COVID-19 Updates

March 18, 2020

Dear Families and Caregiver Staff,

As you may have heard today, Governor Baker has ordered all early childhood education programs across the State of Massachusetts to suspend providing childcare by 11:59 P.M. on Sunday, March 22, 2020. This will remain in effect until April 6, 2020. At the same time, the Department of Early Education and Care (“EEC”) is establishing a process to approve Exempt Emergency Child Care Programs to serve vulnerable children and the children of families who are required to work to maintain the health, safety and welfare of all Commonwealth citizens. This approach prioritizes public health and safety while maintaining critical service for vulnerable children and the children of families who are required to work during this pandemic.

Exempt Emergency Child Care Programs will be the only child care programs that are allowed to operate during the COVID-19 State of Emergency.

Children's Corner will plan to resume operations on Monday, April 6, 2020 unless further direction is received from the state.

We're fully aware of the challenge this creates for many of our families, and it will certainly be a challenge for Children's Corner as well.

We've tried to carefully balance the financial requirements of covering the centers' fixed costs with the hurdles being experienced by our families.  We are requesting 50% tuition during the closure to ensure a space upon reopening.  While some families will be working from home, there are others that we know are facing unemployment.  We want to work with our families to help them through this difficult time, so please contact us if the 50% tuition isn't currently feasible.

We wish all of our families safety and health over the coming weeks, and we look forward to having this all behind us.

Please contact us with any questions!

-Hala & John

Children’s Corner Child Care Center, LLC

119 Oxford Street North

Auburn, MA 01501

Children’s Corner Child Care Center of Worcester, LLC

6 Sherdian Street

Worcester, MA 01610

This e-mail and any attachments to it are intended only for the addressee and may contain information which is confidential and/or legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please contact the sender immediately and delete the material from any computer and any printout thereof. Children’s Corner cannot guarantee that this e-mail communication is secure or free of error. No liability is accepted for any viruses or for any corruption, amendment to or deletion of or from this e-mail.

March 13, 2020

Dear Families and Caregiver Staff,

We are making only minor changes to our COVID-19 policy to add a clarification which is highlighted below.  We are regularly discussing COVID-19 with our healthcare consultant, the Department of Education and Care (EEC), and the Worcester Department of Health to determine and update our policy.

We are striving to maintain the best service levels possible while also ensuring the safety of our children and families.  Despite several public school closures, we intend to maintain our services unless we receive an explicit recommendation from healthcare professionals to temporarily close the program, or if staffing becomes a concern.

We're well aware of the additional burden placed on our families by having children showing symptoms kept home, but please know that this policy stems from the best of intentions.

Stay healthy, and thank you for being part of our family!

-Children's Corner

________________________

We are continuing to monitor the rapidly evolving, public health situation around COVID-19, the new coronavirus. We have been reviewing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and local health authorities to make sure we are doing everything we can to keep our children, families, and caregivers safe and healthy.

We have developed the following on-line resource for your easy reference to our current guidance.  This COVID-19 policy and all future updates will be available there at www.childrenscornerccc.com/covid-19.

The health and well-being of our families and staff are our highest priorities.  In the interest of limiting the opportunity for transmission through our vulnerable community, we are taking the following precautionary measures:

If an individual has (or someone that is in close contact with that individual has):

• A suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, or

• Recently returned from a *Level 1, *Level 2 or *Level 3 area, as designated by the Center for Disease Control

We are requiring that the individual remain out of our child care centers for 14 days following the last potential exposure.  If, at the end of this 14-day period, the individual has not experienced any symptoms, the individual may return to the child care center. If the individual does experience symptoms during that 14-day period, the individual will need to obtain medical clearance before returning to the child care center.

Individuals in the same household, including individuals who may not live in the household but may be staying there or are otherwise present in the household on a regular basis (e.g. nannies, caregivers, home health workers, contractors, etc.) are considered to be in close contact.

*Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 designations are available on the CDC website and are updated regularly by the CDC https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html). [*As of March 10, 2020, CDC Level 3 includes China, Iran, South Korea, and Italy. CDC Level 2 includes Japan. CDC Level 1 includes Hong Kong.]

Per the sample letter shared with child care providers by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), we are adding the following excerpt to Children's Corner's COVID-19 policy as of March 11, 2020:

Risk to Massachusetts residents remains low according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The populations most at risk are the elderly and those with existing medical conditions. Children are considered low risk.

However, we are still preparing and planning for impact from the COVID-19 virus. Our program leaders are in close communication with the local board of health and the Department of Early Education and Care as new information becomes available.

As you may be aware, COVID-19 is spread through close person-to person contact. As a result, we ask that you please notify us if any member of your household has recently traveled to a  Level-1, Level-2, or Level-3 country (the list can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html) or experienced any other potential exposure risk.

We also ask that you to keep your child at home if:

• Your child is exhibiting symptoms including fever or cough (unless part of a chronic, non-communicable condition accompanied by a doctor's note);

• Someone in your home is exhibiting symptoms; or

• Someone in your home has been in close contact with a person who is showing signs of being sick.

We are working closely with staff to ensure that they are following the same guidelines. We are also emphasizing good handwashing routines with our children. Additionally, we are working diligently to fully clean and sanitize our classrooms regularly.

Our program will operate on our normal schedule unless we receive guidance from our local board of health that we need to temporarily close. If that decision is made, we will reach out as soon as possible.

​

You can find more information about how to best protect yourself and your family from COVID-19 on the

Department of Public Health’s website: www.mass.gov/2019coronavirus.

We will keep you updated as additional information becomes available.  Thank you again for working with us to keep everyone healthy and safe.

All the best,

Children’s Corner

Children’s Corner Child Care Center, LLC

119 Oxford Street North

Auburn, MA 01501

Children’s Corner Child Care Center of Worcester, LLC

6 Sherdian Street

Worcester, MA 01610

This e-mail and any attachments to it are intended only for the addressee and may contain information which is confidential and/or legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please contact the sender immediately and delete the material from any computer and any printout thereof. Children’s Corner cannot guarantee that this e-mail communication is secure or free of error. No liability is accepted for any viruses or for any corruption, amendment to or deletion of or from this e-mail.

March 11, 2020

Dear Families and Caregiver Staff,

We have received some additional information from the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC).  Please find the updated policy below:

We are continuing to monitor the rapidly evolving, public health situation around COVID-19, the new coronavirus. We have been reviewing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and local health authorities to make sure we are doing everything we can to keep our children, families, and caregivers safe and healthy.

We have developed the following on-line resource for your easy reference to our current guidance.  This COVID-19 policy and all future updates will be available there at www.childrenscornerccc.com/covid-19.

The health and well-being of our families and staff are our highest priorities.  In the interest of limiting the opportunity for transmission through our vulnerable community, we are taking the following precautionary measures:

If an individual has (or someone that is in close contact with that individual has):

• A suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, or

• Recently returned from a *Level 1, *Level 2 or *Level 3 area, as designated by the Center for Disease Control

We are requiring that the individual remain out of our child care centers for 14 days following the last potential exposure.  If, at the end of this 14-day period, the individual has not experienced any symptoms, the individual may return to the child care center. If the individual does experience symptoms during that 14-day period, the individual will need to obtain medical clearance before returning to the child care center.

Individuals in the same household, including individuals who may not live in the household but may be staying there or are otherwise present in the household on a regular basis (e.g. nannies, caregivers, home health workers, contractors, etc.) are considered to be in close contact.

*Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 designations are available on the CDC website and are updated regularly by the CDC https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html). [*As of March 10, 2020, CDC Level 3 includes China, Iran, South Korea, and Italy. CDC Level 2 includes Japan. CDC Level 1 includes Hong Kong.]

Per the guidance of the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), we are adding the following to Children's Corner's COVID-19 policy as of March 11, 2020:

Risk to Massachusetts residents remains low according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The populations most at risk are the elderly and those with existing medical conditions. Children are considered low risk.

