Coronavirus Procedure Update 3.18.20 – Student Uniform

Good Afternoon,

With the precautions that Apple Tree has put in place to limit the number of germs in our centers, we would like to take another step moving forward. We ask that your uniforms are washed between your shifts. I know that some of us may have limited amounts of work clothing and in turn, we have made an effort to lighten the uniform policy a bit during the next two weeks. You will be authorized to wear clean, laundered jeans as well as your regular pants throughout the week. This is to ensure you are in a clean uniform each shift. Green and Red Polo’s are still to be worn Monday through Thursday.

Kevin Thomas
Executive Director

Coronavirus Parent Update for Daily Procedures

Dear Parents:

We want to let you know of the steps we are taking to protect the children attending the center and the staff who care for them during the COVID-19 outbreak impacting our community and the country.

As always, if your child is ill, you MUST keep the child at home.

Beginning immediately, no child with a temperature of 100.4 or higher, or showing signs of respiratory symptoms will be allowed to remain in the center. We are also limiting access to adults other than staff to enter the building.

If a child becomes ill during the time he/she is at the center with a temperature or respiratory symptoms, we will separate the child from the other children by a distance of 6 feet or place him in a separate room if possible and notify you or your emergency contact to come take the child home.

In terms of general hygiene, these are other steps we will concentrate on and ask that you do also:

— Clean hands frequently with soap and water. Visibly dirty hands should be washed with soap and water.

— Teaching children to cover coughs and sneeze with a tissue or cough into elbow.

— Avoid touching the face with unwashed hands.

— Teaching them to avoid others who are sick, such as those who are coughing, sneezing, or have runny noses.

— Disinfect touched surfaces frequently including toys, door knobs, and handles, counters, rails, tables, etc.

If your household receives instructions on quarantine for a member who has traveled or is directed by the health department to self-quarantine due to illness, please notify the center so that we understand the situation and can work with the health department to help protect others.

This is a changing situation and we will have things to work though so we ask for your patience and cooperation as we work to protect our children and the community. Thank you for your cooperation.

Coronavirus Update – For Week of March 16, 2020

Dear Apple Tree Families and Staff,

As you are aware, the Governor of Virginia has issued an order to close the public schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia K-12 grades for a minimum of 2 weeks. As of right now, daycare centers and private schools are not mandated under this order to close. Should this order change then we will certainly keep all of our parents informed.

Our corporate office has been in direct contact with local agencies that govern daycare facilities as well as the Chesapeake Health Department. We have been advised to implement the following protocols in addition to Apple Tree’s daily operating procedures as they would benefit the well-being of the children, staff and parents in our programs:

TEMPORARY DROP OFF AND PICK UP PROCEDURES:

As of Monday, March 16th, all parents will need to drop off their child (Ages 16 months to 12 years) at the front door to a staff member who will be posted at the main entrance of every center. Managers will be working extended hours from 6am-6pm as well as additional staffing during AM drop-off and PM Pick-up times to assist parents. We recommend that you allow for extra time at drop off since this process could take additional time. In order to reduce the expose of viruses that are affecting the adult population causing this pandemic the protocol to limit the amount of parents entering the building is for the safety of the families and staff in our care. ONLY infant parents will be permitted to enter the centers to drop off their child directly to the classroom and will need to minimize the amount of time spent in the building. This will be a quick process of giving the teachers the needed food, supplies and information for each baby. The use of Procare Clock-In stations will be suspended during this time. Directors will manually maintain the attendance records of the children in each classroom. Please be aware of the drop off policy in the enrollment contract that states “there are no children to be dropped off past 9am,” as we will not be receiving any children after this time.

ATTENDANCE:

If your child is ill or if anyone in the household becomes ill please refrain from sending your child to school as it has been determined that the children can be carriers of the threatening virus. In addition, please let a Center Director know immediately if your child or any household member has been in contact or exposed to any individual who is contaminated or if you have traveled to an area of concern. We will be monitoring children and staff members for signs of illness and strictly enforcing our sick policy. Please remember we do not have an area for quarantine; therefore, if you are contacted for a sick child pick up please do so immediately.

SANITATION:

Our maintenance team and faculty are working hard continuously throughout the day to ensure all commonly touched surfaces are cleaned and disinfected. The cleaning contractors are also taking extra proactive measures at night to ensure proper sanitation of our buildings.

HAND WASHING AND PERSONAL HYGIENE:

Teachers will continue to practice good hand washing and personal hygiene procedures with children to limit the spread of germs in the classroom.

