March 22, 2020
Dear Families,
I wanted to take a moment to provide you with an essential update with lots of information.
Here is what you need to know.
- Despite the recent updates to our community shut down, Special Beginnings WILL remain open. We are considered essential workers and will work hard to continue to provide normalcy for your children each day.
- We will be happy to work with you on scheduling changes such as adding a day or switching a day. We want you to know that we support your changing work schedules and will do our best to accommodate.
- If you wish to reduce days or temporarily disenroll, please know that while we understand these are challenging times for many families, we are still open for business and planning on your children. Please reach out to your Director if you have questions about your enrollment.
- We are offering Spring care for families with school age children whose school year has abruptly come to an end. If you need information about enrollment, please contact our School Age Director, Miss Treva, at treva@specialbeginningsonline.com
In order to continue to keep our families and staff healthy, and in turn our doors open,we are asking for more help from our families. Here are some new policies and procedures that will be effective Monday morning, March 23rd.
- All parents are asked to take their child’s temperature each morning. If you child is running anything but a normal temperature, we ask that you do not bring them to the center. Please do not put our ability to provide care at risk by medicating children and bringing them in with fevers. We know that small children run temperatures for many reasons, but we are asking for your support.
- All parents are asked to wait at the front door of our centers and allow a staff member to greet you and walk your child to and from their classroom. We will be sure to relay information to classroom teachers. If a staff member is not up front when you arrive at the door, (we may be checking in another child), please wait out front (with proper social distancing from others, or in your car) and we will be with you shortly.
- Upon arrival you will be asked what your child’s temperature was at home that morning and it will be documented. If you have not taken their temperature, we will ask you to wait while we take it. Please help us keep the mornings running smoothly by taking their temps at home before drop-off.
- Please take home and return your child’s water bottle/water cup every day to be washed. This will help us free up dishwasher space for the cleaning of other classroom items more frequently. We know this is a hassle, but we appreciate your support.
- Please feel free to launder your child’s bedding more frequently. Ask for it to be sent home at morning drop-off and we will do our best to have it ready at pick up.
- If you have two car seats in your home or if the same parent drops off and picks up, please leave car seats in your car for the next few weeks. This will cut down on germs coming in the center.
- Please limit your child to essential love items only. No extra toys, large blankets, pillows etc. We want them to have their normal love items, but the fewer items coming to and from the center, the fewer germs we are sharing.
- currently have an ample supply of diapers, wipes, toilet tissue and hand soap. We are however, struggling to find hand sanitizer, hand and face wipes and disinfecting (Clorox type surface) wipes. If you come across any at normal prices, please pick some up for us. We will be glad to reimburse you. If you have a contact that allows you to order these items in bulk, please let your Director know.
Here are some extra measures our team is taking to keep your children safe.
- No packages are allowed in the center. All deliveries are being dropped off outside the doors and staff members are wearing gloves and opening them outside before bringing the contents in the buildings.
- All playground equipment is being disinfected after each class is outside.
- Outside time will be limited to each age group using a certain area at a time. Smaller groups will allow for more spacing.
- Our traveling staff (those who work at more than one location) have now been assigned to only one center to work at for as long as possible.
- Our weekly cleaning tasks have been moved to our daily lists.
- Doors and doorknobs, as well as keypads are being cleaned several times per day.
And for the little things, that are often the big things to our children (and our staff too)
- Please remember to update us on your child’s attendance. We will be expecting them and would like to know if they will be staying home with you. Depending on attendance your child may spend time in another classroom and rooms will be combined as usual at beginning and ends of each day. As many of our children have siblings in other classrooms, and as some of our teacher work in many classrooms, there is simply no way to isolate children to only one classroom and one teacher.
- Week of the Young Child has been postponed. This week is filled with tradition and that tradition is based on closeness, laughter, parent involvement and fun. With that in mind, our Administrative team has postponed it to a later date. Depending on what is happening in our community it will be held in late April or mid-May. We want to celebrate with you when all our children are in care, parents can join us in the center, and our staff and children can participate in all of the fun Spirit events we had planned.
- Please turn in your handprint hearts as soon as you can, and we will save them until the celebration occurs. Your teachers took time to complete them and send them home and are working on their matching pair. The sooner you turn them in, the less likely they are to get lost
- We still want the week of March 29th to be fun for your children as we know many of their lives have changed too and their normal extra activities have stopped.Here are our updated Sprit Days based on colors. Feel free to tie in sporting teams, Costumes or even character apparel is all welcome. You may also talk with your child’s teacher about sending a colorful snack, craft project or take-home treat for the kiddos.
- Monday 30th- Red Day.
- Tuesday 31st- Blue Day.
- Wednesday 1st – Green Day.
- Thursday 2nd – Purple Day
- Friday 3rd – Rainbow Day- Wear your favorite color or wear many colors today!
- Fieldtrip, Presenters, Picture Days have all been postponed. Please know that you will be billed for only those events that have already occurred. New forms will be posted in classrooms when events are rescheduled. Thank you for your understanding.
- Pre-Kindergarten Graduation is uncertain at this time. As we get closer to May decisions will be made and plans will be shared. Please know that we will celebrate our graduates in some special way this year.
Finally, we know this is a stressful time for many families. Please let us know how we can best serve you and support you during this time.
Thank you for sharing your children with us, it is a blessing to share our days with them.
Your Administrative Team,
Mary, Anne, Jean, Treva & Chris