How to Follow daycare covid guidelines 2024

Daycare Compliance Issue Consequences 

Various infectious diseases, including COVID-19, pose serious risks to public health. Mitigating the risk of infection among children, staff, and families in daycare centres remains paramount.

Following the guidelines provided in 'Comply with Day Care COVID Guidelines' helps daycare providers in California significantly mitigate the risk of infection and the spread of COVID-19 among attendees.

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Overview of Daycare COVID Guidelines  

The CDPH established guidelines and focused on operational control of daycare during the pandemic period. These guidelines include criteria on pre-boarding health checks, cleaning, ventilation, use of facemasks, vaccination against COVID-19, and COVID-19 case management.

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Procedures for Screening and Exclusion Criteria 

Daily Screening

Every centre is encouraged to conduct daily health screenings for students and staff. All healthcare personnel attending to patients should ensure that all school orders above a particular grade are within their scope of practice for fever, cough, shortness of breath, and other symptomatic signs or illnesses to avoid potentially unattended COVID-19 cases. This is one of the centre's core processes.

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Criteria for Exclusion

As specified in the Guidelines, symptomatic individuals must be excluded from daycare. "Those who have symptoms must be excluded from daycare," is unambiguous and straightforward. They are deemed ready for return if they are afebrile for 24 hours without the use of antipyretics, and other symptoms must have also lessened.

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Sanitation and Hygiene Procedures  

Childcare Centre Hand-Washing Procedure  

"Handwashing is mentioned as a protocol in the Daycare COVID Guidelines California. Staff and students must ensure that they wash their hands with soap and water for twenty (20) seconds after using the restroom, pre-mealtime, and following any cough or sneeze."

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Cleaning and Disinfection Procedures 

Every daycare centre must have policies regarding the cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces, such as toys, doorknobs, and light switches, on a routine basis. All daycare centres must set a particular time for cleaning these items. Cleaning must be done with disinfectants approved by the EPA; otherwise, the cleaning will not be effective.

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Air Quality and Ventilation  

Significance of effective ventilation  

The level of hygiene is essential as it reduces the number of circulating germs and viruses. Section 4.0 of Daycare COVID Guidelines California states that there must be adequate circulation of air in the daycare centres to control the spread of COVID-19.  

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Recommended practices  

Daycare centres are urged to increase fresh airflow by opening windows and doors that can be safely opened. Furthermore, the air quality within the daycare can be enhanced through the use of air purifiers alongside proper HVAC system installation.

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Current Masking Recommendations

With the lifting of most COVID-19 mandates, the California Daycare COVID Guidelines suggest that masks are still required for those who have had exposure and are returning from isolation for a short period to help lessen the spread. 

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Encouraging Vaccination Among Staff and Children

As one of the primary preventive measures against the spread of COVID-19, daycare staff, along with some children old enough to understand, are invited to get vaccinated. Vaccination is highly promoted for all eligible staff and children in California's daycare policies regarding COVID-19.

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Documentation and Record Keeping

As with other childhood vaccinations, daycare centres need to keep records of the children's COVID-19 vaccination documents for both children and staff. This helps determine the level of immunisation a particular daycare centre claims to have.

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Management of COVID-19 Cases and Related Exposures

Guidelines for Isolation Period and Return to Care

In the event of a confirmed case of COVID-19 within your professional network, whether it be a child at your facility or a staff member, this individual must practice home isolation until the symptoms have shown some improvement (over 24 hours and are afebrile without the use of antipyretic medications).

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Communication With Families and Staff

Managing information about positive COVID-19 cases is crucial for all parties and remains critical. A daycare centre needs to alert relevant family members and staff about any positive COVID-19 cases among attendees while still maintaining confidentiality. The daycare can handle the cases more effectively when pertinent information regarding the exposure and the critical actions recommended are provided.

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Training Resources for Daycare Providers

Staff Training Guidelines

The California Guidelines for Daycare (COVID) require that all staff members be trained in infection prevention and control. The guideline also incorporates but is not limited to, hygiene, identifying symptoms of COVID-19, as well as supervision of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases.

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Acquiring Teaching Materials 

Daycare service providers are expected to utilise the aide and caregiver instruction resources provided to them. 

Adherence to hand hygiene policies is further supported by children's handwashing instructional posters, COVID-19 pamphlets, and other communications purposefully directed to caregivers. 

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Promoting Children's Emotional Wellbeing  

Recognising Symptoms of Stress  

The health of a population is observed to suffer due to worsening stress. For kids, identifying stressors such as mood and behavioural changes is quite essential. Effective action must be taken in the shortest time possible.

Responding to children's emotional health needs and enabling them to articulate their intense emotions, as one prevention strategy, can be equally as crucial as protecting them from intense emotional outbursts.

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Conclusion  

In California, policies related to preschool and daycare centre hygiene activities, as well as daycare COVID-19 policies, require surveillance to maintain hygiene within the daycare centre, ensuring the health and safety of the children admitted to the centre.  

FAQ’s

Must daycare providers wear face masks? 

Cal OSHA's guidance on COVID face covering mandates suggests recommendations but does not require daycare staff to wear face masks. 

What is the policy for symptomatic children? 

The child is required to remain at home by our COVID-19 policy.  

Are the health screenings part of the daily routine? 

California daycare COVID policies do include the Daily Health Check requirement.

Are there vaccination policies applicable to staff?  

As stated in the California Guidelines for Daycare COVID-19 Management, there is an explicit policy that encourages vaccination.  

How often is cleaning expected to be done in daycare centres?  

The law of California maintains a standard of cleanliness through hygiene and cleaning activities employed at daycare centres within a given period.