Covid-19 FAQs

What has been your approach towards operations during the pandemic?
Our priority is, as always, ensuring the health and safety of our children and our staff. Each step of the process has required careful vigilance with respect to hygiene, sanitation, and operating procedures. We have been able to put into place a rigorous system of cleaning and sanitizing, including the use of our sanitizing wands, accompanied by thorough hand-washing practices. As well, we have adapted our routines and environments to facilitate physical distancing.

It is also important to us to support our children and families who found themselves stuck at home. We moved quickly to launch our “Learning at Home” initiative, in which activities targeting different developmental areas for each age group are being sent to families on a weekly basis and are available on our website. In addition, we shared posts and activities so that your children would remain familiar with their teachers.

Our goal has been to create a thoughtful balance between parent support and independent child engagement through easy to do activities at home with a multitude of outcomes for your children

How have you adapted to the new protocol and what safety measures are in place?
We are strictly adhering to all the guidelines established by our local, state, and federal health authorities and the New York Office of Child and Family Services. In addition, we’ve researched other practices to create a comprehensive list of best protocol to ensure the health and safety of our children and our staff.

We have looked at all parts of the day, including routines, learning activities, mealtimes, transition times, and outside times, to reflect on adaptations we can make to ensure safe measures are in place. Our entire team has been trained on the procedural changes and new operating measures.

What measures are in place for physical distancing?
We continue to use classroom management systems to limit the children at each learning center. Our classrooms remain physically set up with smaller group activities available. We have also adjusted our routines to minimize group transitions. We are maintaining smaller group sizes. We are utilizing signage on tables, on the floor and on walls to remind children about physical distancing.

We transition children outside in smaller groups. The activities we implement throughout the day have inherent physical distancing parameters. Fitness, and music experiences as well as other types of physical activities are used to channel the joy of movement for the children while limiting close interactions. We will ensure that children continue to experience joyful learning.

How will children understand physical distancing?
We know children are naturally drawn to their peers and we do not want to discourage that tendency. We intend to redirect it when we can. We will use positive language and redirection consistently to help spread children out in play when they have naturally congregated. 

What if my child just needs a hug?
Our physical distancing strategies have been implemented to minimize close contact when possible, but not altogether. While we recognize the necessity for physical distancing, we also recognize the necessity for those physical interactions aimed to support a child who may be hurt or upset, or just in need of a hug. We are not eliminating those moments. We will continue to look out for the emotional health and well-being of every child within our schools and will nurture them accordingly.

Will drop-off and pick-up times look different for families?
Family members are asked to remain outside of the classrooms. An EduKids staff member will assist each family member with a short screening process developed by the Office of Child and Family Services, including a body temperature check.

Will staff be wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves?
All staff wear gloves during any feeding, diapering, and cleaning process. Gloves are removed, hands will be washed, and new gloves are applied for each new process.
Masks must be worn by all adults whenever they are in one of our buildings.

What if my child becomes ill while attending EduKids?
In the event that your child exhibits symptoms of COVID-19 while at the Center, they will be brought to an isolated space by a familiar staff member who will wear gloves and a mask to minimize germ transfer. A parent or guardian will be contacted immediately and asked to pick the child up as soon as possible. Family members will be required to seek guidance from their child’s physician to determine testing protocols if necessary. If they are tested positive for COVID, written documentation from their physician of a negative COVID-19 test result and a clear return to care date is required before the child can return to our care.

What additional cleaning and hygiene processes are now being implemented?
All high touch surfaces are sanitized continuously.

Materials that have been mouthed or contaminated in any way are removed from the program until they can be washed and sanitized. Materials that have been used by one group of children will be washed and sanitized before being used by the next group of children. Our team of educators consistently rotate out toys to ensure a rich variety of play materials for your children. Despite these frequent cleaning requirements and other procedures, we continue to provide robust learning opportunities for your children.

Enhanced handwashing requirements have been implemented for all children and staff. They are expected to wash their hands upon arrival to the school, after outside play, before and after eating, after toileting, after diapering, after cleaning, after wiping noses, and intermittently throughout the day to ensure vigilant practice. As well, educators role model singing songs throughout the handwashing process to complete the 20 second timed guideline.

