Covid-19 Update

Covid-19 Update: November 2, 2020

Share & Care Child Care is proud to be open during the pandemic, once again offering childcare to families and their children.  As you return to work, know that we remain open, operating with enhanced health and safety protocols and as always with a small number of children in care. We still have childcare spaces available.

Updated Covid-19 links for families:

• Supports for Families with Young Children (York Region)
• Government of Ontario Covid Up-Dates
• Covid in York Region (Interactive Dasboard)
• From Health Canada and PHAC@GovCanHealth: The #COVIDAlert app now has over 5 million downloads! Let’s work together to break the chain of infection. Download the app here.

Covid-19 Update: July 18, 2020

Share & Care Child Care Centre re-opens on July 20, 2020. The safety and well-being of our families, children, and employees continues to be our top priority as we welcome back children and parents.

You will see the following changes at the centre:

• Drop-off times will be staggered to permit our staff to screen parents and children prior to entry. During drop-offs parents/children must maintain the 2m social distancing minimum from staff and other families.
• Parents may only enter the centre’s screening area (located in our foyer enclosure); after which a designated staff member will take children to their classrooms.
• Screening procedures have been set in place for all parents, staff and children who enter the building include taking their temperature and answering daily screening questions.
• Pick-up times will be staggered and children will be brought to parents in the front foyer as families are not allowed beyond the screening area. During pick-ups parents/children must maintain the 2m social distancing minimum (even when outside).
• Strollers may not be stored inside or outside of the centre.
• Children will need a pair of indoor and outdoor shoes that stay at the centre.
• Personal water bottles are NOT allowed. The centre will provide paper cups for children to use throughout the day.
• Masks will be used by staff in the screening area and when accompanying children into the program from the screening area; when changing diapers or assisting children with toileting routines; when cleaning and disinfecting blood or bodily fluid spills if there is a risk of splashing; and, when caring for a sick child or a child showing symptoms of illness.
• Full PPE (gloves, gown, mask & face shield) will be used by staff in the screening area and when accompanying children into the program from the screening area.
• Staff, parents and guardians, and children may not come into the centre if they are sick, even if symptoms resemble a mild cold. Symptoms include but are not limited to: fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, headache, and a general feeling of being unwell.
• There will be no non-essential visitors (ie. extra curricular programs), students or volunteers in the centre; with the exception of our Early Interventionist: Nancy Headon.
• Physical distancing of at least 2 meters must be maintained between cohorts and will be encouraged, where possible, between children within the same cohort. This rule applies to indoors and outdoors.

Policies & Procedures:

We have put in place a “Covid-19 Re-Opening Manual” that can be viewed online. All parents are urged to read through it.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact us by phone or by email.

Covid-19 Update: June 24, 2020

Hello Share & Care Family,

The safety and well-being of our families, children, and employees continues to be our top priority. We are in the midst of preparing to re-open Share & Care Child Care Centre this month.

Changes at the centre:

Based on the document provided by the Ministry of Education and York Region that guides new operational requirements, you will see the following changes at the centre:

• Drop-off times will be staggered to permit our staff to screen parents and children prior to entry. During drop-offs parents/children must maintain the 2m social distancing minimum from staff and other families. Once we have a clear idea of numbers, we will inform parents of the logistics as to how we will stagger drop-off times in an organized fashion.
• Parents may only enter the centre’s screening area (located in our foyer enclosure); after which a designated staff member will take children to their classrooms.
• Screening procedures for all parents, staff and children who enter the building include taking their temperature and answering daily screening questions regarding your child and the members of your household.
• Pick-up times will be staggered and children will be brought to parents in the front foyer as families are not allowed beyond the screening area. Due to size, one family at a time is permitted within the screening area, other families are asked to remain in their car or on the driveway. During pick-ups parents/children must maintain the 2m social distancing minimum (even when outside).
• Strollers may not be stored inside or outside of the centre.
• Please bring only a labeled Ziploc bag of 1-2 sets of extra clothes that stays in your child’s cubby. Backpacks, stuffed animals, home toys, food, etc will no longer be permitted.
• Please bring only a labeled Ziploc bag of 10 diapers at the beginning of the week. We will store only 1 pack of wipes and diaper ointment for each child. We will inform parents when their child needs a replenishment of any belongings.
• Children will need a pair of indoor and outdoor shoes that stay at the centre.
• We will no longer use personal water bottles. The centre will provide paper cups for children to use throughout the day.
• Classrooms are limited to a cohort of 10 that must stay together throughout the day and are not permitted to mix with other cohorts. A cohort is defined as ‘a group of children and the staff members assigned to them, who stay together throughout the duration of the program for a minimum of 7 days.
• Masks will be used by staff in the screening area and when accompanying children into the program from the screening area; when changing diapers or assisting children with toileting routines; when cleaning and disinfecting blood or bodily fluid spills if there is a risk of splashing; and, when caring for a sick child or a child showing symptoms of illness.
• Full PPE (gloves, gown, mask & face shield) will be used by staff in the screening area and when accompanying children into the program from the screening area.
• Staff, parents and guardians, and children may not come into the centre if they are sick, even if symptoms resemble a mild cold. Symptoms include but are not limited to: fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, headache, and a general feeling of being unwell.
• Should a child or staff member become ill, other children, including siblings of the sick child, and child care staff in the program who were present while the child or staff member became ill will be identified as a close contact and further co-horted (i.e., grouped together) until the child/ren can be picked up by parents/guardians to self-isolate at home. The local public health unit will provide any further direction on testing and isolation of these close contacts.
• There will be no non-essential visitors (ie. extra curricular programs), students or volunteers in the centre; with the exception of our Early Interventionist: Nancy Headon.
• When setting up the play space, physical distancing of at least 2 meters must be maintained between cohorts and will be encouraged, where possible, between children within the same cohort: spreading children out into different areas, particularly at meal and dressing time; incorporating more individual activities or activities that encourage more space between children; and using visual cues to promote physical distancing.
• In shared outdoor space, cohorts must maintain a distance of at least 2 meters between groups and any other individuals outside of the cohort. 

Policies & Procedures:

We are actively working on the changes to our policies and procedures to meet the new Ministry of Education and Public Health updates. Once they are finalized and approved by our Program Advisor, we will share these with you.  

Re-opening date (tentative) & Re-opening survey

We thank all of our families for completing the survey that was sent out. For those who did not, we understand that it is difficult to answer these questions. We will be calling to touch base with families in order to decipher how many families would be interested in returning in July and August.

We want to ensure that all safety measures are tastefully and effectively put into pace prior to reopening. We understand that we have asked for a lot of patience and you are looking to get your children back into the Centre but we will be taking our time and consulting with our Program Advisor and Health Inspector prior to finalizing any dates.

Provided that we are able to prepare our physical space, complete our updated polices & procedures, & gain approval from our Program Advisor and Health Inspector, we are tentatively looking at reopening dates of Monday July 13th 2020 or  Monday July 20th 2020.

Belongings:

As we have begun to completely empty our environment for cleaning, our team of staff have packed all children’s belongings including shoes, backpacks, diapers, etc. We are asking families to come on Friday June 19^th 2020 between 12pm – 4pm to pick up your child(ren)’s belongings. We ask families to remain on the driveway and maintain a 2 meter social /physical distance; an educator will bring the belongings to you.  

We continue to thank everyone for their patience, kindness and outpouring of support! We couldn’t be luckier to have a caring family like we do!