Dear Sunset Parents,
I hope everyone is enjoying a hard-earned weekend. It is still only Saturday, but we just want to put out the information concerning our school to you as early as possible, so you can be better prepared for the new week.
- As recommended by the Bound County Public Health, we will continue to open as usual until a student or a staff member is diagnosed positive for COVID-19. Here is the main rationale according to the linked document:
“Preschools and early childhood education centers are smaller in size as compared to our school districts and college campuses. In order to balance the complex social and economic impacts of community service closures, our current guidance reflects the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s recommendation to keep early childhood education centers open unless a staff or child has tested positive for COVID-19.”
2. Colorado Department of Health and Environment published a guideline for closing schools. There might be a time when we will be ordered to close, so families are urged to make contingency plans for child care in case that happens. In the meantime, please stay healthy and safe so we can keep the school open.
3. Our new check-in/out procedure has received very positive remarks from our nurse. She thinks it is “fantastic” if we could do that. Thank you for your support. I know it is quite a change for some families.
We will continue to do that with the following few changes:
a. Starting from next week, we will only accept children who have no fever and no symptoms of illness such as coughing and running noses. Kids with temperature higher than 100 degrees F will not be accepted or be picked up. Normally the guideline is 101 degrees, but now it is not normal time.
b. Children will continue to be checked-in/out at the lobby. If your child exhibits strong anxiety and stress due to the new procedure, you can send him/her to the door of the classroom. If you do, please leave quickly after you drop off your child.
c. We will train the teachers to let the children wash hands as soon as they enter the classrooms after they are check-ed in.
4. We hold the same standard for our teachers too. Any teacher showing any symptom of fever (100 degrees F), coughing, and running noses is sent home to see a doctor.
5. For the next week (March 16 to 20), we still do not have staff resources to take care of the school-aged children for full days. We are committed to fulfill the contracted obligations we signed up, and we have staff resources for the Spring Break week of March 23-27. As a result, we will not take in any Before- and After-School children for the week of March 16 to 20 and we will proceed to take care them full-day for the week of March 23-27
6. We have put together a list of resources on our school’s website on how to cope with the pandemic, click on the link to read more. There are two resources we posted on how to talk to your child on COVID-19, here and here. I hope these resources help you to have a positive conversation with your child.
7. Each time when we update our resources, we will post on our facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/longmontpreschool/), please follow our facebook as the announcement could be quicker than emails.
Best wishes to you and your Family
Nina Emmer – Director, Sunset Academy
Eric Kuang, PhD – President and Owner, Sunset Academy