Since the start of the pandemic, we have been adhering to a COVID-19 protocol developed by a parent who is also a physician in the UCLA Health System and fellow parent.
Although COVID-19 case counts are down dramatically, our kids cannot get vaccinated (too young) and therefore measures remain in place for everyone’s safety.
These are our guiding documents in crafting our procedures. We are constantly in touch with Community Care Licensing and Connections for Children for practical guidance in navigating these unchartered waters.
- Childcare Heroes (project of LA County) – helpful info for parents and providers
- LA County Early Care & Education COVID-19 Toolkit
- LA County Protocol for COVID-19 Exposure Management in Child Care Settings
- LA County Guidance for Early Care and Education Providers
- LA County Decision Pathways for COVID-19 Screening in Schools
- CA Community Care Licensing COVID-19 Resource
Your adherence to the County health order has been crucial in ensuring we stay open and nobody gets sick, and your cooperation is required.
Here are some of the changes
Because we are licensed as a large family child care, we can enroll up to 12 kids at any given time.
Small Group Sizes
Presently we have eight children. Our staff is full time employed at KFCC, thus limiting exposure. We do not offer one-time drop-in care, and only accept children who enter enrollment agreements with us.
Drop-Off & Pick-Up: Only 1 family will be admitted at a time.
Other families arriving at the same time must wait outside and maintain a distance of 6 feet apart. Please try to make drop-offs and pickups quickly to be respectful of everyone’s time. Masks are mandatory for parents.
Heightened Cleaning Procedures
We have implemented procedures to frequently clean all touched surfaces, including restrooms, play areas, sleeping areas, and diaper changing areas. We make multiple toys and manipulatives accessible that are easy to clean and sanitize throughout the day. Sharing of toys and materials is limited as much as practical; children must wash hands in between use. We have designate a tub for toys that need to be cleaned and wiped after use.
My Mask Is For You; Your Mask Is For Me
Adults wear face coverings at all times. Children ages 2+ are encouraged to wear face covers; we talk to them frequently about how wearing face covers protects them and everyone they love.
Keeping Kids 6′ feet Space
We try our best to keep the children separated, but due to age this is not always possible. This is why frequent cleaning, frequent handwashing, and taking precautions to limit exposure to others outside of your household is vital. Here’s what we do:
- Plan activities that do not require close physical contact between multiple children.
- We offer more opportunities for individual play and solo activities, such as fine motor activities (i.e., drawing, coloring, painting,)
- We still do circle time! But now the kids are spaced 6′ apart. We accomplish this by placing pieces of construction paper on the ground to direct children where to sit.
Frequent Hand Washing
Kids are prompted to wash their hands all the time. We have bilingual signage reminding the children of how to properly wash their hands.
