Hi everyone,
With cold and flu season upon us I have been getting many questions regarding COVID. Below is a document we created that, hopefully, answers many of those questions and concerns.
Please feel free to email or call me if you have any other questions or concerns.
Amanda
LCLA COVID-19 Protocol
Our Family Handbook, received at the beginning of the semester states:
DAILY HEALTH CHECK
At our centers, as children arrive for the day staff will observe them for signs of illness. Parents are asked to honestly inform the staff how their child is feeling. We ask for the cooperation of all families in trying to maintain a healthy environment. Please tell the staff if your child has been experiencing any of the following symptoms, if your child has visited a health care provider within the past 72 hours, or has been given medications such as Tylenol, cough syrup, etc.
If your child has been diagnosed with a communicable illness, exclusion guidelines from the Wisconsin Division of Public Health will be followed as needed. In addition, if your child experiences any of the following, we ask that you keep your child home.
To protect your child and others from contagious illness, please keep your child home if he/she:
• Has any communicable illness
• Has had a temperature of 100.4*F or higher – either under their arm or by mouth during the last 24 hours
• Has vomited during the last 12 hours
• Has had diarrhea (runny, watery, or bloody stool) in the amount of two episodes in the last 24 hours
• Has red eyes with white or colored drainage from the eyes
• Has head lice or nits
• Has cold sores with drooling
• Has a rash with fever or change in behavior
COVID & PANDEMIC POLICIES
LCLA will continue to do our daily health checks; during COVID and/or any other health pandemic; it will be a screening. LCLA staff will ask you health questions about both your child and your household and take your child’s temperature.
During a pandemic we may have to rearrange classroom structures to limit exposure of people in one area. This could mean that LCLA has more mixed age groups with siblings together and staff members with their children in similar pods. We will always seek family input before making these changes.
We reserve the right to close if we deem it necessary for safety of staff and children enrolled in the center. We will seek the input of local health authorities before making these decisions.
Regular tuition fees will continue to be due every Friday, even if we have to close a classroom or the center. If for any reason you need to cancel your contract we will follow the Voluntarily Contract Termination section.
Due to the increase in cases in Wisconsin, we will be taking extra precautions when determining if it is safe for your child to attend. The following list will serve as our guideline. However, we will also confer with our owner Becky Ketarkus. She is a registered nurse currently working for MMSD as a school nurse. We intend to take every situation case by case to ensure quality care while maintaining everyone’s safety.
LCLA Symptoms List
LCLA uses resources from Public Health Madison Dane County (PHMDC), Department of Health Services (DHS), and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to compile this symptom list.
Symptoms are considered consistent with COVID-19 when one of the symptoms marked with a (^) or two of the other symptoms are present and above baseline for that individual:
• Fever of 100.4 degrees F or higher^
• New or persistent cough^
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing^
• New loss of taste or smell^
• Fatigue • Congestion or runny nose
• Chills
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Muscle or body aches
• Sore throat
LCLA Illness & Exclusion Policy*
Parents/guardians will keep child(ren) home if the child is ill, or if they are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 as outlined in the LCLA Symptoms List (seen above). Children may return only when they receive a negative COVID-19 test or a note from a health care provider stating the child is COVID-19 free AND the child’s symptoms MUST be improving.
Parents/guardians will keep the child home if within the last 72 hours, anyone living in the same home as the child are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 as outlined in the LCLA Symptoms List. If anyone in the home tests positive for COVID-19, or if the child or someone living in the home has knowingly been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, parents/guardians will notify the school and will keep the child home.
Children will return only when they have been free of COVID-19 symptoms for 72 hours, their last contact from a COVID-19 positive individual was 14 days or more ago, there have been no additional household COVID-19 positive tests, and with a note from a health care provider that the child is COVID-19 free.
