First Steps Childcare COVID 19 Return Risk Assessment
This document has been created to help the families of First Steps Childcare to return to the nursery. First Steps Childcare has been and will continue to follow government guidelines to stop the spread of COVID 19.
Only children/ members their household and staff that have not been in contact with and who are not displaying symptoms of COVID 19 can attend First Steps Childcare. The symptoms are a high temperature and/or new persistent cough. Please check the NHS website for more assistance.
We will be using the following guideline to plan and implement safe practices for everyone who uses our service:
‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings.
This guideline was published on 11th May 2020 and can be found on the gov.uk website. Here are some helpful strategies which we will be putting in place. We hope this document supports and reassures with some of the questions and concerns you may understandably have.
Our main principles will be:
• Not allowing anyone with symptoms to enter the setting
• Increase cleaning and promote hygiene
• Provide adequate PPE for our team if required • Social distancing strategies
What will we be doing to keep your child safe?
Social distancing:
I think you will agree that social distancing will be quite impossible for us to promise and implement with young children. We will be working in smaller groups. We will refer to these smaller groups of children as ‘bubbles. The children will be with the same practitioner/s as much as possible throughout the day in the same environment and spend as much time in the outdoors.
The staff will be implementing social distancing as much as practically possible.
Cleaning and hygiene:
• We will be following the COVID-19: cleaning of non-healthcare settings guidance
• We will ensure that sufficient handwashing facilities are available. Where a sink is not nearby, we will provide hand sanitiser in all learning environments.
• We will clean surfaces that children and practitioners are touching, such as toys, books, desks, chairs, doors, sinks, toilets, light switches, bannisters, more regularly than normal. We will carry out schedule cleans throughout the day. We will implement a cleaning task sheet for all areas of the setting. We will ensure that all practitioners and children:
• frequently wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds and dry thoroughly.
• clean their hands-on arrival at the setting, before and after eating, and after sneezing or coughing
• are encouraged not to touch their mouth, eyes, and nose
• use a tissue or elbow to cough or sneeze and use bins for tissue waste (‘catch it, bin it, kill it’)
• We will ensure that help is available for children who have trouble cleaning their hands independently
• We will consider how to encourage young children to learn and practise these habits through games, songs, and repetition
• We will ensure that bins for tissues are emptied throughout the day
• Where possible, all spaces will be well ventilated using natural ventilation (opening windows) or ventilation units
• We will prop doors open, where safe to do so (bearing in mind fire safety and safeguarding procedures), to limit use of door handles and aid ventilation
• There is no need for anything other than normal personal hygiene and washing of clothes following a day in a childcare setting
• All equipment being used to support children’s sleep will be cleaned when needed and at the end of every day. We will continue to allocate children with their own bedding to avoid cross contamination.
• All catering and cleanliness procedures will be adhered to. Any babies requiring milk feeds the practitioner will use disposable gloves and aprons. Any practitioner supporting mealtimes will use disposable aprons and gloves.
• Aprons and gloves will be worn for care needs as per normal practice.
General information about entry/exit:
• During the period of social distancing we would ask that children accompanied to the setting with one parent and greeted by one member of the team at the front gate. Which will be sanitised after every drop off and pick up.
• Please ensure you have watched our virtual video to support drop off and collect times. That will be send out to you in the next 24/48 hours.
• Please adhere to a two-meter distancing when arriving at the setting, and follow the arrows displayed on the ground.
• If your child is upset on arrival, the practitioner will assist parents in taking the child. We are unable to allow adults into the setting to settle children. • Only one member of the child’s household can drop off/pick up until government guidelines change.
• We would strongly encourage that you maintain social distancing and strongly discourage groups forming to talk.
• All children will have to wash their hands-on entrance into the setting.
• Any bags that must be brought into the setting should be in a wipeable bag, and that can be wiped down with an antibacterial wipe. All bags will be handled with gloves.
• The main gate to the garden, will be open at 8:30, between 12:30 and 13:30 and 17:00.
• There will be cleaning stations set up on a trolley. That will hold: sanitiser, tissues, blue roll, anti-bacterial spray. Please feel free to use these.
