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Guidelines for the Reopening of Nurseries, Daycares & Pre-Schools

                                                        MINISTRY OF HEALTH
                                                  CENTRAL BOARD OF HEALTH
                                          Guidelines for the Reopening of Nurseries,
                                                         Daycares & Pre-Schools

General Guidelines

  • All Daycares and Preschools MUST be inspected and approved by Central
    Board of Health and the Early Childhood Development Unit before they
    can re-open.
  • Employees MUST NOT report to work if they have symptoms of COVID19, including fever, respiratory symptoms such as cough, shortness of
    breath or loss of the sense of taste/smell. If in doubt call the COVID
    Hotline at 462-6843
  •   If an employee is sick send them home immediately. Clean and disinfect
    surfaces in their work place. Others at the facility with close contact (i.e.
    within 6ft) of the employee during this time is considered exposed.
  •  Staff and parents of students must inform the Principal/Owner about
    illness.
  •  Instruct employees who are well, but know they have been exposed to
    COVID-19 to notify the Principal/Owner.
  • Employees and students absent from work/school due to suspected
    COVID-19, MUST NOT return unless cleared by a Medical Practitioner.
  • Inform fellow employees of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the
    work place, if an employee is confirmed to have COVID-19, while
    maintaining confidentiality.
  • Implement workplace control to reduce transmission among employees.
  • Workers and students with a cough, runny nose, jaundice, diarrhea,
    vomiting, should not be permitted at work or attend school.
  • Identify an isolation room/sickbay to holding sick students until their
    parents arrive. Parents must be called immediately to collect their child
    as soon as possible.
  •  Isolate sick persons (teachers, staff and students) who may become ill
    while at the institution.
  •  The school must use a touch less infrared thermometer to check the
    temperature of their employees and children each day before they enter.
    Any staff or child who has a temperature of 99°F and above, should not
    be allowed to enter until they have no fever and no evidence of COVID-19
    symptoms. *Follow guidelines on Taking Temperature.
  •  All persons on the school compound are required to wear a face mask in
    compliance with the regulations. The face mask must cover your nose
    and mouth.
  •  Each school is required to inform the parents about the measures the
    school is putting in place to allow for students to re-enter the premises
    for classes.
  •  Each school is required to explain to the parents the importance and
    reasons for school-related measures being implemented.
  •  Each school is required to reinforce the need for strict compliance with
    the guidelines for the return to school.
  •  Each school is required to take any appropriate action to protect the
    interest of staff and students by persons who are found to be in any
    breach of the protocol while on the school compound.
  •  If meals are prepare at the school, all Food Handlers MUST have a valid
    Food Handlers Badge issued by the Central Board of Health.
  •  All guidelines pertaining to Food Safety MUST be followed. *Obtain a
    copy of the guidelines pertaining to Food Service Establishments.
  •  Delivery personnel should wash their hands before entering.
  •  There must be a backup supply of potable water in the event APUA water
    is unavailable or turned off. There should be a pump and a pressure
    tank attached.
  •  There must be a residual chlorine available (both APUA and private
    source).
  •  Parents must adhere to physical distancing while picking up and
    dropping off their child or children. Parents must be wearing their
    facemask.
  •  Parents must cooperate, respect and be patient with Centre Management
    and staff as safety measures are implemented.
  •  General visitors to the centres are discouraged. However, where there
    are exceptions, their query should be made directly to the Centre
    Administration. All visitors who do not have urgent concerns should be
    encouraged to call or email the Centre.
  •  The names of all persons who visit the compound should be recorded, as
    well as the date/time of their visit.
  •  Each School is advised to implement a school absenteeism monitoring
    system to track both students and staff, or to alert the Ministry of Health
    of any significant increases in absenteeism due to respiratory illnesses
    (cough, colds, fever, difficulty breathing).
  •  A register must be kept of all staff and children at facility; this will
    include their names, addresses and phone number.
  •  No visitor should be allowed to visit location in the centre where children
    are usually expected to occupy.
  •  All Staff are encouraged to provide emotional support at the first sign or
    report of distress.
  •  Until further notice, all field trips are suspended until authorised by the
    Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education.
  •  Persons in need of psychosocial support should be directed to contact
    the Psychosocial Hotline for Tele counselling at 464-7421.

CLEANING OF THE WORKPLACE, WORK EQUIPMENT & FACILITIES

  •  The Custodians must thoroughly clean and disinfect all rooms, floor,
    walls, corridors, railings and other areas of the school to be used by staff
    and students prior to return of the of persons to the environment.
  •  Custodians must properly clean and disinfect desks, chairs, stools, work
    stations, tools, equipment, classrooms, playrooms, toys, door knobs,
    light switches, cots, diaper changing tables, and facilities prior to reopening and use by staff and students.
  •  Clean and disinfect bathroom facility after use and when visibly soiled.
    Focus should be placed on the toilet bowl, the toilet handle, the faucet,
    the faucet handle and the door handle.
  •  The toilet paper and the paper towel MUST be mounted.
  •  A cleaning schedule MUST be posted in all bathrooms.
  •  Custodians must be provided with adequate supplies of cleaning
    disinfecting agents. These must be approved products.
  •  Custodians must be provided with the necessary training and the proper
    use of personal protective equipment to carry out cleaning and
    disinfection task.
  •  Remove all soft toys from the centre and thoroughly clean and disinfect
    the toys after use. Discourage the sharing of toys between students.

