Day Care & Youth Camps
- Read the Mayor's letter to childcare providers.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) allows physical distancing to be at least 3 feet for daycare and elementary school age children in a classroom setting, provided there is universal masking at all times and the adults continue to maintain the current physical distancing recommendations of at least 6 feet. See CDC guidance.
- Establish controlled means of entrance and egress to limit interaction amongst individuals and maintain social distancing:
- Limit entry to facility to one adult per child.
- Modify access to facility to prevent inadvertent interaction between arriving and departing adults and children. See CDC guidance, updated on March 12, 2021. Stagger start and end times of activities and programs to reduce peak traffic. Avoid creating a peak-traffic point at any time during operations, including end and closing of shifts.
- Suspend visits and tours of facilities for anyone other than children served and staff during operational hours. Allow staff from Department of Children and Families, Department of Health and other regulatory entities to inspect facilities and provide technical support when necessary.
- All cleaning and disinfecting materials should be kept secure and out of reach of children.
- Cleaning and disinfecting products should not be used near children, and staff should ensure that there is adequate ventilation when using these products to prevent children from inhaling toxic fumes.
- CDC Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting (updated December 21, 2020).
- Require that each child has their own set of materials. Prohibit sharing of items between children as much as possible.
- Clean and disinfect each item before and between uses.
- Inform parents that children should leave toys, blankets and their comfort items at home to reduce the introduction of new objects. Accommodations should be made for children with disabilities or special needs.
Parent Drop Off & Pickup
- If possible, greet children outside or at the door as they arrive. In case of inclement weather, parents should stay in their vehicles and staff should notify when the first station is available for them to start their drop off process.
- Limit drop off and pickup to no more than 5 minutes. Discourage families from being sidetracked and socializing.
- Consider staggering arrival and drop-off times and plan to limit direct contact with parents as much as possible.
- Encourage families to use the same adult for both drop-off and pickup whenever possible. If possible, older people such as grandparents over 65 years old or those with serious underlying medical conditions should not pick up children because they are more at risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
- Require adults to wear a face covering and maintain social distancing at all times while inside the childcare setting and do not allow entry into the childcare space, such as the classroom.
- Caregivers and staff should not engage in hand shaking, hugging or other physical contact.
- Assign a designated area for strollers/car seats, which are to remain outside classrooms.
