Our Commitment to You Through COVID-19

Our communities are facing a challenge of incredible scale and significance, and our hearts go out to all who have been affected by COVID-19 (coronavirus).

As a community Day Care Program we will continue to make decisions with vigilance to positively support your health, life, and livelihood. To that end, my colleagues and I are making the following pledge to our students, families, and communities: 

• We will strive to the best of our ability to provide our students, families, and communities with the highest possible level of service under extraordinary and evolving circumstances.
  
  
• We will do all we can to protect the health of our students and colleagues while at our facilities.
  
  
• We will go above and beyond to help families and communities get through this challenging time.
  
  
• We will communicate in a timely and transparent way about issues affecting our program. 

Sincerely yours

Marcia Ross

Executive Director

FACTS ABOUT COVID-19

What is COVID-19? 

COVID-19 is a disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus. ‘CO’ stands for corona, ‘VI’ for the virus, and ‘D’ for the disease. Formerly, this disease was referred to as ‘2019 novel coronavirus’ or ‘2019-nCoV.’ The COVID-19 virus is a new virus linked to the same family of viruses as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and some types of the common cold.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?  Symptoms can include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia or breathing difficulties. More rarely, the disease can be fatal. These symptoms are similar to the flu (influenza) or the common cold, which are a lot more common than COVID-19. This is why testing is required to confirm if someone has COVID-19.

How does COVID-19 spread? 

The virus is transmitted through direct contact with respiratory droplets of an infected person (generated through coughing and sneezing). Individuals can also be infected from and touching surfaces contaminated with the virus and touching their face (e.g., eyes, nose, mouth). The COVID-19 virus may survive on surfaces for several hours, but simple disinfectants can kill it.

Who is most at risk? 

We are learning more about how COVID-19 affects people every day.  Older people, and people with chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, appear to be more at risk of developing severe symptoms.  As this is a new virus, we are still learning about how it affects children. We know it is possible for people of any age to be infected with the virus, but so far there are relatively few cases of COVID-19 reported among children. This is a new virus and we need to learn more about how it affects children. The virus can be fatal in rare cases, so far mainly among older people with pre-existing medical conditions. What is the treatment for COVID-19?  There is no currently available vaccine for COVID-19. However, many of the symptoms can be treated, and getting early care from a healthcare provider can make the disease less dangerous. There are several clinical trials that are being conducted to evaluate potential therapeutics for COVID-19.

How can the spread of COVID-19 be slowed down or prevented?

As with other respiratory infections like the flu or the common cold, public health measures are critical to slow the spread of illnesses. Public health measures are everyday preventive actions that include: 

• ✓ staying home when sick;
• ✓ covering mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue when coughing or sneezing. Dispose of used tissue immediately;
• ✓ washing hands often with soap and water; and
• ✓ cleaning frequently touched surfaces and objects.
• As we learn more about COVID-19 public health officials may recommend additional actions. 

Health and Safety Videos and Resources

• Handwashing – When and How
• Handwashing Procedure Video
• Sanitizing Surfaces
• Sanitizing Surfaces Video
• Diapering and Changing
• Self-Care for Early Childhood Professionals
• COVID-19 Precautions Door Sign