How We’re Keeping our Families & Staff Safe

Hi there! We are determined to take all the appropriate steps to keep you, your children, and our staff and community safe during this pandemic. Please read below to understand what safety precautions our center is taking. These are subject to change at any time, and will stay in accordance with the CDC’s guidelines.

Please note: We are doing everything we can to ensure our community’s safety, but we cannot guarantee that your child will not contract COVID-19 while in our center.

Upon Arrival:

Families are asked to maintain a minimum of 6 ft from other families and follow the flow of traffic, as indicated by marking on the ground, when approaching the office window
You can send a message via Brightwheel to alert drop-off staff of your arrival
Families must wear masks at all times
Non-contact temperature checks and screening questions are mandated daily for each child upon entry, with a designated area for the screenings.
Reminder, each person has an individualized PIN for Brightwheel login. You are not to share your PIN with others in order to sign your child in or out. They must be added to Brightwheel in order to sign your child in or out

During the Day:

Hygiene

All staff are required to wear cloth or disposable masks at all times
Handwashing must take place hourly, before and after food or drinks, after using the toilet, and handling garbage.
Each person will be asked to sing a 20 second song while they wash their hands.
Children age 2 and up will be supervised when using hand sanitizer to prevent ingestion
Hand sanitizer will not replace hand washing or be used when hands are visibly dirty
Children will be taught to not touch their faces, to the best of their ability
After assisting children with handwashing, staff are required to wash their hands
If walking outside of the classroom, children over the age of 2 will be required to wear masks.
No tooth brushing is allowed at the center until the pandemic has concluded
All children in preschool will wear masks when not at meals or during rest times
Toddlers age 2 and up are encouraged to bring masks and will practice mask safety throughout the day

Distancing

Each classroom has a maximum group size of 20 children and 2 teachers or the maximum group size for that classroom, whichever is smaller at a time. If there are more than 15 children in a classroom, the classroom will be split into subgroups and distance will be kept between subgroups.
Children will not be moved to different classrooms during the day
Children will be given their own coloring tools and toys to play with
Sleeping cots will be moved further apart than currently required. We aim for 6ft of distance, but given space in classrooms, that may not be possible. If 6ft is not possible, a divider will be provided to each child, and will be sanitized after each use. Please note: children are NOT allowed to wear masks during nap time

Please note, we will do our best to have children play with their own toys, crayons, etc. but we cannot guarantee that we can keep children socially distant at all times.

Outside Time

On the walk to the playground or outside, all preschool age children are required to wear a mask. Toddlers over the age of 2 will also be required to wear a mask unless they are taking space at least 6 feet away from the other children
We will only allow 2 groups of children at a time on the playground, and will try to keep groups separated to the best of our ability

Meals and Food Prep

No family style meals or snacks will be allowed
One adult will serve food to children at a time wearing gloves
Tables are spaced six feet apart for meals

Cleaning

Cleaning of frequently used items (doorknobs, faucets, etc) are required by staff every hour
All toys, shelves, nap mats, tables, and chairs are sanitized a minimum of once a day, more often as needed
All children’s nap supplies are laundered on site once a week and should be laundered each time they go home, prior to returning to school
All children’s items should be laundered before returning to school once they have gone home

Ventilation

All classrooms will keep at least one window open at all times
At the beginning and end of the day, all windows and doors will be open to bring fresh air into the classrooms
When children are outside, all windows and doors will be open to bring fresh air into the classroom
Fans will be on at all times in the classrooms to move air around the area
Air purifiers will be in use at all times in all classrooms
We encourage families to bring in several layers for their children so that they can remain comfortable while both indoor and outdoor throughout the day
Children in the infant and toddler rooms cannot sleep with hooded sweatshirts, please send in layers that do not have hoods for nap time

Upon Departure:

Families are not allowed in the building. You can either call for pick up or send a message on Brightwheel
All families must wear masks for pick-up. Disposable masks will be provided in case you have forgotten yours. You can message on Brightwheel to request a mask if other families are present when you arrive.
Please send a message no later than 3:45 if you would like specific items sent home that day
All of your child’s items will be sent home on their last day of the week, if you plan to be absent on your scheduled last day of the week, please send a message via Brightwheel by 3:45 on your last planned day of that week
Follow the flow of traffic for approaching the window, as indicated by the markings on the ground.
Once you have signed your child out, continue to move away from the door and wait a minimum of six feet away from any other families
We encourage all families to keep space from others and avoid spending additional time outside of the center, especially when other families are present for pick-up or drop-off

Staff Guidance:

Staff are expected to adhere to the COVID exclusion policy and stay home and get a COVID test when they are experiencing COVID symptoms.
Masks must be worn by staff at all times while on site at Interlake unless actively eating or drinking.
Interlake’s Travel policy extends to staff as well, employees who travel outside of Washington State are required to quarantine for 14 days upon returning home prior to their return to work.
Safe self-care practices including frequent hand washing, maintaining distance from one another and children during meal times, and wearing gloves during all diaper changes have been implemented.
Breaks are staggered and staff are encouraged to spread out while on their breaks utilizing the office and outdoor space to allow for additional distance.
All staff meetings will take place on site rather than in public spaces.
As much as possible staff are scheduled to remain with their core group of students to limit exposure between classrooms.

Travel Policy:

Current Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations emphasize that "Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19." If you are choosing to travel with your child while your child is enrolled at Interlake we ask that you quarantine for 14 days after returning from your travel. For information about recommendations for group gatherings, please visit coronavirus.wa.gov for the most current restrictions. Additionally, we ask that your child takes a COVID test between the 5th and 10th day of their quarantine and that you submit their negative results to the Interlake office before your child returns. This policy is informed by guidance from the State of Washington, King County Public Health, and the CDC.

This is a temporary policy change while infection rates are high, this policy will be re-examined on February 15th, 2021 at which time it will be revised, removed, or extended depending on the prevalence of COVID-19 cases and public health guidance at that time.

Here are some additional COVID-related resources that you may find helpful:

Free Local Testing Sites

Navigating The Holidays & Covid-19 With Kids

Covid-19 Resources for Community

What happens if we have a confirmed case of COVID-19?

If there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 at Interlake families will be contacted to pick up their child immediately.
All windows and outside doors will be opened to increase air circulation in the potentially infected areas.
King County Public Health will be immediately contacted and our confirmed case will be reported to them. They will assess the risk to the greater community and determine how to proceed with closing all or part of the school and for what length of time. Upon receiving their guidance families will be notified immediately of the duration of Interlake’s closure and steps that will be taken to ensure a safe reopening.
The entire center will go through at least 2, 8-hour days of deep cleaning prior to reopening.

What happens if someone is showing signs of COVID-19 symptoms?

A space is designated for any child displaying COVID-19 symptoms during operating hours where they will wait for a caregiver to pick them up
Children or staff displaying one or more symptom of COVID-19 must be excluded from care and can return after a negative COVID-19 test result and 24 hours have passed since fever resolved and symptoms have improved, OR ten days after symptoms started and at least 24 hours have passed since fever resolved (without medications) and symptoms have improved.

What happens if someone has confirmed exposure to COVID-19?

If someone has a confirmed exposure to COVID-19, a 10 day quarantine is required and they are encouraged to have a PCR COVID test between days 5 and 7 of quarantine, even if no symptoms have presented
A negative PCR COVID test does not negate the 10 day quarantine for those with confirmed COVID exposure
For additional information on our illness exclusion policy, please refer to our COVID Illness Exclusion Sheet
For resources on obtaining a COVID-19 test please refer to our COVID Testing Resources Form