Child care

COVID information

Daily self check

Any symptoms that are on the COVID-19 list of symptoms (see below) will mean your child needs to stay home. Each day you will complete a self check of symptoms for yourself, please also use this tool to assess your child. If they come to school and the symptoms develop while they are in the classroom, we will give you a call to come pick them up. Some of these symptoms are similar to those of teething (like runny nose, fever, cough, etc). However, we are being more conservative in our treatment of these symptoms because of some children’s inability to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or wear masks. Our goal is to keep everyone as safe as possible. We hope you understand and if you have any more questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

  • Fever or chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Headache
  • New loss of taste or smell
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion or runny nose
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Diarrhea

Keeping children safe

How We Are Keeping Children Safe
  • Your Children will be assigned and kept within stable groups with the same assigned adults in each classroom.
  • Staff will practice physical distancing from other adults and children from other stable groups and we will encourage children to do the same. Staff and children are not required to physically distance from adults or children within their classroom.
  • Only staff assigned to the stable group will be in the classroom. There are a few exceptions but they will be kept to a minimum in order to: provide specialized services to children (such as Early Intervention), meet monitoring requirements for publicly funded programs (such as grants), maintain ratios during staff breaks, provide service to the facility that cannot take place outside of program hours, and enhancement of program services through the use of volunteers and practicum students.
  • Volunteers and practicum students must be assigned to only one stable group.
  • All adults and children will follow proper handwashing procedures.
  • Staff will help children follow the proper steps to handwashing.
  • Handwashing procedures are posted at each handwashing station.
  • Handwashing procedures will meet Early Learning recommendations.
  • Hand sanitizer is available at a height accessible only to adults.
  • There will only be one classroom group allowed on each playground at any given time.
  • Classrooms and materials will be cleaned and sanitized between uses by a stable group, as they become dirty and at the end of each day. PCC custodial staff will clean and sanitize the CDC nightly.
  • At this time, Family Style Meals, where the children serve themselves, will no longer be used. Children will no longer serve themselves. One teacher will serve all children from the communal dishes.
  • Children will not have contact with one another’s food. Staff will closely supervise all mealtimes to prevent sharing and touching.
  • The CDC is equipped with MERV 13 or greater ventilation systems that meet the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards and we test and balance our ventilation systems to ensure they are operating at ideal conditions. As an added layer of precaution we have installed HEPA air purifiers in each of the classrooms and the mat room to help improve air quality in areas where the children will be most often.

Arrival

When You Arrive At the Center
  • Make sure you have completed the COVID symptoms self check before arriving at the center. Staff may ask if your child is symptom free.
  • Please enter the building through the front door and drop your children off at their classroom drop off area. You may then exit through the courtyard gates.
  • For families needing to enter the CDC for use of the lactation room, they may do so while following masking and hand washing protocol. A sign up sheet will be provided so families may pre-schedule whenever possible to minimize contact and allow for sanitization between uses.
  • Family members will be allowed to enter the facility if there is a concern for the health and  safety of their child. Family members entering the facility must follow  requirements for adults in the facility.
  • All adults in the center will wear face coverings.
  • Children above 5 will be encouraged to wear face coverings for as much of the day as possible, children under the age of 5 are not required to, but may wear masks. Children will not wear face coverings while napping or eating.
  • All family members above the age of 5 will also be asked to wear face coverings while in the center.
  • We will supply face coverings for anyone who does not have one when at the center.
  • We ask that everyone wash their hands upon entry. Adults may use the hand sanitizer stations available at the classroom entrances and hand wash stations are located just inside the entries for the children and staff.
  • Children will need to wash hands upon entering their classroom.
When You Arrive At Your Child’s Classroom
  • Please wash your hands and your child’s hands upon entering the classroom.
  • Make sure you have completed the COVID symptoms self check before arriving at the center. Staff may ask if your child is symptom free.
  • You will sign your child in on the sign in sheet in each classroom.
  • A cup with clean pens will be available for sign in. Once you are done, you may place your pen in the dirty pen cup.
  • When you are done, you may exit through the courtyard gate.

Responding to cases

How We Will Respond to Possible and Confirmed Cases of COVID-19
  • Any decisions about closure will be made in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Education Early Learning Division, local public health, and PCC.
  • If your child has particular health needs or susceptibility to disease, including  COVID-19, our staff and your family will develop a care plan for your child.
  • Children and families will not be excluded based on the belief that they are more susceptible to contracting COVID-19.
  • The CDC will use the most current version of the COVID-19 exclusion chart and will immediately notify the local public health authority, Office of Child Care, licensing specialist, and the PCC COVID-19 team.
  • The CDC will communicate with all families and individuals who have been in the facility in the past 14 days about a confirmed case.
  • In the event of a confirmed case of COVID-19 all children, staff, and others exposed will be notified. Before reentry all confirmed cases will be asked to consult with PCC’s COVID-19 team.