PARENT PAYMENTS AND QUESTIONS:

Parents who are not on ACH or Auto-Draft need to use the MyProcare portal to pay tuition during this time. If additional assistance is required please contact your Center Director for direction or to make arrangements for payment. If you can not reach a director by phone please feel free to email them as the phone lines have been extremely busy due to concerns about the COVID-19 virus.

Please know, we understand this is not the ideal process for pick up and drop off. In order for Apple Tree to continue to operate and provide a safe and healthy environment for all of our Apple Tree family members we must take drastic measures to protect from further possible spread of illness or closure. We appreciate your support and know that you join us in wishing the best for everyone in our schools and community and will work as a partnership to get through this together.

Childcare is available all day for school age children affected by any public school closure. More information on special programming and pricing for the school-agers will be sent out by each center as they plan in-house activities for the children to enjoy.

We will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments as needed. Please continue to pay close attention to the IRIS Alerts as that will be our primary communication to all parents and staff.

Blessings to all,

Heidi Riden, CEO

Coronavirus Update From ATLC CEO

Dear Apple Tree Families:

As you may be aware, the first cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have been identified this week in Hampton Roads. According to the Virginia Department of Health, the immediate risk from COVID-19 to the general public in Virginia continues to be low. Apple Tree Kids is committed to the health and safety of our students and staff and we would like to share how we are preparing for the possibility that the virus could make its way into our centers.

We have many protocols in place due to the cold and flu season, which we will continue to implement and can increase if needed. As recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) we are:

– Monitoring student illness reports, trends and absenteeism
– Working to limit the spread of diseases whenever possible by paying extra attention to commonly-touched surfaces (door knobs, faucet handles, etc.)
– Reminding our students, staff and school community of the importance of good hand-washing procedures
– Reviewing response plans, making necessary adjustments as information becomes available.

As travel restrictions and associated actions like self and mandated quarantines are changing daily, we are strongly encouraging any of our families with travel plans over Spring Break to notify your Center Director of their travel plans and destinations so we can monitor and advise of any restrictions before returning to care at Apple Tree.

In situations like these, rumors may cause unnecessary reactions and panic. We encourage you to get information from credible sources, such as the Virginia Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the local Health Department.

We are committed to keeping you informed and will provide email updates as new information becomes available. This is a good time to update your contact information with your child’s Center Director, as we will notify you using our Parent Alert System if there is a change to our daily operations. A closure could result if recommended by local and/or federal agencies deeming it necessary to confine an outbreak or require deep sanitizing of childcare centers. We will follow any recommendations or mandates as directed by the CDC and local Health Departments.

As we partner with you and our community to meet known and unknown challenges, we are committed to keeping the channels of communication open and doing all we reasonably can to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of our students, staff, families, and community.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding any medical or health issues, please feel free to reach out to your local health department.

Sincerely,
Heidi Riden
CEO

Focus On Food Safety

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 48 million Americans fall sick each year from foodborne illnesses, many of which can be avoided. The good news is that there are simple steps you can take to prevent you and your loved ones from coming into contact with germs that cause food poisoning. The CDC breaks its plan for preventing foodborne illnesses into four categories: clean, separate, cook and chill.

Clean

Keeping a clean workspace can prevent germs from spreading throughout the kitchen. Clean your countertops and sink after meal preparation with a cleaning spray, and wash knives, cutting boards and other utensils thoroughly with hot, soapy water. Be sure to rinse fruits and vegetables under running water before eating. This includes fruits or vegetables you intend to peel, as rinsing them will reduce the amount of bacteria on the produce. And, of course, wash your hands prior to cooking and before you sit down to eat.

Separate

When purchasing raw meat, poultry, fish and eggs, keep them apart from other food items, both in the grocery cart and in your refrigerator at home. Use plastic bags offered at grocery stores to prevent juices from contaminating ready-to-eat groceries. While cooking, use separate cutting boards, plates and utensils when dealing with raw items.

Cook

Get to know your food thermometer—it’s the only reliable way to determine if the food you are cooking has reached a safe internal temperature. For a complete list of safe internal food temperatures for meats, poultry, seafood, leftovers and more, visit www.foodsafety.gov. When thawing foods, do so in the refrigerator, in the microwave or by cold water thawing. 

Chill

After a trip to the grocery store, refrigerate perishable food within two hours of purchasing (or within one hour if the outdoor temperature is more than 90˚ Fahrenheit). Keep your refrigerator set at or below 40˚ Fahrenheit and your freezer at 0˚ Fahrenheit. Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate within two hours after cooking. Eat your leftovers within a few days and never keep any leftover food for more than one week.