Hi Everyone, I am sending a quick note to touch base regarding COVID and the recent surge and how it is affecting our center and our industry. Childcare is getting hit hard right now, and the Educational Enrichment Center DE is no exception. We have had children over the last week test positive both in and out of care. It is overwhelming for us all. When I speak with you, I can feel your frustration, and I want you to know that I am right there with you. As the frustration mounts, I implore you to try to keep in mind that guidelines and restrictions that govern health exclusions and quarantine restrictions are not set from the Educational Enrichment Center DE. Our guidelines are disseminated by the Division of Public Health. The Office of Child Care Licensing does, come out to inspect COVID procedures, quarantine timelines, and ensure general compliance. I have said it time and time again, but I truly appreciate your patience as we get through this latest surge. I am hopeful in the next few weeks we will things will slow down. In the meantime, I want to review our COVID quarantine guidelines, since the CDC has changed their recommendations. As of TODAY (things are changing daily): If a child tests positive for COVID-19, regardless of whether or not they are symptomatic, they must quarantine for 10-days from their test date. Children are not able to effectively wear masks throughout the entire course of the day, so they must stay out for the full 10-days.
If your child is close contact, your child will be required to quarantine for 7 days from their date of last contact, with a negative test within 24 -48 hours of their return OR your child will quarantine for 10-days from their date of last contact without a test administered. Please remember that if your child is exhibiting any signs or symptoms of COVID-19, or any illness, we will ask you to have them seen by their physician and they can return to school with documentation that they are NOT contagious. We have also seen text messages that appear to come from DPH releasing children from quarantine. Those are generic text messages, and as far as I know right now, childcare is not permitted to use them as a release from quarantine. It is very important to remind you of our strict procedures for the following: Please remember that if anyone in your household is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, or actively waiting for COVID-19 test results FOR ANY REASON, you MUST keep your child home until you are certain that the tests are negative and there would be no additional exposure to the center. Also, should your family travel internationally or travel for vacation, they will need a negative PCR COVID-19 test within 48 hours of their return to school or a Rapid Test the day of return. Please note that failure to comply with any of our COVID-19 health guidelines or procedures could result in immediate termination of care. Please note that this last point has been updated. Our procedures and guidelines have been put in place for the health and safety of ALL children and staff. I understand that they may not always be convenient, but should a blatant disregard of our policies negatively impact other families or staff of the center, we will have no choice but to discontinue care. We are all in this together, and the success of navigating these times is completely dependent on everyone doing their part. Again, I want to continue to let you know how much I appreciate all of you. I feel like I have been sending more COVID messages than at any point in the last two years, but the information is constantly changing, and sadly, no one seems to be able to provide definitive guidance. We are doing our best to keep track of it all and keep you informed in a timely manner. Please remember if you ever have any questions, to please feel free to reach out and we will get you the information as soon as possible.
I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend, and that everyone stays healthy! -Jamie