HEALTH & SAFETY PROCEDURES
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The health and safety of our staff and students remains our top priority. 116Kids will at all times maintain best practices protocols as provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Department of Education (DOE), and Department of Health/Office of Children and Family Services (DOH/OCFS) to prevent or reduce the spread of COVID-19.
We ask that you review these guidelines with your children and reinforce the importance of following all recommended practices. If adherence proves too difficult for a child, we will ask that they be picked up immediately. Repeated instances of non-compliance may result in removal from the program to meet health and safety requirements.
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Remember, there is still community transmission of COVID-19 in NYC.
Keep in mind the Core Four actions for preventing COVID-19:
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Stay home if sick. Staff and students must stay home if they are sick.
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Physical distancing. Stay at least 6 feet away from other people.
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Wear a face covering. Protect those around you. You can be contagious without symptoms and spread the disease when you cough, sneeze, or talk. A face covering may help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
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Practice healthy hand hygiene. Wash your hands often with soap and water or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available; clean frequently touched surfaces regularly; avoid touching your face with unwashed hands; and cover your cough or sneeze with your sleeve, not your hands.
Social Distancing/Occupancy
Referencing the CDC's recommendation of 3' for social distancing while indoors all students and staff will be asked to maintain at least a 3' distance throughout all indoor interactions each day. Our team will review these guidelines with children daily and, where possible, will mark their spaces on the ground.
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Hand Hygiene
Staff and students will ALL practice hand hygiene (via hand sanitizers and/or hand washing stations) before snack time, after using the restroom, and before departing for the day. Staff will additionally practice hand hygiene after disinfecting any supplies or surfaces. Hand sanitizer will be available throughout common areas on site.
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PPE
At this time, the wearing of masks by students and staff will be optional. Please note that we reserve the right to change these protocols should new information become available OR should any New York City or New York State department (ie DOE, DOH, OCFS) require that our program mandate such changes. If you wish for your child to remain masked while enrolled in our program, please let us know and we will do everything we can to ensure your child's compliance.
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Personal Items/Supplies
Students' personal water bottles and reading materials may be used during the program but can not be shared among children. Other personal items must not be brought to the program or must remain in a child's backpack.
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Health Screenings/Isolation of Sick Children
All students and staff are asked to stay home if showing any signs of illness. Upon arrival daily, all staff will complete a self-assessment of symptoms. Any student showing signs of illness will be immediately isolated from the group and a parent will be contacted. For everyone's safety, families must have plans in place to have their child picked up promptly. For any families who live or work outside of the immediate neighborhood, please identify an emergency pickup person(s) that can arrive promptly, and ensure that we have their contact information on file.
Additionally, staff will make visual inspections of children throughout the afternoon for signs of potential COVID-19 illness which could include flushed cheeks, rapid breathing or difficulty breathing (without recent physical activity), fatigue, or extreme fussiness.
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Confirmed or Suspected Case of COVID-19
In the event of a confirmed case of COVID-19 either at PS116 during the school-day or during 116Kids programming, 116Kids will follow all guidelines provided by the DOE, DOH, and PS116 administration.