However, we are still preparing and planning for impact from the COVID-19 virus. Our program leaders are in close communication with the local board of health and the Department of Early Education and Care as new information becomes available.

As you may be aware, COVID-19 is spread through close person-to person contact. As a result, we ask that you please notify us if any member of your household has recently traveled to a  Level-1, Level-2, or Level-3 country (the list can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html) or experienced any other potential exposure risk.

We also ask that you to keep your child at home if:

• Your child is exhibiting symptoms including fever or cough;

• Someone in your home is exhibiting symptoms; or

• Someone in your home has been in close contact with a person who is showing signs of being sick.

We are working closely with staff to ensure that they are following the same guidelines. We are also emphasizing good handwashing routines with our children. Additionally, we are working diligently to fully clean and sanitize our classrooms regularly.

Our program will operate on our normal schedule unless we receive guidance from our local board of health that we need to temporarily close. If that decision is made, we will reach out as soon as possible.

​

You can find more information about how to best protect yourself and your family from COVID-19 on the

Department of Public Health’s website: www.mass.gov/2019coronavirus.

We will keep you updated as additional information becomes available.  Thank you again for working with us to keep everyone healthy and safe.

All the best,

Children’s Corner

Children’s Corner Child Care Center, LLC

119 Oxford Street North

Auburn, MA 01501

Children’s Corner Child Care Center of Worcester, LLC

6 Sherdian Street

Worcester, MA 01610

This e-mail and any attachments to it are intended only for the addressee and may contain information which is confidential and/or legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please contact the sender immediately and delete the material from any computer and any printout thereof. Children’s Corner cannot guarantee that this e-mail communication is secure or free of error. No liability is accepted for any viruses or for any corruption, amendment to or deletion of or from this e-mail.

March 10, 2020

Dear Families and Caregiver Staff,

​

We are continuing to monitor the rapidly evolving, public health situation around COVID-19, the new coronavirus. We have been reviewing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and local health authorities to make sure we are doing everything we can to keep our children, families, and caregivers safe and healthy.

We have developed the following on-line resource for your easy reference to our current guidance.  This COVID-19 policy and all future updates will be available there at www.childrenscornerccc.com/covid-19.

The health and well-being of our families and staff are our highest priorities.  In the interest of limiting the opportunity for transmission through our vulnerable community, we are taking the following precautionary measures:

If an individual has (or someone that is in close contact with that individual has):

• A suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, or

• Recently returned from a *Level 1, *Level 2 or *Level 3 area, as designated by the Center for Disease Control

We are requiring that the individual remain out of our child care centers for 14 days following the last potential exposure.  If, at the end of this 14-day period, the individual has not experienced any symptoms, the individual may return to the child care center. If the individual does experience symptoms during that 14-day period, the individual will need to obtain medical clearance before returning to the child care center.

Individuals in the same household, including individuals who may not live in the household but may be staying there or are otherwise present in the household on a regular basis (e.g. nannies, caregivers, home health workers, contractors, etc.) are considered to be in close contact.

​

*Level 2 and Level 3 designations are available on the CDC website and are updated regularly by the CDC https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html). [*As of March 10, 2020, CDC Level 3 includes China, Iran, South Korea, and Italy. CDC Level 2 includes Japan. CDC Level 1 includes Hong Kong.]

Thank you for working with us to keep everyone healthy and safe.

All the best,

Children’s Corner

Children’s Corner Child Care Center, LLC

119 Oxford Street North

Auburn, MA 01501

Children’s Corner Child Care Center of Worcester, LLC

6 Sherdian Street

Worcester, MA 01610

This e-mail and any attachments to it are intended only for the addressee and may contain information which is confidential and/or legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please contact the sender immediately and delete the material from any computer and any printout thereof. Children’s Corner cannot guarantee that this e-mail communication is secure or free of error. No liability is accepted for any viruses or for any corruption, amendment to or deletion of or from this e-mail.