Careful attention is maintained during all snack and mealtimes to eliminate cross-contamination of food items. All surfaces are washed and sanitized thoroughly before and after mealtimes.

Tissue boxes are available throughout the classrooms to catch any sneezes and coughs. If using a tissue is not possible, children are guided to sneeze into their elbow. Children are supported to dispose of these tissues appropriately and guided to wash their hands.

Will my child be placed in the same program upon returning to EduKids?
Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that your child will return to their previous classroom. This is due to the new regulations governing our group sizes and school capacity, the anticipated gradual growth of our enrollment levels, and the gradual return of our beloved staff. However, we assure you that all measures are being taken to place your child in a comfortable classroom with familiar peers and educators. Furthermore, we will be as consistent as possible regarding your child’s educator in order to minimize the unnecessary risk of exposure to too many people.

Center staff will reach out to family members, updating them of any changes to their child’s classroom, if needed.

How can I help support my child with the transition back to childcare?
We encourage you to begin talking about the return to EduKids as soon as you can. In most cases, your child will be excited to see their friends and teachers again, and conversations should reflect on positive past experiences, including favorite moments with their teachers and peers.

Some children may exhibit apprehension about returning, and there are some books that may ease some of this anxiety. These include:

• Come Along, Daisy by Jane Simmons
• Raccoon on His Own by Jim Arnosky
• The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
• I Love You All Day Long by Francesca Rusackas
• Bye Bye Time by Elizabeth Verdick
• Llama, Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney
• Once I was Very, Very Scared by Chandra Ghosh Ippen
• Holdin Pott by Chandra Ghosh Ippen

Our educators are also supporting your children through the use of visual schedules, story times that feature emotional literacy and resilience, and connection strategies that are personalized and joyful.

In addition, your Center Director will provide communication regarding any changes within the Center. This is in addition to communication from your child’s teacher regarding how he or she is settling into the new childcare norm.

Do I still have to pay tuition if my child is required to quarantine at home while the center is still open?
Tuition will be charged if the center is operating and your child cannot attend. A 30 day notice of withdrawal is required if you make the decision to end enrollment.

What happens if your center must close due to COVID-19?
If our center is required to close due to COVID-19, we will credit your account a prorated amount of your tuition payment based on the number of days that the Center is closed. This credit will be applied to the next month’s tuition.

Do I have to provide a 30 day notice if my school age child’s elementary school suddenly resumes full-time in-person instruction?
If the public school changes your child’s attendance schedule, we will reduce the required withdrawal notice to one week.

What happens if a local lock-down is ordered?
If an executive order requires you to follow a lock down, you will stop being charged tuition on the day the lockdown begins.  The remainder of your unused tuition will remain as a credit on your account until the executive order is lifted.

We will be doing all we can to nurture and support your children and your family throughout this transition. Please reach out to your Center Director for clarification regarding any of these details or anything else.

Testimonials

Covid-19 Policy

January 18, 2022

Dear Families,

As COVID-19 numbers continue to rise across our region, we are taking every precaution to keep our children, families, and staff members healthy. 

The following health reminders are in effect for all of our EduKids Centers:

• If your child(ren) has any symptoms of COVID, including but not limited to; cold/flu symptoms, fever or chills, cough, muscle or body aches, sore throat, congestion, or runny nose, please keep your child home until they are symptom free or have received a negative covid test result.
• If a child develops a fever or any symptoms while in our care, a parent will be called to take their child home until they are 24-hours fever free and COVID symptom free.
• If a child currently attending EduKids tests positive for COVID, please let your Center Director know immediately (including after business hours and over the weekend), and email EduKids at [email protected] so we can plan accordingly.
• It is critical that we all adhere to our COVID protocols including wearing a mask over your nose and mouth while in our EduKids Centers regardless of vaccination status.

We are following the guidance of our licensor and the Department of Health for children in a congregate care setting in determining quarantine dates for our children. We are still requiring a 10-day quarantine for our infants – PreK children at EduKids. Children are still able to test out of quarantine and return to EduKids on day 8 of their quarantine if they received a negative result from a PCR test taken on day 5,6 or 7 of their quarantine. This is in line with congregate care recommendations and takes into account that our younger children are not capable of wearing a tight-fitting mask consistently through the day at EduKids.

