At Seedlings we are open and running at a very different level, ensuring we are supporting our community’s mandate to help ‘Flatten the Curve’ during this pandemic. Many of our Seedlings families are graciously caring for their children in their homes, as Dr. Henry has requested. This has opened a few spaces for Essential Service Worker’s children in our Oak Bay Community. At Seedlings we are following all the protocols required to support health care in our program and we have also added more to ensure the safety of our children, staff members, and families! Here are just a few areas that we are focused on to support the health of our Seedlings community:
1) Parent and child wash hands upon entry to the program and exit of the program
2) Our families bring an extra set of clothes each morning so that we can change the children into fresh clothes. We will wash the clothes they came in to be changed again and sent back home later that evening upon pick up. Then send another set of clothes, or we can wash the extra set from the day in the following days.
3) The children will have access to toys that are easily cleaned and sterilized after they are finished playing with them.
4) Our Seedlings do not have access to dress up and foam or cardboard blocks at this time.
5) Our Seedlings are spending time visiting gardens and beaches rather than parks lately. We spend a lot of time outside in nature and in our neighborhood on exciting walks filled with scavenger hunts and little investigators noticing changes in the community. We are staying away from the public and being careful to not touch any surfaces other than nature.
6) Seedlings have been outdoors more often than before during these pandemic days!
7) Continual handwashing. We do not use Hand Sanitizer unless we are outside and far from a wash basin.
8) Nightly disinfecting of the entire program (this is a standard procedure in our program regardless of the situation - however, it’s sometimes good to state the obvious!)
9) At this time, we do not welcome outside visitors into our program other than our immediate families, and our teachers.
10) During Drop off and pick up
a.Only ONE family member inside the program at a time. We would ask that the same family member drops off and collects their children. (as much as possible) All adults are to social distance themselves apart as much as possible. We are asking only one parent in the building beyond our Seedlings staff.
b. Seedlings teachers will register our little friend’s attendance in our program.
11) Music Class with our talented music teacher from the community is currently offering the class via YouTubeLive on Wednesday Mornings from 11:30 - 12:00.
12) After each hand washing session (from families or our littles throughout the day) - we will be disinfecting the bathroom, door handles, and light switches to ensure the safety of all throughout the day.
13) Depending on our numbers, we will either have one teacher throughout the day or part-day shifts, where one teacher works half the day, and the other finishes the other half of the day. This is to ensure that a social distance protocol is followed throughout the day with our adults in the program.
14) We will encourage responsible distancing throughout the day with our children at all times.
15) All of our families and staff have signed a Family Commitment Agreement to COVID 19 in order to ensure our Seedlings community remains safe and well throughout this pandemic.
