As we wait for the government’s go-ahead, daycare owners across the country are anxious about the thought of reopening. Floating around in the minds of operators and parents alike are questions like:
The key to reopening your childcare center is to stay prepared. Here at KinderPass, we’ve done the legwork and put together a comprehensive guide on how to reopen your daycare as safely as possible.
Let’s jump right in.
Let’s talk about what a typical day will look like for daycares post-lockdown.
We’re living in the age of face masks and hand sanitizer. Expect to arrive early and close later (or earlier) to accommodate extra cleaning procedures. Here’s how to keep your center as safe as possible:
Enacting these cleaning procedures is an important step to ensuring that you can provide a clean and safe environment for your children. Remember, disinfectant should be left on a surface for at least two minutes before wiping it away.
Cleaning and screening go hand-in-hand, and the two should occur regularly throughout the day. So, what should proper screening procedures look like?
The classroom has become the most dangerous area of the daycare. Here’s where we need to be strategic to be safe. Keep the following ideas in mind:
Before reopening, remember to keep track of which children are returning immediately and which staff will be able to support them.
Will certain staff opt not to return due to increased risk (including those who are older or immunocompromised, as well as staff living with at-risk individuals)? Will returning staff keep the same hours? Use an online tool like Google Forms to manage your families and staff—and to build a list of substitutes.
If we’ve learned anything from the pandemic, it’s the importance of preparation. Without a working vaccine, the threat of a second wave (or multiple waves) looms above our heads. Will your center be ready to shut down again?
Consider setting up the following to brace for the worst-case scenario:
You should also look into creating new policies that will provide your daycare center with some much-needed structure. Here are a few that we recommend you consider:
Drop-offs and pick-ups are a vital part of the daycare experience. However, you will need to create strict policies to keep these processes as safe as possible.
All drop-offs and pick-ups should occur near the front entrance of the building. Avoid letting parents into the building unless it’s absolutely necessary. You should also stagger arrival times using 20-minute intervals to avoid violating social distancing rules.
Set up a screening table with a bottle of hand sanitizer to ensure that all students are entering your daycare with clean hands. We recommend assigning one of your staff members to act as a runner to take the children to the classroom.
Make sure all children and staff arriving in the classroom wash their hands according to your hand washing policies to minimize community spread.
It’s inevitable that a child may come down with a basic cold or flu-like symptoms. If a child has a temperature greater than 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 F), they should stay home and rest.
We recommend that you communicate your policies very clearly with parents, so they know what to expect should their child come down with a cold.
All non-essential visitors should be restricted from visiting your daycare during the current pandemic. Your daycare should only permit essential workers, emergency service personnel, and other individuals that are vital to your ongoing operations.
Anyone who enters your daycare should be subject to a basic screening and temperature check. A sample screening test should ask the following questions:
Visitors that fail or refuse to answer the questions in the basic screening test should be barred from entering your daycare. You may also opt to use temperature checks with a temperature scanner. This is highly recommended, and an easy way to detect potential infections.
The face mask. We don’t think it’s too early to call it the number-one fashion accessory of 2020. The question is, should our staff and children wear masks or not?
The consensus among medical professionals is that masks should be worn by all staff members and children above the age of 2. But introducing face masks to children too young to understand why they’re necessary is far from simple. No need to worry—here are our recommendations:
In addition to face masks, classrooms will need to be deep cleaned and sanitized. You might even consider hiring a disinfection service to make sure your rooms are as safe as possible. For extra precautions, a couple of daycare staples will need to go, including:
With masks and sanitization out of the way, let’s dive into the administrative and regulatory aspects of reopening.
Perhaps the most vital part of the reopening process is maintaining open communication between daycare owners, staff, and families. Remember, our goal is to create a new normal. Whether it’s face masks or temperature scans, these changes will disrupt day-to-day life until they’re woven into a routine.
The secret to a seamless reopening is communication. Make sure parents know what to expect. Keep these ideas in mind:
In addition to communicating with families, make sure returning staff are well-informed and understand what exactly is expected of them once your center opens its doors again. Training can take place virtually, well in advance of reopening.
KinderPass is a daycare management app that lets you enroll children, edit waitlists, manage staff payroll, and communicate with families all in one convenient location. Here’s a snapshot of the features we offer:
KinderPass’s powerful software simplifies day-to-day operations so you can focus on providing the ideal learning environment in the face of a viral pandemic.
Join our beta today or get in touch with our team to learn more about our daycare and preschool app.