School age children at EduKids are able to follow the K-12 guidelines which allow them to return to school and EduKids on day 6 as long as they are consistently wearing a well-fitting mask through day 10.

Although this is currently the guidance being provided, families may still want to consider doing a full 10-day quarantine for their child.

These guidelines are constantly changing so we appreciate your support while we navigate these ever-changing circumstances. We are doing our very best to keep COVID out of our Centers and we need your help to continue! Thank you for continuing to work together as a community to create a safe space for our children to continue to learn and grow. If you have any questions, please reach out to your Center Director.

Thank you!

May 28, 2020

Dear EduKids Families,

As we re-open some of our Centers and welcome more of our families back into our buildings, please know that our children and staff’s well-being is of great importance to us. We are all working very hard to stay connected with our treasured staff, and to provide for them whether they are working in our centers or staying at home. As we plan to continue our program in line with Licensing, Public Health and Government authorities, we will bring them back as seamlessly as possible based on classroom enrollment.

I should also say that in every communication I receive from a team member, they tell me how much they miss the children and how much they look forward to seeing them again. I hope that you are tuning into our Facebook and Instagram pages, and to our website, to see our educators and curriculum experts interact online with the children.

Our “Learning at Home” support is available on our website and social media. Please visit the following to find these resources:
• Website: www.edukidsinc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edukidsinc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edukids/

At EduKids, we have been reviewing information and guidance available to us since January, and we will continue to do this in order to put in place the most appropriate controls to protect our staff whilst they are at work and the children in our care. We will follow public health advice and ensure that where PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is required, it will be provided. Currently, staff are wearing masks in the center. Children over the age of 2 can wear masks if parents request that, but it is not required. In addition, all staff are provided with disposable vinyl aprons for staff to use as another protective barrier. Parents must wear masks when they enter the center, as well. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

We have put in place controls that have minimized the likelihood of someone with Covid-19 being in our centers, with increased monitoring of symptoms and the taking of temperatures of children, staff and visitors upon arrival to the center. It is very important that all staff, children and family members should stay at home if they have a cough or a temperature over 100 degrees F as those who are symptomatic are at greater risk of spreading the virus to others. Any children or staff who become unwell during the day will be sent home.
In order to reduce the risk of spreading possible contagions and minimize the traffic in the center, we ask that one parent drop off/pick up their child(ren). Although we love to have parents visit, at this time we ask that you do not enter the classrooms when dropping off or picking up your children.
We have also increased the frequency of cleaning to reduce the likelihood of the virus staying in our environments should it be present. Following our Covid-19 daily cleaning procedure is crucial to ensuring we are effectively managing the risk and it is carried out daily.
Finally, we have communicated the importance of good personal hygiene as a way of reducing the likelihood of being infected. Regular handwashing with warm water and soap by all staff and children is essential and is built into the day to ensure it is carried out regularly and before and after key activities such as toileting, eating and touching bodily fluids, etc.

These additional extra-precautions have been built into our classroom program as follows:
• Learning activities are implemented in small groups instead of whole classroom experiences.
• We are guiding and encouraging physical distancing and avoiding any activity that involves physical contact. For example, circle times have been adapted to accommodate physical distancing through the use of strategically placed chairs, carpet squares and/or markers on the floor, and educator directed separation. Further, daily activities, both inside and outside, are being selected that allow for proper physical distancing.

 For more information on physical distancing in the classrooms, please check out this short video: https://youtu.be/th9V7al81wo

