COVID-19 Safety Plan Policies & Procedures

Updated: October 2021

Accessing the studio & Drop Off/Pick Up 

  • Staff, children, parents, and caregivers must not enter the premise if they have symptoms of COVID-19 or have travelled outside of Canada in the last 14 days or have been identified by public health as a close contact of a person with a confirmed case of COVID-19. 

  • Staff, children & anyone who enters the premise is required to wear a mask.

  • We have posted signage on the front door and at the front desk reminding people not to enter the site if they have symptoms associated with COVID-19. 

  • Staff with symptoms of COVID-19 will be excluded from work, stay home, and self-isolate until they have been assessed by a health care provider to exclude COVID-19 or other infectious disease, and their symptoms have resolved.

  • Parents and caregivers are required to assess their children daily for the presence of symptoms of common cold, influenza, COVID-19, or other infectious respiratory disease prior to drop off. Parents and caregivers must keep their children at home until they have been assessed by a health care provider to exclude COVID-19 or other infectious diseases, and their symptoms have resolved.

  • If a child becomes ill or exhibits symptoms of COVID-19 while in care they will be moved to an area away from the rest of the children and their parents/caregivers will be contacted to pick them up immediately. If we are unable to reach their parents/caregivers their emergency contact will be contacted.

  • If a staff member becomes ill or exhibits symptoms of COVID-19 while at work they will be required leave work immediately and self isolate until they are deemed safe to return

  • At drop off and pick up we are limiting one family at a time to enter the studio. Parents are not allowed to enter past the gate to the care are and must stay in the front by the front desk. 

  • Parents must use the hand sanitzer provided at the front desk before signing in/out 

Hand Hygiene & Respiratory Etiquette

  • Proper hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette is posted through out the studio and in the washrooms 

  • Staff will support children to wash their hands regularly throughout the day, including:

    1. When they arrive and before they go home

    2. Before and after eating and drinking

    3. After using the toilet

    4. After playing outside

    5. After sneezing or coughing

    6. Whenever hands are visibly dirty

  • Staff will support children to:

    1. Cough or sneeze into their elbow sleeve or a tissue.

    2. Throw away used tissues and immediately perform hand hygiene.

    3. Not touch their eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.

Physical Distancing

  • Staff should maintain a distance of at least 2 metres from each other. Where this is not possible, for example when transferring a very young child from one worker to another, plan and communicate the work task in advance to ensure that time spent in close proximity is minimized.

  • It is not always possible for workers to maintain physical distance from children, and between children, when in care. Adhere to the principle of physical distancing where possible, by:

    1. Minimizing the frequency of direct physical contact with children.

    2. Forming a number of separate play areas in order to space children apart. Note that children who live in the same home do not need to maintain physical distance from each other.

    3. Creating smaller groups or cohorts of children and keeping these groups separate from each other.

    4. Minimizing the number of different workers that interact with the same child or group of children.

    5. Organizing snack/meal areas to space children apart.

    6. Including the use of outdoor space for various activities, including snack/meal time, while adhering to physical distancing and hygiene principles.

Cleaning & Disinfecting

  • We have removed toys and materials that have surfaces that are not easily cleaned.

  • We have remove items from the studio to reduce surfaces that could become contaminated.

  • High traffic and frequently-touched surfaces (e.g., door knobs, cupboard handles, light switches, faucet handles, tables, chairs, toys). Are disinfected with a bleach solution throughout the day

  • General cleaning and disinfecting of the workplace will occur once a day at a minimum

  • Toys and objects that children have touched will be disinfected at the end of the day and will be rotated to reduce exposure.

  • If a worker or child leaves the studio due to symptoms of COVID-19, clean areas those individuals were in, including surfaces they may have touched, immediately upon their departure.

Use of PPE

  • Staff, children & anyone who enters the premise is required to wear a mask.

  • Where PPE has been identified for tasks prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, continue to use this PPE when performing these tasks.

Meals & Snacks

  • Sharing of food or drink by staff or children is not permitted.

  • Snacks and meals are only allowed at a designated table that has been sanitized before and after use.

  • When eating outdoors, children will be required to use hand sanitized and wipes before and after eating.

Other Methods to Control Risk

  • Adequate amounts of high touch materials, such as art supplies, will be supplied in order to minimize sharing between children.

  • We will use the outdoor space as much as possible throughout the day.