Parents are asked to wear masks at all times while in the building.

All children and staff will be screened before entering the building.

A daily health screening will be conducted on each staff member as they enter the building.  Parents need to complete their family screening prior to entering the building through the provided link: https://form.jotform.com/203105416060136. The health screening will include:

  1. Is anyone in your home exhibting any symptoms of Covid-19?  Fever of 100.4 or higher/chills, shortness of breath/cough, new loss of taste or smell.
  2. Has anyone at home tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 14 days?
  3. Is anyone at home awaiting Covid-19 test results?
  4. Have you or your child had close contact with anyone with Covid-19?

Arrival Times:

Please read carefully – it is important for the function of the school and the staff that you drop off and pick up at the below designated times. If you arrive at a time that is outside the below recommended times, you will be able to walk your child to his/her class on your own.  If you know in advance that you will be dropping off late, please inform the office in advance.

7:30 Children who are registered for pre-care can be dropped off anytime between 7:30-8:30am. You may walk your child to class and show the teacher your Covid screening.

9:00 Children who are registered to begin school at 9am may be dropped off starting at 8:50am. If you arrive later than 9:05 am, you may have to wait until someone is available to allow you into the building.

Pickup Times:

3:00 If your child is registered in the part day program, you are expected to pick up between 2:45-3:00pm. Staff will be waiting outside when you arrive and will bring the child directly to your car.

6:00 If your child is registered in the full day program, you are expected to pick up at either 4:15-4:30, 5:00-5:15, or 5:45-6:00. If you arrive at any other time, please wait until a staff member comes out for carpool.

Please park in the parking lot, come through the lobby area and into the school.  Parents will not be allowed to pick up at the outside door of the classroom, this poses a safety hazard for the children in the classroom as well as the teachers.  

PREVENTING THE SPREAD/SOCIAL DISTANCING:

  • The same small group of children and staff members will be kept together throughout the day; there will be no combining of groups. To the degree possible, staff will remain with the same groups from day to day and week to week. This will help reduce potential exposures.
  • The group sizes will remain within the ratios we normally adhere to.
  • The teachers will encourage individual play/activities and may restructure the classroom furniture to allow for maximum space between children during play.
  • During mealtimes, tables will be arranged to ensure that there is distancing of students.
  • Outdoor play will be staggered according to a schedule, and social distancing will apply to playing outside.
  • During rest time, cots will be placed as far apart as possible.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES:

  • No combined group activities will be planned.
  • No indoor shared space will be used (by different groups of children).
  • No outside instructors will be allowed in the building (this will exclude music and library instructors).
  • Item sharing will be limited; each child will have their own set of commonly used items (such as markers, scissors, glue, crayons, etc.) so they will not need to share these with other children.
  • Students will be reminded not to touch their faces and wash their hands often during the day.
  • When children are waiting to wash their hands, they will maintain a distance from their classmates. Time standing in lines will be minimized.

ADULT PROCEDURES:

  • Social distancing will be practiced by staff to the maximum extent while still allowing for the care of children. JPS understands that staff need to be in close proximity to children when providing care, but our staff will limit physical proximity as best as they are able.
  • For the safety of our students and staff, all adults at JPS must follow posted signage in regards to policies and procedures.
  • All staff will be screened upon entering the building
  • Staff are required to wear face coverings (unless an exception applies)

INFECTION CONTROL AND SANITATION PRACTICES:

Washing hands and sanitizing surfaces are the most important things we can do now. Limiting the amount of materials in the classroom will ensure that we can clean and sanitize properly each day.

  • Frequent hand washing – Staff and children are required to wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds when entering the classroom, before meals or snacks, after outside time, after going to the bathroom, and prior to leaving for home. If soap and water are not readily available (if on the playground), they will use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
  • Students, families, and staff will be reminded to avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands and to cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash and clean hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer (if soap and water are not readily available).

FACILITY CLEANING:

  • JPS staff will follow a schedule for cleaning and sanitizing throughout the day. Surfaces and objects that are frequently touched, such as doorknobs, light switches, faucet handles, etc. will be routinely cleaned throughout the day.
  • Our cleaning service will be cleaning daily, following cleaning and sanitizing standards.
  • Outdoor playgrounds generally require normal routine cleaning and do not require disinfection. Spraying disinfectant on outdoor playgrounds is not an efficient use of disinfectant supplies and has not been proven to reduce the risk of COVID-19 to the public. However, JPS will routinely clean high-touch surfaces made of plastic or metal.