• At this time, we are offering Summer Camp. We are following advisement of governmental limitations and following physical distancing orders; therefore, it is likely we will need to cancel previously scheduled field trips and the camp program will remain on site.
• We are limiting the number of children per table during mealtime, and educators are serving instead of the children serving themselves.
• More intense health and hygiene practices (handwashing) are in place, role-modeled, and reinforced repeatedly throughout the day.
• High touch surfaces are disinfected continuously. Careful and critical attention is given to all food surfaces. Likewise, meticulous attention is given to cleaning and disinfecting all toileting and diapering areas before and after every use.
• All toys and materials that are in our classrooms are cleaned and sanitized upon use. Soft toys have either been removed or are limited to single child use.
• Soft items brought in for napping are placed in labeled, physically separated spaces, (i.e. Children’s Cubbies) where they remain until nap time.
• Children will have opportunities daily to play on the playground under the close supervision of the educators. The playground equipment will also be cleaned after each group utilizes the space. The playground is locked and secure, therefore neighborhood children and the community do not have access to our outdoor play space.
• Our educators have received additional training and they are exceedingly mindful of the limits they need to place on any activity and have been empowered to adapt, as necessary.

Despite these changes, we also wanted to assure you that the children continue to take part in a very active and rich educational experience while at our center. Every day and in every program our educators implement activities that target all developmental areas, including physical, language, and cognitive. Also, we continue to implement the social/emotional elements of our curriculum, which help build self-esteem, responsibility, empathy, and self-regulation skills.

For those of you home with your families, we cannot wait to see your children again. Once again, we thank you for your support and for trusting your children to our care. We are in this together and will continue to communicate with you through emails and on our website.

Sincere regards,

Lisa M. Chrapowicz, VP of Operations & Education

May 11, 2020

Dear EduKids Families,

We hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy. This hasn’t been an easy time for any of us. The COVID-19 pandemic is unlike anything we have ever seen and continues to impact our communities and our way of life. It is important to know that from the start, EduKids has worked with local health officials, school districts, Office of Child & Family Services, and other community partners to determine the most appropriate emergency operations plans and action for our EduKids child care centers. No matter the level of transmission in the Western New York Community, all of our EduKids centers have a plan of extra precautions in place to protect staff, children, and their families from the spread of COVID-19.

We would also like to thank you for taking the time to complete our Parent Survey. As you know we are trying to plan the return of our EduKids staff to work and anticipated class make up at all of our child care centers. After carefully considering the parent survey results and anticipation of guidance from Governor Cuomo and Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul regarding updates on re-opening Western New York, we have decided not to open the closed centers on May 18, 2020. We will continue the Leave of Absence billing policy for our families who have not returned to care at this time.

We are pleased to announce we anticipate opening our remaining EduKids childcare centers on June 1, 2020. We are currently reviewing our billing policies and will be sending an update out to our families prior to our centers re-opening. Currently, our Hamburg, Lancaster, West Seneca, Maryvale, and Williamsville centers are open and are able to take EduKids families that need child care immediately. Please contact us at [email protected]

Best regards,

Lisa Chrapowicz, VP of Operations

April 21, 2020

Dear EduKids Families,

As you probably have already heard, our newest Executive Order from NYS has been extended the “Pause” through May 15th. That actually seems more plausible at this point.  What that looks like, will remain to be seen, however under the circumstances EduKids has extended  the option for families to take a leave of absence with no penalty until May 15^th. We will continue to keep you updated as information becomes available.

I am truly grateful to all the parents that have stepped up to become teachers at this time.  I know that some of you are trying to work from home, or outside of the home,  or juggling other children.  Thank you for your patience and support, especially our Pre-Kindergarten/UPK families that are working with their children and keeping the momentum going for Kindergarten this September. Continue to check your email and  www.edukidsinc.com weekly for parent engagement resources. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with questions. 

In the event your EduKids center is closed and you need to return to work or have your children return to care, feel free to contact us at [email protected] and we can transfer your child(ren) to an open EduKids center until all of our center have re-opened. The following EduKids Centers remain open and able to care for any of our families:  Hamburg, Lancaster, West Seneca, Maryvale and Williamsville. 

We look forward to the day when all of our centers have re-opened and we can return to having FUN with all of our friends! 

Best regards,

Lisa Chrapowicz, VP of Operations & Education

April 14, 2020

Dear EduKids Families,

We miss all of our families so much! We hope you are all staying well and healthy during this unprecedented time.