HYGIENE AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

  •  Custodian staff must clean and disinfect desk, chairs, workstations,
    equipment and facility on a daily basis.
  •  Custodian staff must be provided with adequate supply of Personal
    Protective Equipment (PPE).
  •  A daily record of the cleaning regime of critical areas outlining Where to
    clean, What to clean, When to clean and Who should do the cleaning,
    should be displayed for check and scrutiny by a Public Health Inspector
    and daily by the Principal. Areas such as the bathrooms and classrooms.
    The times of such cleaning operation should also be inserted.
  •  Custodian staff must undertake daily and frequent (every 2 hours)
    cleaning of high touched/high traffic areas.
  •  Staff must desist from sharing common office supplies (e.g. pens,
    staplers)
  •  Custodians must wear disposable gloves to clean and disinfect.
  •  Custodians must clean surfaces using soap and water, then disinfectant.
  •  Use disinfectant approved to work against bacteria, fungus and virus
    (some may be certified to work against coronavirus).
  •  Diluted bleach solution can also be used if appropriate for the surface.
  •  Facilities for hand hygiene should be available in each classroom at the
    entrance door. A Hand Washing Station should be erected and equipped
    with Potable running water, Liquid Hand Soap to facilitate hand washing
    and a sufficient supply of paper towel for drying hands with a foot
    operated bin in which to dispose of already used napkin.

VENTILATION

All work space and classrooms must be properly ventilated
Keep all doors and windows open whenever possible

PERSONAL HYGIENE & PROTECTION

  • All persons on the school compound must wear face masks at all times.
  •  Face masks should not be reused and must be carefully handled and
    removed to avoid self contamination.
  •  Posters demonstrating how to safely wear and remove face mask should
    be strategically displayed around the school building.
  •  Hand washing stations must be placed at the entrance of the school, in
    adequate amount to prevent to prevent congestion upon arrival.
  •  Staff and students must wash their hands using liquid soap and running
    water, for at least 20 seconds, especially upon arrival at the school and
    more so after using the bathroom, blowing their nose/coughing/sneezing, and before eating.
  •  All staff and students must practice frequent hand washing. Signage(s)
    demonstrating the correct ways how to wash hands should be placed
    above the station in this area.
  •  Students should be given clear instructions to avoid touching hands to
    face.
  •  It is recommended that parents should give their child/ children a
    sample sized bottle with 70% Alcohol based sanitizing solution for
    personal use.
  •  Staff and students must avoid as far as possible, contact with objects or
    surfaces used or touched by others (e.g. door handles and knobs) and
    must wash their hands after contact with such surfaces or objects.
  •  Disinfect apparatus and learning materials used by teachers/students or
    other persons as appropriate or as needed.

DAILY ROUTINE BEFORE SCHOOL

All staff and students are required to maintain good hand and
respiratory hygiene before, during and after travel between school and
home.

  • ON ARRIVAL AT SCHOOL
  •  Teacher should carefully observe the student upon arrival and during the
    class time to identify signs of illness.
  •  When parents observe their child or children looking unwell do not bring
    then to school instead take them to the Doctor.
  •  Strictly enforce the wearing of a clean face mask for all persons entering
    the school.
  •  Enforce the hand hygiene protocol at the point of entry (i.e. staff and
    students must wash their hands on entry to the school).
  •  Ensure that temperature is taken at the entry point and assess for other
    signs and symptoms.
  •  Limit the number of persons entering the compound-people who are not
    directly involved with the school’s activities should not be allowed entry.
  •  Keep a register of daily attendance and note any illness of a student or
    staff.
  •  Inform all staff and students about the school’s hygiene and safety
    policies before they enter the premises. Signage to this effect may be
    strategically posted.
  •  Implement measures to avoid congestion at the entrance/exit of the
    school.
  •  Floor markers can be placed for persons picking up and dropping off of
    children.
  •  Ensure the enforcement of physical distancing by using aids such as
    floor markers, ribbons or physical barriers
  •  Restrict the number of entry points into the school to control the flow
    and number of persons within the school yard. Note, All School
    compound should be fenced.
  •  Footwear must be removed upon entering the centre. They may choose
    to wear socks or indoor shoes thereafter. The shoes must be of a material
    that is easy to wash and sanitize.
  •  Designate separate entrance and exit routes to avoid unnecessary
    bundling up of people and to enable the practice of social distancing.

