COVID-19 Update for Families (August 28, 2021)

​We have been collectively watching the news, reading memos, updating policies, implementing procedures and "Pivoting" for the last 17 months! When child care first closed in March 2020, we naively thought we'd flatten the curve and get back to our lives. Seventeen months later, we recognize that adjusting our expectations and doing our very best to support public health is all we really have control over. 

Before we discuss current screening and COVID-19 updates, we want to take a minute to reflect on some of the positives that we've witnessed over the past 17 months. 

Words from the Ministry

Excerpt from Aug 3rd Memo 

From: Phil Graham
Assistant Deputy Minister
Early Years and Child Care Division

"​We have every reason to be optimistic for this year, but must acknowledge there are public health challenges that remain. Although vaccination provides protection against COVID-19 and variants, greater vaccination coverage is required across all age cohorts and it is not known when younger children will be eligible to receive a vaccine. This necessitates a careful approach to health and safety, and continued monitoring of the COVID-19 situation, including Variants of Concern. Given the uncertainty of the public health landscape heading into the fall, health and safety protocols for child care settings will remain largely unchanged. By taking a measured approach we can help ensure child care and early years settings remain open to support families, and a safe place for children and staff.
...
This is especially important when working with young children who in addition to being unvaccinated, may not be wearing face coverings, and may not be able to practice physical distancing."

Excerpt from Aug 27th Memo 

From: Phil Graham
Assistant Deputy Minister
Early Years and Child Care Division

The purpose of this memo is to notify you of the updates made to the COVID-19 school and child care screening tool and the COVID-19 screening tool for employees and essential visitors in schools and child care settings. Updates to the screening tools reflect the latest advice from the Ministry of Health for schools, child care and other workplace settings.

Key changes to the screening tools include::

Symptoms – in alignment with the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Reference
Document for Symptoms, the screeners now include a shortened list of symptoms
that are most commonly associated with COVID-19. As per regular protocols, all
sick individuals with any symptoms of illness – including those with symptoms not
included on the screening tool – should stay home and seek assessment from their
regular health care provider, if required.

Consideration for immunization status - in alignment with the Ministry of
Health’s COVID-19 Fully Immunized and Previously Positive Individuals: Case,
Contact and Outbreak Management Interim Guidance, asymptomatic individuals
who are fully immunized (equal to or more than 14 days after receiving their second
dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine series or their first dose of a one-dose
COVID-19 vaccine series) or who were previously positive within the past 90 days
and have since been cleared, are not required to isolate if they are in contact with an individual who is symptomatic or who tests positive for COVID-19, unless otherwise directed by the public health unit.

Isolation period – in alignment with the Ministry of Health’s Management of Cases
and Contacts of COVID-19 in Ontario and COVID-19 Guidance: School Case,
Contact, and Outbreak Management, asymptomatic high-risk close contacts of a
case are now required to isolate for 10 days, unless they are fully immunized or
previously tested positive, as above.

New-Screening tool (effective Aug 26, 2021)

Provided below is the updated screening tool as of August 26, 2021. The screening tool has been provided for information purposes. However we encourage all persons who complete daily screening to use the fillable Ontario School Screening Tool. The below screening tool may be reviewed and updated by the Ministry of Health at any time. 

Printable/downloadable Screening tool (student)
File Size:	78 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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Printable/downloadable Screening tool (staff/visitor)
File Size:	71 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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What do we expect from Parents/Guardians? 

We want parents and guardians to know we value and appreciate their continued support and understanding. We acknowledge that current public health/ministry of education requirements are not easy to follow. Added stress is compounded when a child can not be admitted to daycare due to failed screening. OR a child care program is forced to close due to the provider or their children failing screening. We recognize that employers sometimes lose patience, and employee absenteeism is not being met with the same empathy, understanding, and adjusted work schedules/accomodations present in other workplaces. 

If any parent/guardian feels they are unjustly discriminated against, or their employment is in danger due to COVID-19 protocols, we urge them to reach out to available resources. 

Excerpt from Ontario COVID-19: Support for workers

 Infectious disease emergency leave (paid and unpaid). The Government of Ontario protects workers’ jobs if they need to take a leave because they are unable to work due to COVID-19.  Including if the employee is:

• *in isolation
• *in quarantine
• *caring for dependents

This leave is available to Ontario employees covered by the Employment Standards Act, including employees that are:

• *part-time
• *full-time
• *permanent
• *on contract
• *on probation

Learn more about job-protected infectious disease emergency leave. 