As Governor Cuomo has extended the NY on Pause mandate, we too are extending our Leave of Absence through April 29th. Of course, if you need to return to care sooner than April 29th, you are welcome to return to EduKids at any time. If your center is currently closed, please contact us at [email protected] and we can help get you into one of our EduKids centers that has remained open. As information continues to change, we will keep you informed as to when our centers will resume business as usual. At that point, we will resume our normal billing schedule and policies.

We are trying our absolute hardest to do what’s right for the families we serve. We will continue to diligently monitor this situation and remain in touch as this is uncharted territory and this policy can be revised or change at any time in light of the changing environment.

Once again, we thank you for your support and for trusting your children to our care. We are in this together and will continue to communicate with you through emails and on our website.

Kindest regards,

Lisa M. Chrapowicz

Vice President of Education and Operations

March 24, 2020

Dear EduKids Families,

It’s unbelievable how quickly things can change in the blink of an eye. This has been a very difficult time for all of us at EduKids as it has been for all of you at home. Thank you again for all of your patience while we work through these challenging times together.

Effective, Monday, March 30^th, any family who has opted into the Leave of Absence will not be billed until further notice. Please be assured that a spot will remain available for your child once business has returned to normal. As information continues to change almost instantaneously, we will keep you informed as to when our centers will resume business as usual. At that point, we will resume our normal billing schedule and policies. Of course, if you need to return to care sooner than expected, you are welcome to return to EduKids at any time. If you prefer to unenroll and pull your child from EduKids, we cannot guarantee that a space will be available upon your return.

We are trying our absolute hardest to do what’s right for the families we serve. We will continue to diligently monitor this situation and remain in touch as this is unchartered territory and this policy can be revised or change at any time in light of the changing environment.

Once again, we thank you for your support and for trusting your children to our care. We are in this together and will continue to communicate with you through emails and on our website.

Kindest regards,

Lisa M. Chrapowicz

Vice President of Education and Operations

During uncertain and stressful times, it is more important than ever to keep your child in a fun, relaxed environment filled with positive interaction, play, and learning! The PreK school year is a time to build Kindergarten readiness skills that serve as a foundation for lifelong learning.

Here are some simple activities you can do at home with your child to keep that learning going:

Literacy Activities

• Read with your child every day! This is the single most important thing you can do for your child!
  • Ask questions while you read
    • Who are the characters?
    • Where does the story take place?
    • What do you think will happen next?
    • Where is the front cover of the book? The spine? The back cover?
• Have your child tell you a story
• Sing songs
• Recite nursery rhymes
• Start a journaling practice; give a prompt such as “What’s your favorite thing to do outside?” and have your child illustrate the answer and then write down what they say
• Practice rhyming – Dr Seuss books can help with this!
• Play letter BINGO

Motor Skills

• Throw and catch a ball
• Jump over the cracks of the sidewalk
• Walk, run, skip, and gallop
• Toss a ball or beanbag into a laundry basket
• Practice printing his/her name
• Use child size scissors to cut out magazine pictures or straight, curved, zigzag lines
• Make and explore playdough with this No Cook Playdough recipe!  

No Cook Playdough Recipe

• Mix 2 cups of flour with 1 cup of salt
• Add 1 cup of water, a few drops of food coloring, and 1 teaspoon of oil; mix well
• If your mixture is too sticky, add a bit more flour
• PLAY!

Math Activities

• Find shapes around your house – play I Spy!
• Count all the cars on the street, cans in the cupboard, or books on the shelf
• Learn your phone number
• Sort objects by color, size, or shape; talk about which group has more, less, or is equal to
• Match a quantity of objects to a numeral card (place one penny on the #1)
• Draw numbers in sand or shaving cream; create numbers with playdough
• Make patterns using Legos! Try ABAB (red, blue, red, blue), AABB (red, red, blue, blue), ABBABB (red, blue, blue, red, blue, blue)

Science Activities

• Take care of your plants and plant seeds in egg cartons to get a jump start on spring
• Collect rocks or stones while you walk outside; come home and paint them!
• Play with water, measuring cups, and spoons
• Blow bubbles!
• Sink or float experiment with objects from around your home
• Use magnets
• Talk about the weather each day