If anyone in the home tests positive for COVID-19, or if the child has knowingly been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, the family will notify the school and proceed with the appropriate option below:
a. If anyone in the home tests positive for COVID-19, the child quarantines for 14 days and can return only with a negative COVID-19 test in addition to any further PHMDC recommendations for testing. LCLA will advise with the timing of the test to decrease the possibility of a false negative.
b. If the child has had close contact with someone who has had a positive COVID-19 test, the child quarantines for 14 days and can return only with a negative COVID-19 test in addition to any further PHMDC recommendations for testing. LCLA will advise with the timing of the test to decrease the possibility of a false negative.
c. If someone living in the home of the child has had close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, the child will remain home until the close contact receives their COVID-19 test results back. If positive, refer to A. If negative, the child may return to school.
Families are expected to report any known exposures to COVID-19 positive individuals to the school immediately. If a child becomes ill while at school they will be appropriately isolated until a parent/guardian can pick up the child. Any child who becomes ill while at LCLA must be picked up within 30 minutes of notification (30 extra minutes may be allowed if discussed and approved by LCLA).
Children who are given pain medication for non-illness purposes must have their temperature taken before taking, and then again 2 hours after the period of effective pain medication.
Staff Member & Teacher Illness
• No staff member or teacher may report to work if they are ill, or if they are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 as outlined in the LCLA Symptoms List. Staff members and teachers may return only when they have received a negative COVID-19 test or a note from a health care provider stating they are COVID-19 free AND have improving COVID-19 symptoms.
• LCLA is operating under the assumption that faculty and staff will conduct a COVID self-screening at home. Operating under this honors system reporting, LCLA will assume that faculty and staff who report to work are not ill, exhibiting symptoms from the LCLA Symptoms List, have not been exposed to COVID, and have not been told to quarantine due to COVID-19. If this honors system reporting is not effective, LCLA will need to implement active reporting onsite.
• Any staff member or teacher showing signs of illness will leave immediately and seek COVID-19 testing. The school will report to families any known exposures to COVID-19 positive individuals, or positive cases within a household, while respecting the privacy of the individual. Employees who have symptoms must notify their supervisor and seek a COVID-19 test.
• No staff member or teacher may report to work if anyone living in their household are awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test.
• If anyone in the home tests positive for COVID-19, or if the staff member, teacher, or someone living in the home has knowingly been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, the staff member/teacher will notify the school and proceeds with one of the following:
a. If anyone in the home tests positive for COVID-19, the staff member/teacher quarantines for 14 days and can return only with a negative COVID-19 test in addition to any further PHMDC recommendations for testing. LCLA will advise with the timing of the test to decrease the possibility of a false negative.
b. If the staff member/teacher has had close contact with someone who has had a positive COVID-19 test, the staff member quarantines for 14 days and can return only with a negative COVID-19 test in addition to any further PHMDC recommendations for testing. LCLA will advise with the timing of the test to decrease the possibility of a false negative.
c. If someone living in the home of the staff member/teacher has had close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, the staff member/teacher will remain home until the close contact receives their COVID-19 test results back. If positive, refer to A. If negative, the staff member/teacher may return to school.
• Staff who have tested positive for COVID-19, or have another COVID-19 related absence in accordance with this policy, will continue to receive pay during that time off.
• Staff members who choose to take pain medication for non-illness purposes must take their temperature before ingestion, and then again 2 hours after the period of effective pain medication.
Exclusion Criteria
• No student, staff member, or teacher will be permitted inside the building if they are ill, or if they are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 as outlined in the LCLA Symptoms List. If an individual is excluded due to COVID-19 symptoms, they will not be permitted back on the premises until they have improved symptoms AND provide staff with documentation from a health care provider that the child/employee is COVID-19 free.
• There is mandatory 14-day quarantine exclusion for any child or staff person in a household or who has knowingly been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Confirmed COVID-19 cases will be reported to the Public Health department by calling (608)266-4821 within 24 hours. LCLA will follow all Public Health procedures in addition to school policy.
• If there is a reported positive COVID-19 case within LCLA, we will defer to Public Health to determine if any exclusions or closures are necessary. Regular tuition fees will continue to be due every Friday, even if we have to close a classroom or the center. If for any reason you need to cancel your contract we will follow the Voluntarily Contract Termination section.
