DC rules for daycare openings

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one has addressed the question of whether these recommendations are enforceable rules...?

ACTUALLY, GUIDANCE ARE ENFORCEABLE RULES.

OSSE explained this on their weekly call yesterday "Guidance" can be created fairly quickly and easily - to change the REGULATIONS requires much time, systems, going through various channels (basically an act of freakin' god, although that's NOT what OSSE said, those are my words). And with this virus, they have to change on a dime - "Regulations" can't do that, but "Guidance" can.

So if it's in guidance, we have to follow it. (we, the childcare centers, I'm a director)

What I'm hoping for is a loosening of the group size fgr September. We can't afford to only have 8 children enrolled in a classroom. Period. Just can't. I am thinking of having 8 children with 2 teachers attending/working weeks 1 and 3. And either OTHER children and 2 OTHER teachers attending/working weeks 2 and 4 of each month. For that, though, we'd have to chnage our hours to only being open 8 hours/day rather than 10 hours (because our teachers work 8 hour days, and we can't combine children from 2 classrooms to make ratio/group size). But hey, having every other week care for 8 hours/day is better than having NO CARE, right?

Not sure about that, though, from a parents' point of view. But you could work from home 2 weeks of month, work from office 2 weeks of month, or work from home all 4 weeks of month, but 2 weeks with your children at home and 2 weeks iwth your children NOT home.

Of course, this means we are paying all 4 teachers to only work 2 weeks of a month. Unless unemployment boost of $600 continues, our teachers can't afford to work only 50% time. And we'd be getting exactly half the tuition we'd expected, and be paying our teachers to work, so..... how can we afford this financially?????

Dunno. Just dunno.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand the health concerns, but now I feel even worse about sending me kids to daycare. No circle time, field trips, kids allowed to congregate, etc. What are they going to do all day this summer?

Children who play in the classroom and on the playground will have a ownderful time building, playing, chasing, climbing, using playdough, paint, blocks, scissors, etc. They will get plenty of books read to them (but not by having lots of kids grouped around, but throughout the day in groups of 2 or 3 as others play with the other materials.

the TEACHERS will have to kill themselves to clean the scissors, paint brushes, markers, tables, cots, light switches, sink handles, playground equipment, door handles many times throughout the day, but the KIDS will have a great time!

Yes, children love to go on field trips. but they do NOT need to go to a play - they can have a wonderful time playing. Here's the thing: if your child attends a really academic preschool, where they are supposed to sit and learn their letters, numbers, by working in highly teacher-directed activities, then they will be bored because the teachers will clamp down and do even MORE teacher-directed (mostly not developmentally appropriate) seat work so they can keep the kids controlled. But in a truly play based program, your children will have fun.

Although, we won't have dress up materials, will not have stuffed animals they can play with (because we can't wash and dry those daily at our school, as we don't have a washer/dryer and I will NOT take that home daily to wash and dry each night. I have limits to being a director, LOL!)

And I'm not sure we'll have water tables available - because there is such a huge transferrance of germs from hand to water to other hand to other face to mouth.... ugh, times 4,000

But we'll make playdough, just keep it in bags labeled with their names so they can use it, put it back in their bag and use it the next time without mixing germs together. It will be hard for children to understand how NOT to share some playdough with each other, etc. So maybe we'll just make playdough, play with it and throw it away? Not sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Clarification from OSSE on Monday's weekly OSSE webinar:

yes, masks will be encouraged for adults and children over 2 years old IF the child can wear the mast without touching it, removing it, playing with it, etc. So - probably no kids will be in a mask! no masks outside on playground. no masks for any children under 2 years of age, period, they aren't safe at home or school. no masks on anyone during naptime, not safe

yes, temps must be taken by parents or staff at arrival/right before arrival. Anything over 100.4 means child/teacher will be excluded for 72 hours from time temperature goes down. (vs the 24 hours that we all practice now) AND if a child/teacher looks sick or has a cough, also excluded. THIS IS MUCH STRICTER THAN RIGHT NOW but it's because a cough could be Covid, of course it could be a regular old cold, but how would we know?

classrooms will be limited to 10 people: 2 teachers, 8 children - in all rooms, from infants through prek.

shouldn't combine classrooms (like in early AM or late PM) so that kids aren't intermingling together. Also, no combining on playground.

no field trips (this goes without saying) but also - no visitors (no music teachers, yoga, no specials things like puppet shows) all to decrease # of people in environment

also, disinfecting everything that is touched multiple times a day (lightswitches, door handles, etc)

cots 6 ft apart rather than the standard 2 ft apart.

and other stuff

Here's the thing: only being able to have 8 children in each room will be a huge issue because that's not enough income to pay for the teachers. If we could afford to have only 8 4 yr olds in a room, we would do that every day! So unless/until those group sizes go back to normal, it will be VERY HARD for us to open. And which parents do I offer the spaces to when there are 20 children in a room? If I don't offer the space to you, you won't pay, so we'd only get 8 children paying. We can't afford that.

Where can I find this webinar? I searched the OSSE website but haven’t found it. Thanks!

The webinars are for early childhood directors and other ECE professionals (honestly, most helpful for directors of DC centers). So if you are a center director, contact your licensor to get the webinar info - it's every Monday at 10:10am, for about 45-60 minutes. Really helpful info for us. If you are a parent, then you can see the Guidance that we directors will be working from on this site https://osse.dc.gov/page/updated-osse-guidance-documents - scroll down to Resources for Child Care Providers.

[Anonymous]

Should we keep paying to keep our spots at a large center or put the money towards a nanny? Our youngest is in a small class but our older child is in a class of 16, which wouldn't be allowed under the rules discussed above.