During to the 2020 Coronavirus COVID-19 Outbreak, Kids' Depot has remained open, following all policies, guidelines, and recommendations from DHS & the Iowa Department of Health. Our main goal is to provide a comfortable, healthy, & safe childcare for essential parents & families during this pandemic. We have and will continue to adjust our policies to meet the standards of the CDC, DHS, and Iowa Department of Health to eliminate any exposure possible.
Listed below are the policies that we currently follow, as well as links to their respected sites:
HYGIENE AND CLEANLINESS
1. Implement common-sense practices for preventing disease spread, such as: covering a cough, staying home when sick, and washing hands. Childcare providers are an important part of ensuring children maintain personal hygiene best practices. Increase these practices, particularly after eating or using the restroom. Talk to children about these practices. The CDC recommends washing hands for at least 20 seconds.
2. Remove all plush toys from childcare settings. Do not allow children to bring plush toys from home. Wash blankets daily. Minimize the amount of toys in your childcare settings and clean them daily.
3. Implement regular deep-cleaning practices at a minimum once a week, while continuing daily cleaning as normal.
4. If feasible, encourage use of cloth face coverings among all staff. Face coverings are most essential at times when social distancing is not possible. Staff should be frequently reminded not to touch the face covering and to wash their hands frequently. Information should be provided to all staff on proper use, removal, and washing of cloth face coverings.
5. Post signs on how to stop the spread of COVID-19, properly wash hands, promote everyday protective measures, and properly wear a face covering.
HEALTH
1. Conduct mandatory temperature screenings upon drop-off every day. Send home children with temperatures of 100.4 degrees or higher. Do NOT allow children with fever into childcare settings.
2. Ensure that staff and children are not admitted to a childcare center when they are ill. Staff should stay home if someone in their home is ill. Children should also stay home if their parent is ill. If a child’s parent is ill, send the child home, and have the parent call their primary healthcare provider. Healthcare practitioners are equipped to screen individuals and to refer for additional testing, if needed.
3. Sick children should be separated until they are able to go home. Staff who are ill should go home immediately.
4. Talk with your staff and parents about travel plans to affected areas so you are able to assess any potential risk. Visit the CDC’s Information for Travel page for the most up-to-date alerts.
5. Put your infectious disease outbreak plan into action.
SOCIAL DISTANCING
1. Insist parent(s) drop-off children at the front door, limiting adult entry to the facility, if applicable 2. If feasible, avoid field trips to locations where social distancing may be difficult and where there will be mixing of class groups especially during transportation. Field trips to playgrounds, parks, libraries and other types of activities where there is an assurance by the entity that they are taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is preferred.
3. Distance children while eating and avoid family-style serving, each child’s meal should be plated by staff and served so that multiple children are not using the same serving utensils.
4. Ask that staff practice social distancing outside of work (remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and maintaining approximately 6 feet of distance from others when possible).