Health and Safety
- All students must have a current medical on file.
- Before your child starts, you will need to purchase a Big Chief sweatshirt and a bag. These items stay at Big Chief. No backpacks allowed. Your child will need a change of clothes and indoor sneakers. (Please label all items)
- Whenever using the front gate, please stay socially distant. I have mats out front to help with that.
- Call the office and we will come out to greet you, DON’T just walk in.
- We will come to take your child’s temperature and ask a series of covid questions and take your child in. Upon entering, your child’s hands will be washed at our outside sinks or as soon as they enter the class.
- Infant parents can come in and go straight to the room.
- If you are dropping your child off at 9:00 and picking up at 4:00, you will be able to drive on to the property. First you start off in a line at our off the street parking lot (St. Raphael’s), someone will be there to sign you in and take your child’s temperature. You will be given a pass for your windshield that you need to use. You will be directed onto the property. Your pass will have a symbol as you enter the property, you will stop at the matching symbol. Your child’s teacher and or counselor (camp) will be there to take your child from you. After you get back in your car, drive slowly to the exit. Be careful as you get to North Jerusalem as people are walking across the sidewalk.
- A Clorox and water mixture is made up every morning and put into a spray bottle, every room gets a bottle. During the day door knobs, toys, tables, and as the busses arrive the inside is sprayed down after the children get off. The gates, and outside sinks are sprayed down also. At the end of the day all outside equipment is also sprayed down.
- The toys (manipulatives) that the children play with in the morning are sprayed down and put away. Different toys come out in the afternoon. The classroom is sprayed down at the end of the day. During the day, air purifiers are on cleaning the air, windows are also open for fresh air. After the children go home, UV machines are set up. Every class has a day that their toys go through the dishwasher with soap and boiling water that helps get in all the nooks and crannies. Then through the hot drying cycle. After that, they get hung outside in a mesh bag to drain any water that’s left inside of them.
- Supplies that are needed must be dropped off ahead of time. Before school and camp start. At the end of your child’s week. They will bring home their dirty stuff and you will give us their clean stuff for the next week.
- My goal is to isolate things that come in from home over the weekend. Then on Monday morning, everything is brought into the classroom. Coats from home get hung outside during the day and the children wear their Big Chief sweatshirts or their Big Chief coats. I even bought every child a winter hat that covers their ears that stays at Big Chief, every hat is labeled and in their cubbies.
- The staff also have sweatshirts or jackets that stay at Big Chief. Upon entering their temperatures are taken, hands are washed, and the screening covid questions are answered.
- All staff have their inside shoes that stay here. They are constantly washing their hands. I have purchased N95 masks for my staff, but they have the option to wear what they are comfortable with.
- Medicals: all medicals need to in by 6/1 (camp) or 9/1 (school). You may download the form from our website. Your child needs to have a current well care check-up once a year. If you haven’t done so, please be sure to make an appointment. The medical form needs to be signed by you and your doctor. Your child cannot start without it.
Health
At school, the children learn to cough and sneeze into their elbow. Most important is washing their hands frequently. Always use soap and water. Antibacterial soap is not good for little children. It kills the good bacteria as well as the bad bacteria. That product is better when they are a little older. Alcohol base products are flammable. So why would you use that on your child’s hands, especially since their hands are in their mouth and touching their face. Children also need to be reminded to keep their hands away from their face. Please continue to practice these things at home also. As your child enters his/her class they wash their hands. And as always, our teachers and assistant teachers also was their hands upon entering the room.
Aerosol sprays are not good to use with children. All those little particles go right into their eyes, mouth, and lungs. It gets on their toys and then into their mouth. Children can develop sore throats, coxsackie, and conjunctivitis. New York State board of health recommends a Clorox and water solution for killing germs and is safe for children. Here is the solution for cleaning and sanitizing different surfaces, remember the solution is only good for 24 hours.
Recommended washing process (toys)
- Hot soapy water
- Clorox and water
- Rinse in water and let air dry
Sanitizing process
- Food surfaces – ½ teaspoon of bleach to 1 quart of water
- Diapering surface – 1 tablespoon of bleach to 1 quart of water
- Sanitizing toys- 1 teaspoon of bleach to 1 gallon of water
The Rule of thumb with cleaners, perfumes, and potpourri. If you can smell it, it’s too strong for your child’s lungs. More or stronger is not better.
Things that are germ magnets:
- Cell phones, I-pads, phones, atm machines
- Doorknobs
- Edge of tables
- Refrigerator handles
- The car! And the car seat!!
