If you’re like most parents, there’s been a day when your child has come home from school or daycare with a cold. Kids are very skilled at spreading germs; once one child in a class has a cold, the whole group often seems to catch it.
Since the advent of COVID-19, many daycares have become more vigilant in monitoring children for symptoms of a cold. At Mission Valley Montessori, our daycare makes every effort to keep children safe and healthy. Here’s how we handle situations where a child has a cold.
Daily Monitoring
Monitoring children for signs of illness starts with you, so we ask that you remain vigilant and check your children for symptoms of colds or other illnesses. That said, we understand that early symptoms can be easy to miss.
That’s why our staff members visually check each child before they enter the classroom. They’ll look for flushed cheeks, stuffy or runny noses, coughing, and shortness of breath. They will also take each child’s temperature.
If your child is feeling ill or has a fever of 100.3° F or above, they will not be permitted to enter. While we realize this may be inconvenient for parents, we believe it is necessary to protect the health of other children and allow your child to rest and recover.
We also ask that you avoid giving your child fever-reducing medication (like acetaminophen or ibuprofen) before sending them to daycare. These medications may reduce symptoms, but the sick child will still be contagious.
Staff Training
We take the health of your children extremely seriously. In addition to monitoring children for symptoms, we also take steps to prevent the spread of illness. All Montessori daycare staff members have received extensive training on mitigating the risks associated with COVID-19 and other illnesses.
When developing our training procedures and other protocols, we collaborated with the Office of Education Departments, California Child Care Community Licensing, and Alameda and Santa Clara County Health.
We have also made sure all of our protocols are consistent with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While we understand that not every cold virus is COVID-19, these protocols reduce children’s risk of contracting any other virus as well.
Preventive Measures
Several preventive measures designed to protect your children’s health allow us to put our staff training into practice. We regularly evaluate these preventative measures to ensure that they are in accordance with CDC guidelines and make changes as necessary. Here are some of the illness-preventing measures currently in place:
- We use CDC-approved cleaning supplies to sanitize our facilities multiple times each day
- During nap, gathering, snack, and work times, children and staff members follow social distancing practices
- We keep children in small social “bubbles” every three weeks to minimize the spread of any illness
- Staff members work with the same group of children whenever possible
If your child has been with our daycare since before these changes occurred, we understand that this new way of operating might seem disruptive or restrictive. Rest assured that even though we stay physically distant as much as possible, we still make every effort to foster community and give your child the support they need to thrive.
Interested in Montessori Daycare?
At Mission Valley Montessori, we provide a healthy, safe, and intellectually stimulating environment designed to prepare children for success. Contact us today if you’re ready to enroll or have questions about the Montessori daycare difference.
