Arriving at Little Dreamers:
A staff member greets the parent and child at the car. The staff member asks the parent Health questions related to COVID-19 and the parent signs the child ‘in’ on the child’s individual Daily Health Check Record and Sign In form. The staff member takes the child’s temperature with a touchless thermometer, records it on the form and then escorts the child into the center where the child washes their hands and then is escorted to their classroom/group.
The classroom is designed to adhere to the physical distance guidelines.
Our Classrooms and Outdoor Spaces
We currently have 3 classrooms for our 4, 5, and 6 year olds. They are the Chameleon Rooms in Room 1 and Room 1-P (the patio) and the Seahorse Room in Room 2. The children have been grouped together with the same group of teachers and children throughout the day. The classrooms have been named to make it easier for the children. In each room we have created an opportunity for children to explore Math, Science and Sensory Activities, along with Language and Literacy and Visual and Performing Arts (music and creative expression through art), and History and Social Sciences. Throughout the day we implement and model common health practices which include hand washing, covering our coughs and sneezes and spatial awareness. Our spaces have been marked so that children can visually see what six feet looks like. With the use of large Velcro dots the children can see where their chair should be placed and we have people cutouts to show children how many people can be in each area at a time.
The 2 and 3 year old’s have been grouped together with the same group of teachers with whom they stay with for their entire day. We have created spaces that encourage social distancing within classrooms 3, 4, 5 and 6. Our classrooms are now the Butterfly Room in Room 3 and Room 4 and the Cheetah's in Room 5 and 6. The teachers are working together as a team and the classrooms are now being used as one large classroom. In the classrooms there is an Art area and Sensory activities, Dramatic play setup and building with blocks, puzzles, trains and cars, and space for Loose Parts exploration, music and movement and an extension of dramatic play. We have intentionally created areas that help to encourage the different areas of Early Childhood Development, those being: Social Emotional, Math, Science/Sensory, Language, Health and Safety. We have placed people cutouts in each area of the classroom to make it visual for the children.
Our Outdoor Space has been labeled with people cutouts to show children the areas of the yard. Each area has been setup to visually show physical distancing. Half of the outdoor space is used by each group daily between 4, 5, and six year old’s and the 2 and 3 year old’s. The reason for this, is so we can have the children in their own group throughout the entire week.
Classroom Routines and Activities
Our Chameleon and Seahorses will start their day either inside or outside first depending on the classrooms individual schedule. When all of the children are dropped off we begin cleanup and head outdoors for our morning Group Time. The teachers lay out the foam clouds and the child's name tag. The clouds are spaced apart intentionally so that children have space and we are adhering to physical distancing. We sing a good morning song and acknowledge each child with a name song. We introduce a cognitive concept and discuss what we are doing in our classroom for the day. Throughout the morning we remind the children of the activities going on in the classroom to encourage participating in them.
Our Cheetah's will begin their morning inside. The children have a variety of activities to choose from in their classrooms. We then cleanup, wash our hands and sit down on carpet squares that the teacher has placed and have a Circle Time with stories and songs. During this time children are taken to the bathroom one at a time to go potty, change diaper and wash hands. They will have a morning snack throughout the morning and teachers will apply sunscreen as needed when they go outside.
The children and their teachers then transition outside to their outdoor space. The children have a choice of activities outside which vary weekly. We have art, water and mud play, strider bikes, cars, tricycles, writing center, quiet book area, building, swings and many other options for them.
Our Butterflies will begin their morning inside in the gym followed by Outdoor and then Indoor play mirroring the opposite schedule noted above.
Let’s talk about hand washing! We do it A LOT
Hand washing protocol
Children wash their hands frequently throughout the day. They wash upon arrival, before and after eating, after playing with sensory materials, before going home, etc.
We have posters in the bathrooms and in each classroom that encourages handwashing and shows children the steps for proper handwashing. We encourage the children to follow the steps by reading them the steps as they are washing. The CDC recommends 20 seconds of hand washing so we sing the ABC song, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, or by counting to 20 (usually with the older children). When they are done, we hand them a paper towel and they dry their hands.
Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting … yes, they are different. We adhere to the National Health and Safety Performance Standards. Their guidelines are posted in each classroom and are adhered to school wide on a daily basis.
Snack is provided and served by the staff member to the children individually.
Lunch is provided and served by the staff member to the children individually.
*All food is served in an individual container for each child.
Afternoon Activities
After lunch the children in the no nap group, transition outside and have activities planned for them to enjoy. Sunscreen is reapplied at this time as well.
Naptime is also after lunch. Children go to the bathroom one at a time with a teacher, diapers are changed, children go potty and get their naptime pullups on as needed. Children wash their hands and teachers disinfect the sinks and toilets after every use. Then they transition into the nap rooms. Each child sleeps on the same cot all week with the same bedding that is provided by Little Dreamers. The cots are disinfected at the end of the week and sheets and blankets are washed here at school.
The nap rooms are designed to adhere to the physical distance guidelines.
Afternoon snack is served between 2:30-2:45 to each individual child. Tables are disinfected before and after snack. The children and teachers wash their hands before and after snack as well. After snack we put on our shoes and get ready to end our day.
Time to go Home!
When it's time for your child to go home, the child’s temperature will be taken with a touchless thermometer and hands are washed (20 second rule). A staff member will escort your child to your car and the parent (or person authorized to pick-up), will sign the child out for the day on the child’s individual Daily Health Check Record and Sign In-Out form.
