Pam Dudding
Contributing writer
Not only has the coronavirus has been a deterrent to many businesses and people’s everyday lives, but also to children’s learning options and family’s childcare options too.
Teresa Oliver, Executive Director of the Craig County Child Care Center, is very happy to announce that they have been given the “go ahead” to reopen their doors.
“Families, the childcare center will be reopening on July 6 with some new policies, regulations and guidelines,” she said.
They will be as follows:
- Due to the new class size limitations, they can only open at this time for parents that are working during the hours of 9 a.m. through 5 p.m.
- The center will have temporary reduced hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (“We are doing this so that we can have two sets of teaching staff that will alternate days in the case a child or staff member becomes sick so that we will have a back-up,” Oliver said.)
- Most Head Start and Early Head Start classrooms are only going to be opening from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (“However, we realize most of our community works outside of the county and we are doing our best to try to accommodate this need,” Oliver said)
- All children will remain in their classroom for the entire day (no switching rooms can be allowed to accommodate ratios)
- Only one class will be allowed on a playground at a time, and the playground will be cleaned before another classroom uses it
- All classrooms will have their own bathroom to use and will not share with other rooms
- All children and staff will have a thermal temperature scan prior to entering the building. Anyone with a fever over 100 will not be permitted in the building and must be fever-free for 48 hours before returning
- No parents, visitors or anyone can be admitted beyond the foyer
- Parents will sign the child in at the foyer, have the child’s temperature scanned and then enter the building where they will then be instructed or helped with washing their hands
- For pickup, each child will be brought to the foyer when the parent arrives and are required to sign the child out before they can leave the building
- All children will be served lunch and an afternoon snack in their individual classrooms
- All children and staff will have their temperatures checked upon entering (in the foyer), once midday, and then again before going home
- All teachers will clean the rooms, sanitize tables and chairs throughout the day and will encourage children to wash hands even more frequently than normal
- Cleaning personnel will come in each night and clean the building thoroughly
- With the lowered class size, social distancing children within their individual classrooms will be practiced as much as possible
- There will also be increased distancing between cots during nap time and no group time activities, etc.
Oliver added, “We plan to follow these guidelines throughout the month of July and will reevaluate the COVID-19 spread at the end of July and hopefully be able to include more children and get a little bit more back to the ‘old normal’ in August. I will update you with any changes.”
Parents and guardians are encouraged to call the Center for more information and to register their child at (540) 864-7702.
“Please feel free to private message me for questions,” Oliver said before adding, “I apologize for the inconvenience. I know what this pandemic has caused and appreciate our community’s understanding as we try to get back to normal. Please know the staff of the center has greatly missed your families and are excited to begin the process of opening back up.”