- Sippy cups- wash between each use not just rinse (take it apart and get into the nooks and crannies)
- Pacifiers- use 2 or 3 per day depending on use
Also remember to be careful of chemical overload. Don’t forget your body also has a natural filter (your nose hairs) keep them moist (use a saline nasal spray mist) they will also help in filtering germs. Sleep is very important. Children should be in bed by 8:00 pm the latest, 1 hour before bed should be down time. NO electronics, their room temperature should be around 65 degrees. A Humidifier puts moisture in the air, and if possible open the window on a crack.
Please be careful when traveling out of the country. Be aware of family, friends and acquaintances who might be traveling, stay away from sick people. Older people are more compromised than children and healthy adults. We know that adults and children get colds, viruses and the flu but let’s work together to do our part in keeping our loved ones healthy.
Medication: If your child is to receive medication or has an epi-pen, please call the office, and talk to Luanne or Josephine. All medication must be clearly labeled with the child’s name and dosage. Medication must be in the original container and must be sent to the attention of Luanne. Medication must be accompanied by a written medication consent form (needs to be filled out by the doctor). A verbal medication consent form is only good for one day filled out by the parent. These forms can be downloaded from here. These forms are also available in our office. We cannot administer medication without these forms.
Illness: Is Your Child Too Sick for School/Camp?
You don’t want your child to miss school/camp; but neither do you want to send a sick child to school/camp and endanger his or her and other children as well. When should your child stay home from school? Here are a few guidelines you might wish to follow:
- A bad cough or cold symptoms can indicate a server cold, bronchitis, flue or even pneumonia. Some children suffer one cold after another all school year long, and a run-of-the-mill cold should not be a reason to miss school. But if your child is not acting “right,” has a fever, has difficulty breathing or is becoming dehydrated, it could be serious. Check with your pediatrician.
- Diarrhea and Vomiting make children very uncomfortable, and being near a bathroom becomes a top priority, if your child has repeated episodes of diarrhea and vomiting, unaccompanied by any other symptoms, this may not be reason enough for the child to miss school. But please make sure we know how to reach you or another responsible adult. During the day, incase diarrhea and/or vomiting reoccurs and your child needs emergency attention. (This is an important rule to follow whenever you send your child to school with any of the symptoms mentioned here).
- Fever is an important symptom; when it occurs along with a sore throat, nausea, listlessness or a rash, your child may be carrying something very contagious. Most pediatrician advice parents to keep children home during the course of a fever and for an additional 24 hours after the fever has passed.
- Strep throat and scarlet fever are two highly contagious conditions caused by streptococcal (bacterial infection). They usually arrive with a sore throat and high fever. Some 12-48 hours after the onset of scarlet fever, a rash will also appear. A child with either strep throat or scarlet fever should be kept home and treated by a physician. After 24 hours on antibiotics, a child is usually no longer contagious and may, with the doctor’s permission, return to school.
- Conjunctivitis or pinkeye is HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS and uncomfortable, so take heed when your child complains of an eye or eyes burning, itching and producing a whitish discharge. Minor cases (caused by a virus) and server cases (caused by bacteria) require treatment with prescription eye drops. Its best you keep your child home until your doctor says it’s all right to return.
- Ear infections, unless properly treated, can cause permanent hearing damage. Here again you should follow the 24-hour rule for fever and antibiotic therapy.
- Mites and lice, once brought into a home or school, can quickly produce an epidemic. Mites are tiny insects in the same class as spiders and ticks; they irritate the skin and cause scabies. Lice are tiny parasites (like ticks) that thrive on the warm, damp scalps of children. It is required that you keep the child home until all the lice and eggs are gone. Caution your child against sharing anyone else’s combs, brushes, or clothing, especially hats. You can dry out linens, clothing, etc., in the dryer to kill the lice. Vacuum mattress and carpet in general.
Immune Booster
I am a big believer of this. That’s why we only allow fruit for snacks. Children can only eat what we give them. So, let’s give them the best/ Fruit, look it up strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc., yogurt low sugar or no sugar, blend it into a smoothie and throw some spinach and kale in it they will get all the nutrients they need.
Raw vegetables as opposed to cooked, children are always hungry when they get home so put a plate of raw vegetable with a healthy dip. Kids love red peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, etc.
*Please do not cut your child’s fruit, we will do it here* sometimes fruit that is cut turns brown and there for your child might not want to eat it
Here at Big Chief, we will be making smoothies again starting in March. I will be purchasing some organic spinach and kale which we have used in the past, we will add it to each group that will be making a smoothie. If you would like to help by sending in some low sugar or no sugar yogurt that would be great!
The classes love to make quiche, so we are going to be making them again. This last one we made was spinach quiche (pre covid). March we will be making spinach, broccoli, peppers, and potatoes. Not only are these foods super healthy, it’s also a science and math experience for the kids.