Hi Dominic
I work in a daycare in Alberta and it's a different story here than where you are however we have been open since June. We are back at almost max capacity, meaning we have cohorts of 30 people (staff and children). We allow children to use toys as they need to, they are disinfected daily, but children are allowed to play with toys other children played with. Our soft things have been removed from the rooms for now, so that a bit of a change. However our sensory stuff is still ok, we just have to have individual bins, tools, etc for each child. With playdough, we are allowed to make it and have each child have their own bag and we can keep it for a week.
We are enforcing very strict health and safety guidelines, basically, you can't come if you are sick at all and you must be 24 hours symptom-free with a negative covid test if you want to come back. We screen children every morning with their parents and take their temperature before they enter the rooms. We continuously look for symptoms throughout the day and send home any child that may be sick and we also take a mid-day temperature before nap so ensure that no parent gave their child fever lowering medication like Tylenol or Advil.
Although we have had sick children we had to send home, we have not had a Covid case yet. Parents are very respectful of the process and the new policies and work with us to keep everyone safe.
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Chantalle Wakelin
Operations Manager
Summit Start
Calgary AB
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-17-2020 11:30 AM
From: Dominic Tejeda
Subject: Teachers in danger?
Hello-
I've been reading this forum a lot and I'm getting so many good insights for teaching PreK during covid. But I keep feeling like we are getting ahead of ourselves. Should opening schools, even in hybrid model, be happening??
My district is allowing for "accommodations" requests for teachers with risk/health factors, but seems to be assuming that most of us are going back. (We are to open Sept 10.) Sometimes I can see this happening safely, but other times think how can it be safe at all ?!?
So, I guess I'm looking for some thoughts and opinions on how safe it can be and how not to freak out that I am risking my life for my job...certainly something new in my 24 years of teaching.
Many thanks.
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Dominic Tejeda
Beacon City School District
New Windsor NY
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