CLEANING OF STUDENT ITEMS AND MATERIALS

  • Each child’s bedding for nap will be washed weekly. Teachers will send your child’s sheet and blanket home at the end of each week, you will wash and return on Monday.
  • Cots, as usual, will be labeled individually for each child, and the children will be spaced as far apart as possible during nap time.
  • Items that cannot be cleaned and disinfected properly will not be used (soft and porous toys).
  • Toys will be cleaned and sanitized daily.
  • Any toys or materials that are mouthed will be placed in a separate bin that is inaccessible to children. Mouthed toys will be cleaned and sanitized before being returned to the shelves.

HEALTH PROCEDURES FOLLOWING CURRENT MANDATES

  • If a child or staff member develops symptoms of COVID-19 (fever of 100.4 or higher, cough, or shortness of breath) while at the facility, they will be separated from the group until they are picked up from the facility. If symptoms persist or worsen, parents/guardians should call their health care provider for further guidance. Employees or child’s parents/guardians must inform the facility immediately if the person is diagnosed with COVID-19.
  • Please refer to the chart below to understand when a child may return to school after presenting any symptoms of COVID-19.
  • A mandatory 14-day waiting period for any child that has been exposed to or has tested positive for the coronavirus must be followed before they are able to return to school. The classroom will be closed for 2 days for cleaning and to allow the local health officials to determine how the COVID-19 situation is impacting the school and determine the next appropriate steps.
  • Please refer to the CDC site listing signs and symptoms here.
  • Based on available evidence, the symptoms of COVID-19 are similar in children and adults. However, children with confirmed COVID-19 have generally presented with mild symptoms, including cold-like symptoms such as fever, runny nose and cough. Vomiting and diarrhea have also been reported.
  • The CDC recommends that everyone 2 years and older wear a cloth face covering that covers their nose and mouth. Face coverings should NOT be put on children younger than 2 because of the danger of suffocation. A cloth face covering is not intended to protect the wearer but to prevent the spread of virus from the wearer to others, especially if someone is infected but does not have any symptoms. JPS understands that young children may have difficulty wearing masks. For our students, whether they wear a mask or not will be determined individually by their parents. Staff members will be wearing masks (unless an exception applies),

SCHOOL CLOSURES & FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

School closures will be made if:

  • It is recommended by the Local Health Department
  • Closure is required per state guidelines
  • We will reopen as soon as we are safely able to.

Classroom closures will be made if:

  • Any child/teacher in the class tests positive for COVID-19
  • Classroom can reopen 14 days from the last day of close contact with the person who tested positive (this is why it’s so important to keep your child home if they are unwell!)

What happens if school must close during 2020-21? (This applies to school-wide closure only, not a class closure)

It is imperative that we keep our staff employed so that as soon as we are ready to reopen, we are able to do so. In order to keep our staff employed, we will need parents to participate in paying tuition, as follows:

  • 1st Month: Virtual classes offered, full tuition:
    • For the month in which school closes, parents will be responsible for paying tuition in full, no refunds will be distributed (this is true whether the closure is on the 1st, 15th, 30th or any day of the month in question).
  • 2nd Month: Virtual classes, May deposit applied towards tuition, balance is charged.
    • In order for us to reopen as quickly as possible, we will need parents to pay tuition in full for the month following the month in which the closure began.
    • Your tuition deposit, which is normally applied to May, will be applied to this second month and you will be asked to pay the balance.
    • Virtual learning and fun will be available during this two-month period.
  • 3rd Month: No payments (and no school)
    • If, G-d forbid, the closure extends past these two months, we will stop charging tuition, stop paying our staff, and school will then be closed. Once we are able to reopen, parents will need to re-register, and staff will need to be re-hired

IF THERE IS A CONFIRMED DIAGNOSIS, when can a child/teacher return to school?
If a person is diagnosed with COVID-19 based on a test, or if they have not been tested but are presenting symptoms of COVID-19, they can return to the child care facility (assuming we are open) once they (or a family member for a young child) can answer YES to ALL three questions:

  • Has it been at least 10 days since the person first had symptoms?
  • Has it been at least 3 days since the person had a fever (without using fever-reducing medicine)?
  • Has it been at least 3 days since the person’s symptoms have improved, including cough and shortness of breath?
  • If a person has been diagnosed with COVID-19 but does not have symptoms, they can return to child care once 10 days have passed since the date of their first positive COVID-19 diagnostic test, assuming they have not subsequently developed symptoms since their positive test.
  • If a person has had a negative COVID-19 test (without any symptoms and without confirmed close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19), they can return to the childcare facility, as long as they are feeling 100% well.
  • If a person has been determined to have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 (within 6 feet for 15+ min), they can return to the childcare facility 14 days after their last known exposure, unless they test positive.
    In which case, criteria above would apply. They must complete the full 14 days of quarantine even if they test negative.

All adults and all children five (5) years or older need to wear a face covering at all times when indoors.

These policies and procedures are subject to change in order to comply with the health and safety requirements set by the Governor and the North Carolina Dept. of Health & Human Services.