Here are the AECA COVID guidelines for handling COVID cases. We have consulted a variety of resources to guide these decisions, including the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and Virginia Department of Public Health (VPH). We will continue to monitor infection rates in our schools and in the community and will adjust guidelines as needed.
Daily Health Check Screening and Exclusion Policy
We depend on the parent’s assessment of their child’s health before sending him/her to school. Germs can spread quickly in childcare environments. Listed below are guidelines for AECA:
- Parents must keep their child home if there has been a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea within 24 hours of a school day.
- If a child has a fever of 100° or higher, the child must stay home until fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.
- If the child develops a fever of 100° or higher or becomes ill at preschool, the child will be separated from the group and cared for in a quiet area, and the parents/guardians contacted to pick up the child.
- Parents will be notified immediately when a serious illness or injury occurs.
- Accidents of any kind will be reported verbally and in writing to families.
- If your child or any member of your household becomes ill with a communicable disease as defined by the State Board of Health, you must notify the center within 24 hours. Immediately if the disease is life threatening.
- If there is an occurrence of a communicable disease, a notice will be posted outside the main entrance door of AECA. The notice will include the communicable condition, the symptoms associated with the condition and the period of communicability.
- If a child has head lice, scabies, impetigo, ring worm, pink eye, etc., the child cannot return to preschool until 24 hours after treatment has begun.
Throughout the year it is important that AECA staff be informed of illnesses, injuries, allergies, changes in family situations and any other information that will help make the child’s preschool experience a positive and beneficial one.
Every day, a trained staff member conducts a health check of each child. This health check is conducted as soon as possible after the child enters the childcare facility and whenever a change in the child’s behavior or appearance is noted while that child is in care.
The Reason
Daily health checks seek to identify potential concerns about a child’s health including recent illness or injury in the child and the family. Health checks may serve to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases in childcare settings by identifying children who should be excluded and enable the caregivers/teachers to plan for necessary care while the child is in care at the facility.
Excluding Children Due to Illness
If illness arises or is noticed during the school day for the safety and comfort of your child as well as the safety of the student/staff population a parent/guardian will be asked to pick-up your child from preschool as soon as possible. If AECA is unable to reach you, the persons listed as emergency contacts will be notified and asked to retrieve your child for you.
Reasons for exclusion
Temperature of 100 or higher.
Recurrent vomiting/diarrhea.
Communicable disease as listed in the Virginia Health Guidelines or Virginia Department of Health Guidelines.
Poses a risk of spread of harmful diseases to others.
Child’s condition is such that staff are unable to care for ill student without compromising the rest of the children in the classroom.
The child has greater need for care than the staff can provide.
The child’s illness prevents them from participating comfortably.
Steps to be taken
Separate the child from other children.
Provide care and observe.
Call 911 if necessary.
Have parents to pick-up child ASAP.
Inform parents of observed symptoms.
Notify all other families if communicable condition is diagnosed.
Clean and sanitize items and classroom affected.
Document actions in the child’s file with date, time, symptoms, and actions taken (and by whom); sign and date the document.
A child must be free of elevated temperature and diarrhea for 24 hours before returning to preschool without the use of fever-reducing or digestive relief medication. There are specific exclusion timeframes for exclusion. Please consult AECA as well as your pediatrician for specific exclusion timeframes as needed.
Covid 19 Modification
Screening criteria may change as we learn about the different symptoms of new variants.
Children who are experiencing any of the symptoms/exposures/testing listed below should not enter the program.
- COVID-19 symptoms most likely seen in children:
- Congestion, runny nose or other allergy like symptoms
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Fever (100.4o F/38o C or higher); feeling feverish (chills, sweating)
- Refer to the complete list Symptoms of COVID-19 | CDC
- Have had close contact (within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period of time) with someone who is COVID-19 positive.
- Are waiting for results of a COVID-19 test.
- Have been recently diagnosed with COVID-19 and not yet cleared to discontinue isolation.
- If experiencing any of the COVID-19 symptoms above, get tested.
There is overlap between COVID-19 symptoms and other common infectious childhood illnesses. Therefore, follow the program illness exclusion guidelines and refer to COVID-19 guidelines for modifications.