COVID-19 FAQ
Who will my child be exposed to?
Per OSSE regulations, only students, staff, and essential visitors (e.g. maintenance workers, inspectors, therapists, etc) are allowed inside the building. Every individual must complete the daily health screening prior to entry, as well as wear a face covering at all times, maintain physical distancing to the extent feasible, and practice proper hand hygiene.
Additionally, once inside the center, our classrooms are broken down into pods. This means that our students are only in their classroom with their designated teachers, and do not mix with other groups. This will help reduce potentical exposures and prevent our entire program from shutting down if exposure does occur.
Per Mayor's Order 2021-109, all adults who are regularly in schools and child care centers facilities in the District must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by November 1, 2021.
What is the cleaning protocol at ERCDC?
Professionally trained cleaners conduct deep cleaning and sanitzation every night per CDC guidelines. Cleaning in the common areas occur every 2 hours, and cleaning in the bathrooms occurs after each use. Our staff uses the aseptic cleaning approach to disinfect all surfaces, light switches, door handles, toys, playground equipment, buggies, lunch area, and bathrooms after each use.
Will my child need to wear a mask? If so, when?
Per CDC and OSSE guidelines, all children ages 24 months are required to wear a mask when indoors, with the exception of times designated for eating or sleeping. We know this can be a transition for our students, and we will work with each child to ensure their comfortability with wearing a mask during school.
A reminder that our staff are required to wear a mask at ALL times, whether they are indoors or outside.
What happens if my child is sick?
In order to ensure the safest learning environment for our students and staff, we ask that any child (or staff member) experiencing the following symptoms remain at home:
• Fever over 100.4 degrees F
• New cough of any kind
• Nasal congestion
• Sore throat
• Shortness of breath
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue/Lethargic, overly tired, unusually calm or quiet
• Headache
• Poor feeding or poor appetite
• Loss of taste or smell
• Serious heart conditions
• Mild respiratory illness/issues
• Symptoms indicating the person is unwell
Once a medical clearance is received, including COVID-19 testing, the individual may return.
What is the student-staff ratio?
Per OSSE guidelines, we operate with a ratio of
1 teacher for every 4 students up to 2 years, 10 months, with a maximum of
8 students per class.
For our preschoolers (ages 2 years, 11 months +), we have a
1:5 ratio of teachers to students, with a maximum of
10 students per class.
In accordance with OSSE Licensing subsection 121.8, we have at least two staff members supervising children at all times, regardless of the group size of the children.