This includes an employee taking leave to care for their child whose school or child care was closed because of a designated infectious disease (in this case, COVID-19) or because the employee did not send their child to school or child care out of fear the child would be exposed to COVID-19.

It also includes taking leave to care for a child who was sick with COVID-19 or who stayed home because of COVID-19 protocols at the school or child care (for example, the child was showing signs of illness and the school or child care centre advised the child to isolate and get tested before returning).
​
It also includes where the employee’s child had a symptom that did not automatically require the child to stay away from school or child care, but the employee was concerned the symptom may relate to COVID-19 and chose to keep their child home as a precautionary measure.

​read more here

With a deeper understanding of employer/employee responsibility and rights, we want to reflect on the importance of following COVID-19 protocols. As an agency, we expect parents to truthfully screen their child daily and not hide symptoms or pressure their child care provider into admitting a sick/symptomatic child. With a great deal of sadness, we must remind parents/guardians of our anti-bullying policy. 
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Our child care providers deserve safe and respectful work environments. While we empathize that provincial mandates from Public Health and the Ministry of Education cause tension and can feel "unfair" (like a child being tested for COVID-19 for the 5th time since January), we must uphold these mandates. As an agency and as child care providers, "our choice" to abide by protocols is anything but a "choice" or something we are doing to "protect our business." Our duty and responsibility are to ensure we are maintaining the safest environments possible for our most vulnerable citizens. Reflecting on this, we cannot tolerate any parent or guardian displaying an act of malicious, demeaning or disrespectful behaviour. Not only do our providers deserve to be treated with respect, but the children in our care and the provider's own children also deserve to witness adults leading by example. Termination as a result of bullying is effective immediately and does not require two weeks' notice. 

Program specific requests/expectations of Parents/Guardians 

• Be Kind: show empathy and compassion for yourselves, your child care provider, your children and your family. 
• Complete daily screening and Little Lambs attestation form PRIOR to dropping your child off at daycare. 
• Call the Assessment Centre, Tele-Health or your Doctors office for Next Steps if your child fails daily screening or you are unsure if they should attend daycare. (Little Lambs, it's staff, and child care providers are not medical professionals and are not a source for medical information or instruction).
• Use discretion even when your child passes the Ontario School Screening form: Runny nose has been removed from the most current COVID-19 screening tool. However, runny nose can be the start of many illnesses including the common cold and flu. If your child seems "off" or unwell it's best to keep them home and monitor their health for 24 hours. Keeping illness out of daycare helps to stop the spread of illness. We are headed into Cold and Flu season. If ill children stay home until their symptoms show improvement for a period not less than 24 hours then less children chance becoming sick, which will result in less COVID-19 testing and less missed work time for all Little Lambs families.  (Our normal illness policy remains in effect alongside our COVID-19 policy. Children must be well enough to participate in all programming.)
• Wear a facemask during drop off and pickup times if you are unable to maintain social distancing from the child care provider or other children at the premises. Parents/Guardians are not considered part of our daycare cohorts. We request the use of PPE for parents/guardians both inside the premises (if necessary to enter the home) and outside. 
• Supply cloth masks for school age children. It is a requirement for children in Grade 1 and up to wear cloth masks while inside the child care premises. We highly encourage mask breaks whenever social distancing is possible. Children in JK-SK are encouraged to wear masks while inside the child care premises. We are mindful of increased potential risks due to mixing cohorts (daycare and schools). 
• With the provincial update requiring staff and child care providers to disclose their vaccination status we are requesting transparency from our child care families as well. Please inform your child care provider of your (and eligible persons in your home) COVID-19 vaccination status.
• Acknowledge that illness will happen not only for your own child(ren) but for your child care provider as well. Choosing home child care is a choice filled with many amazing positives. However, it's important if not crucial to have alternate arrangements incase your child care provider is required to close or your child fails daily screening. When a child care provider closes their program (for any reason) Little Lambs works with families to access back up care if requested. Back up care through Little Lambs is prioritized by "first come first serve" and is not guaranteed.  

Thank you for your continued kindness, understanding and support. We value each and every one of our child care families. Together we are stronger and we will get through this. 
We appreciate you for taking the time to read this update. It was long winded at times and a little "dry." Hopefully before too long we'll return to a more normal Pre-Covid existence. Until then, we will continue to persevere and do our very best to keep your (our) children safe. 

Kindest regards, 
Little Lambs Home Daycare Staff and Child Care Providers