Are you heading back to the office and now need to find a daycare for your child while you are away during the day? If so, you may have concerns about how you can tell if they will be safe with COVID-19 still going around in many areas across the country. Here are some things to look for to know if your child's daycare is doing a good job.
Class Sizes
One of the first things you'll want to look at are the class sizes and how many kids the daycare is putting into each room. You should become familiar with what the state guidelines are in regards to class sizes before the pandemic so that you can be aware if they have reduced class sizes substantially. For example, the previous rules may have been to have one adult per 10 children, with a maximum of 20 kids in the room. If the daycare has limited each room to 10 kids and two adults, then they have clearly cut the class sizes in half.
Drop-Off Procedures
Look at what the daycare is doing in terms of drop-off procedures. Are they screening the children before they enter the building by taking their temperature? Is there a hand sanitizing station where an adult makes sure that the children are using it and sanitizing their hands properly? Having these things in places are going to help ensure that everyone is doing their part as soon as they enter the building to stay safe.
Mask Guidelines
You may be surprised at how small children will listen to the instructions of their teachers when it comes to wearing a mask. If masks are mandatory in your state for indoor businesses, this may not even be an option for the daycare. However, your state may have more relaxed rules which make mask wearing optional. Is the daycare taking steps to make mask wearing mandatory, or are they not enforcing it at all? Use your judgement to know what is best for your child's safety.
Meal Service
Find out how the daycare is handling meals during the day and if it is being done in a safe way. One of the best ways to do this is to keep the children in their same classroom for meal time and to not mix with other students. Hands should be washed before meals, food should be plated for the children, and there should be social distancing between students so that they can eat with their mask off.
If you're planning on taking your child back to your day care center soon, make sure they are safe and completing the above guidelines.
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