• We will endeavour to maintain the same person every day to welcome the children. They would complete the register when the children arrive.
Coronavirus declaration form
Before your child returns to First Steps, we will require you to complete the health declaration form below. These must be signed and retuned by email before your child returns. It is imperative to inform us immediately if the health of anyone in your household changes.
Drop off
• The parents/carers will be expected to stay at the entrance gate to the front garden and not enter the building. This will be clearly displayed.
It is important for us to state, we will not be allowing:
• Buggies, bikes, car seats will not be left at the setting
• Any delivery drivers such as Asda to enter the building
• Any visitors/ students to enter the setting.
• Any non-essential workers into the setting
Fees:
• If government guidelines change regarding educational settings opening, then we will not expect payment for the period we were closed.
• We will endeavour to be flexible with sessions to support parents back into their employment between 1st June and the 31st August 2020.
• A minimum of two sessions each week is required, as per our terms and conditions. The sessions booked from June to the end of August must be the same. Ad-Hoc sessions could be arranged on request via email if we have availability.
• Original bookings placed before the nursery closure, will resume from the 1st September 2020. Unless 4 weeks’ notice (by 1st August) period has been given to First Steps Childcare via email.
• Invoices will be generated a week before the 1st of every month. All payments will be expected on the 1st of every month. Payments must be carried out through bank transfer. We are unable to take cash or card payments. Invoices will be void, if the government do not allow us to open.
• If you decide a start date and then change your mind about returning, you will be charged 4 weeks’ notice period, as per our terms and conditions.
• We will no longer be able to offer early or late sessions at this current time.
New starters:
If your child is starting with us in the next few months, we will commit to the two 2-hour free taster sessions. However, they will be carried out differently to our normal practice. We will be sending all settling in documents that we carry out on our usual taster sessions by email, prior to your taster visits. Just like current children, we regrettably will not allow you into the setting to settle your child.
Child illness:
If your child is unwell, we require you to notify us and to notify us when you intend to return. We will be asking you to complete a questionnaire over the phone to ensure the safe return to the setting. We will not be taking temperatures on arrival to the setting. Temperatures will only be checked if we suspect the child to have one.
If a child presents symptoms of COVID 19 while attending the setting, they will be isolated in a room with a practitioner in full PPE equipment. You will be contacted to collect your child; we will hand your child over outside the main entrance to reduce the risk of contaminating any areas of the setting. The area and equipment that they child has been playing in will be cleaned using recommended cleaning products.
What happens if there is a confirmed case of coronavirus in our setting?
When a child, or staff member develops symptoms compatible with coronavirus, they will be sent home and advised to self-isolate for 7 days. Their fellow household members should self-isolate for 14 days. All staff who are attending an education or childcare setting will have access to a test if they display symptoms of coronavirus and are encouraged to get tested in this scenario.
Where the child or staff member tests negative, they can return to their setting and the fellow household members can end their self-isolation.
Where the child or staff member tests positive, the rest of their group (bubble) within their childcare or education setting should be sent home and advised to self-isolate for 14 days. The other household members of that wider group do not need to self-isolate unless the child or staff member they live with in that group subsequently develops symptoms.
Our team:
We will be asking Supervisors to return to the setting first, to accommodate the current needs of the nursery. We have furloughed our team and will be planning for their return over the coming months when; ratios require it or when government guidelines have changed.
Supporting children back into the setting
When you have confirmed your return date, we will be sending you a document to complete. We would recommend completing this with your child if they are able to. The document is called ‘Since lockdown…’, it will support practitioners in planning the provision and supporting your child’s learning and development.
Other ways you could support the transition back to nursery could be: walking to the nursery to visit from outside on your daily walk, looking back at old activities on your child’s tapestry or having a look at our website at the team.
We understand that this is a worrying time for everyone and completely understand the concerns you may have. We hope this information sheet helps you to have a more informed decision on when/if you wish to return. We will endeavour to adapt and inform you of any procedures that may change in the coming months. We look forward to welcoming you back.