Childcare & COVID-19

At Mother Goose we follow all Illinois Department of Public Health requirements for licensed Day Care Programs including:

• All staff hold first aid and CPR certification from the American Red Cross.
• The same staff is assigned to the same children each day for the duration of the program session, while children are in care.

Screening and Monitoring Children and Staff

Daily Health Screenings are conducted for all children, parents, guardians, and visitors entering the facility. An area between our entry doors is designated for screening. Social distancing is used to eliminate or minimize exposure risk during screening. NOTE: The CDC and IDPH strongly recommend individuals with a temperature of fever of >100.4 F or >38 C be excluded from the facility.

Children | Temperature checks are conducted and recorded for each child upon arrival by utilizing social distancing practices or our barrier/partition. Staff will ask the parent/guardian to confirm that the child does not have fever, shortness of breath or cough, sore throat, vomiting, or diarrhea and record responses. Staff will perform a visual inspection of the child for signs of illness which could include flushed cheeks, rapid breathing or difficulty breathing (without recent physical activity), fatigue, or extreme fussiness.

Parents, Legal Guardians, or Other Persons Authorized for Drop-off/Pick-up | Temperature checks are conducted and recorded for each parent, legal guardian, or authorized person upon arrival for drop-off and/or pick-up if they are entering the facility by utilizing the barrier/partition method.

Staff | All staff temperatures are taken before entering the facility at the beginning of their reported work period and records are maintained for monitoring. Staff will be rechecked for fever during their work period if they begin to feel ill or experience any sign of respiratory illness.

Visitors | Visitors are not be permitted into classrooms unless necessary for the health, safety and education of children and will always be masked while inside the facility, unless they have medical conditions or disabilities that prevent use of a face covering. Visitor’s temperature will be taken before entering the facility using the barrier/partition method.

Face Coverings

We require students, employees, and other individuals who are over age two and able to medically tolerate a face covering to cover their nose and mouth with a face covering when on premises. We permit face coverings to be removed while eating or drinking, when individuals are outdoors and social distance is maintained, and, for staff, while using a face shield when necessary to allow for facial visualization during instruction and communication.

Hygiene and Health Practices

• During nap/sleep time, children’s cots or cribs are separated by a non-permeable barrier to separate napping children. These barriers are commercially produced for this purpose and do not impede the staff’s ability to supervise the children. During nap time, children are also placed head to toe to further reduce the potential for viral spread.
• Use of shared waterplay, including pools, has been be postponed at this time
• Children and staff wash their hands before and after playground use. Playground toys (e.g., balls, etc.) are not be shared between classrooms.

Enhanced Cleaning and Sanitation Procedures

• We clean and sanitize regularly throughout the day. All high touch surfaces including, but not limited to, doorknobs, toilet flush handles and sink handles are cleaned every two hours, and computer components and telephones are wiped down before each use.
• No soft or plush toys are permitted