NURSERY REOPENING PLAN

St. Matthew’s Nursery will be open to children ages 6 weeks to 4 years of age from 8:45am-11am on Sunday mornings beginning November 28th, 2022 onward.

All standards and practices are in place according to CDC guidelines. Please see CDC guidelines for operating child care programs for more information

CAPACITY

Capacity will be limited to 5 children at first, and upon re-evaluation, expand as soon as possible.

Spots will be filled on a first come, first served basis until demand increases. After that time we may implement a reservation process.

Capacity will be reevaluated every six weeks and adjusted according to current positive COVID test percentages in South Carolina.

HEALTH SCREENING

All volunteers will need to be fully vaccinated

Temperature checks upon arrival for staff and children. Anyone with a temperature of 100.0 or higher will not be allowed to enter the nursery.

Any employee, volunteer, or child who has any of the following new or worsening signs or symptoms of possible COVID-19 will not be allowed to be in the nursery: Cough - Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing - Chills - Repeated shaking with chills - Muscle pain - Headache - Sore throat - Loss of taste or smell - Diarrhea - Feeling feverish or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit – Known close contact with a person who is lab-confirmed to have COVID-19.

Employees, volunteers, or children with the new or worsening symptoms listed above will not be allowed to return to the nursery until all three of the following criteria are met: At least 3 days (72 hours) have passed since recovery (resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications); and the individual has improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and a negative COVID-19 test or a medical professional’s note clearing the individual for return based on an alternative diagnosis.

Any employee or child who is lab-confirmed to have COVID-19 or been in close contact to a person who is lab-confirmed to have COVID-19 must not return to the nursery until the end of a 14-day self-quarantine period from the last date of exposure.

PREVENTATIVE HEALTH MEASURES

Frequent hand washing (upon entering the classroom, before and after handling food or drinks, diaper changes and assisting children with the potty, etc.).

Our already high standards for cleaning will be intensified with more frequent cleanings throughout the morning of high-touch surface areas. Including a thorough deep-clean after children have gone home. Increased frequency of carpet cleaning.

Soft-surface and other hard to clean items will be removed from the room. Manipulatives will be placed in containers for the children to select and play with. After the child is done playing with the manipulative, the toy will be placed back in the container, and put away until it can be cleaned.

Children will not be allowed to bring toys back and forth from home.

The nursery will not provide any food. Parents are encouraged to limit snacks if possible and provide any drinks or snacks that their child will need during their time in the nursery.

PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

Staff will at all times wear a mask ​and may choose to wear a protective face shield as additional protection.

Children 3 and up will be encouraged to wear a mask. Some of the children will already be used to wearing face mask while out in public, but we understand that this may not be the case for all children. We do not want this to be a traumatic experience for the child, so the wearing of face mask will be encouraged, but not strictly enforced.

DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP

Drop-off and pick-up will occur at the door of the nursery. A staff member will take the child’s temperature when greeting the child upon arrival and before their parent or caregiver leaves.

Parents are encouraged to stay outside of the door of the room. If a parent needs to come into the classroom for any reason they will need to have their temperature checked and will be asked to fill out the health check form.

Child and staff will wash hands when entering the classroom.

IF A LAB CONFIRMED COVID CASE OCCURS

Nursery parents will be notified that there is a confirmed case, but names will not be disclosed.

Wait up to at least 24 hours to allow respiratory droplets to settle before cleaning and disinfecting.

Clean and disinfect all areas used by the person who is sick, such as classroom, bathroom, and common areas.