DURING SCHOOL

Children should be restricted to individual small classes. The small
classes is aimed to limit any potential spread and allow for easy contact
tracing and remediation.

  •  Once placed in a class, children and the caregiver must stay within that
    class.
  •  Downtime and mealtime should be conducted in the specified groups.
    The class should not be mixed.
  •  Avoid assigning group work to students to ensure compliance with the
    social distancing policy.
  •  Each caregiver or teacher should strictly adhere to the staff to child ratio:
    Birth to 1 year: 1:3
    1-2 years: 1:6
    2-3 years: 1:8
    3-5 years: 1:10
  •  Square footage per child:
    Birth to 2 years 40 square feet
    2-3 years 30 square feet
    3-5 years 25 square feet
  •  The classrooms must be of adequate size to achieve physical distancing
    and the ratio assigned. This will be observed during inspection.
  •  Provide a designated area for storing personal belongings separately.
    Such as lunch bags, bottles etc in assigned cubicle.
  •  Space desks to accommodate physical distancing at least 6ft apart
  •  Keep open, where feasible, all doors to classrooms and other areas
    occupied by staff and students.
  •  Ensure that students do not congregate while at school.
  •  Strictly enforce physical distancing of 6ft apart at all time for everyone on
    the compound during school.
  •  Plan activities and lessons with the physical distancing protocols as
    prerequisites to the plan for a designated group of children and ensure
    those children remain separated from other children throughout the day.
    They will perform all activities in this group to allow for easy contact
    tracing if the need arises.
  •  Ensure the wearing of facemask at all times while in the classroom or
    outside on the compound.
  •  Ensure regular cleaning and disinfection of desks, chairs and the general
    classroom, must be done before and after use.
  •  Limit or prevent the mixing of classes while waiting to be collected.
  •  Restrict/limit the switching of groups or teachers. If possible, utilize the
    same teacher for the duration of their instructional sessions.
  •  Implement measures to control the movement of students into and out of
    the classroom and the school.
  •  Discourage/prohibit the sharing of resources such as crayons, artwork
    etc.
  •  Disinfect all desks and chairs used by students and teachers prior to the
    start of classes and at the end of classes.
  •  Provide foot operated garbage containers in all classrooms and around
    the institution.
  •  Garbage bins should be outfitted with disposable liner bags in each
    classroom, staffroom or speciality room.
  •  Ensure that garbage liners are removed and disposed of daily and bins
    are washed at least twice a week.

Discourage outdoor play. Remove outdoor play from daily activity, that is
NO RECESS.

Ensure that the physical distancing protocols are observed in the
classroom, at meal time and any other time when the children have to
gather.

  •  Reinforce good hygienic practices throughout the day. Teachers should
    always remind students of the COVID- 19 protocols by having short
    demonstrations in class.
  •  Focus on good health behaviour, such as covering coughs and sneezes
    with the elbow and washing hands frequently.
  •  Encourage children to sing while washing hands to practice the
    recommended 20 seconds duration.
  •  Consider using puppets or dolls to demonstrate symptoms (sneeze,
    coughing, fever) and what to do if they feel sick (i.e. their head hurts,
    their stomach hurts, they feel hot or extra tied).
  •  Have children sit apart for each other; have them practise stretching
    their arms out; they should keep enough space to not touch their friends

Specific to the Nursery.

  •  Clean clothes must be worn to work each day.
  •  Staff members should wear an apron or smock which should be cleaned
    or changed between major activities, or when soiled (major activities
    include between feeds, cleaning the environment).
  •  Smocks and aprons should be laundered according to the fabric
    recommendation.
  •  When babies/infants are received by the Care giver, their clothing must
    be changed before placing him/her in their personal crib/cot.
  •  Each baby must he held in a clean blanket.
  •  There must be no sharing of blanket, rags, bibs, or any other personal
    item.
  •  Changing tables must be disinfected after each child is changed. Hands
    must be washed and not sanitized after changing a diaper.
  •  Used bottles must be washed and sanitized immediately after use.
  •  Facemask and face shield must be worn by caregivers or teachers during
    activities which involves caregivers or teachers to be within 3 feet or less
    of a child for long period of time, for example, when feeding, bathing or
    changing diapers.
  •  All soft toys must be removed from the centre.
  •  No toys from home are allowed in the centre.
  •  Ensure that all cribs/cots are placed six feet apart
  •  Assign a crib/cot to each child. This crib/cot should not be used or
    shared by any other child while the child is still registered with the
    centre.
  •  If nap time is done on the floor, all mats should be placed a minimum of
    3 feet apart.
  •  Children should be placed to sleep alternately head to toe
  •  Sanitize objects and surfaces that are frequently touched during the day.
  •  All cribs must be cleaned & disinfected before and at the end of each day.
  •  Nurseries must have a working contact number for all parents and
    guardians.