Internet Resources

• Scholastic Learn at Home PreK
• Virtual Field Trips
• ABC Mouse *Use access code SCHOOL7771
• ENGAGE NY Animals Theme Downloadable Resources
• Lakeshore Learning
• PBS Kids
• Sesame Street
• Have Fun Teaching PreK Packet
• National Geographic Kids
• Really Good Stuff Student Activity Printables
• Colorations Educational Craft Ideas
• Steve Spangler Science Experiments you can do at Home

Kickstart Kindergarten

• Download the Kick-Start Kindergarten Readiness book herefor help with preparing children for the transition into Kindergarten. This book is full of activities that will support learning in the following areas:
  • Oral language and vocabulary
  • Emerging Literacy
  • Social-Emotional Skills
  • Math Exploration
  • Science Investigation
  • Fine and Gross Motor Skills

We hope these resources will help continue the learning at home – whether you are staying at home with your children during this time or continuing to send them to EduKids.

Please continue to watch your News & Notes for additional “Learn at Home” opportunities from your children’s teachers!

March 17, 2020

Dear EduKids Families,

Thank you again for all of your patience and kind words while we work through these challenging times together. As we gather more information about this pandemic, we wanted to send out an update to our families who are able to stay home with their children during this time.

Retroactive to yesterday, Monday, March 16^th, any family who would like to keep their child(ren) at home rather than send them to EduKids, can take a temporary leave of absence through April 20^th. All families who are interested in this option, will be billed at 50% of their weekly tuition for the 5 weeks (March 16^th – April 17^th.) Any families who will be taking this leave of absence will be able start back prior to April 20^th at your normal tuition rate. Please email your Center Director if you would like to take advantage of this temporary leave option. If you prefer to opt out of this leave of absence option and pull your child from EduKids, we cannot guarantee that a space will be available upon your return.

We are trying our absolute hardest to do what’s right for the families we serve. We will continue to diligently monitor this situation and remain in touch as this is unchartered territory and this policy can be revised or change at any time in light of the changing environment.

Once again, we thank you for your support and for trusting your children to our care. We are in this together and will continue to communicate with you through emails and on our website.

Kindest regards,

Lisa M. Chrapowicz

Vice President of Education and Operations

March 16, 2020

Dear EduKids Families,

I write to you in unprecedented times and thank you for your patience as we implement additional procedures to keep your children and our staff safe. We are staying abreast of all available information and government recommendations and trying to make the best decisions for the health and safety of our children and our dedicated staff.

You may be asking why we are remaining open when schools are not. We are in a different position than schools. We can monitor travel and will not allow entry to anyone that has travelled internationally.  We have smaller numbers and unlike schools, we can restrict movement and interaction between groups of children and staff. We can make different arrangements for the use of bathrooms, shared services and equipment, we can clean our spaces as often as we feel appropriate and better monitor hygiene practices as children are supervised at all times. 

If we close there is the probability that parents will no longer be able to work from home or go to work themselves as they will have to take care of their children. There is also the impact upon those parents who may be members of front-line services, the police, fire and health care workers to consider.

We are trying our absolute hardest to do what’s right for the families we serve. We will continue to diligently monitor this extraordinary challenge and remain in touch as Management is reviewing policies in light of continuing changes. 

Once again, we thank you for your support and for trusting your children to our care.

Kindest regards,

Lisa M. Chrapowicz, VP of Education and Operations

Dear EduKids Families,

From the onset of this situation, we have been listening to the appropriate sources for accurate and up-to-date information and our preparedness plan reflects those inputs. Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we’ve introduced enhanced procedures, especially at drop off.

As of noon today, Mark Poloncarz has declared a State of Emergency for Erie County after 3 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Erie County. As directed, schools will be closed, however child care centers, including EduKids will be open. We are regulated under OCFS (Office of Child & Family Services) and we are following their instructions and directives. We will provide child care for school age children that are currently registered for before and after child care and occasional child care. Please see your Center Director for additional information and availability.

As things evolve, we are actively monitoring the situation and assessing risks, and are ready to implement immediate changes to ensure a high level of safety. We will continue to communicate with you in a timely and transparent way so you can be assured we are providing the very best care for your child(ren).

Please take care of yourselves and each other.

Sincerely,

Lisa Chrapowicz, Vice President of Operations and Education