Reopening After COVID-19: Updated Health & Safety Procedures

Our child drop-off and pick up routines have been revised, please see here for details.

Timeline for Dr. Day Care Learning Centers Reopening:

All centers will have temporary operating hours of 8:00 am – 5:00 pm.

Projected open date: Wednesday June 3, 2020 –

• • Dr. Day Care Pawtucket Thornley St.
  • Dr. Day Care Providence
  • Dr. Day Care South County

(staff trainings on 6/1 & 6/2)

Projected open date: Wednesday June 10, 2020 –

• • Dr. Day Care North Providence
  • Dr. Day Care Pawtucket Concord St.
  • Dr. Day Care West Warwick

(staff trainings on 6/8 & 6/9)

Projected open date: Wednesday June 17, 2020 –

• • Dr. Day Care Cumberland
  • Dr. Day Care Foster
  • Dr. Day Care Smithfield

(staff trainings on 6/15 & 6/16)

Some changes you may notice when we reopen:

• Handwashing and sanitizing. Everyone who enters the building will need to wash hands, and we’ll continue to incorporate handwashing into our curriculum. Hand sanitizer dispensers will be available at entry areas and throughout the center.
• Increased cleaning & disinfecting. Staff will continue to clean throughout the day. Toys, playground equipment, and other high-touch surfaces will be regularly disinfected and rotated throughout the day. We will pause the use of sensory tables, large pillows or stuffed animals, and other materials that are difficult to clean.
• Increased professional cleaning.  Professional cleaners will clean and sanitize daily. Each center is also scheduled for a deep cleaning before the center reopens.
• Stay home if sick. Children, employees and visitors with a 100-degree Fahrenheit or higher temperature will not be allowed to attend child care or work.  Children and employees will need to be fever and symptom free for 72 hours without a fever reducing medicine.
• Sick space. Centers will have a dedicated space where teachers can care for sick children while being separated from others until child is picked up.
• Temporary hour change. Our operating hours are temporarily changed to 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, with the same staff scheduled in the same classroom to reduce the spread of the virus.
• Playground restrictions. Outdoor play structures will be utilized by one class at a time, with increased time between play to allow for cleaning.
• Restricted classroom access. To minimize potential exposure, we require that families not walk your child to their classroom when you arrive. Instead, please check in with staff and staff will walk your child to their classroom. Classrooms will be reserved for teachers and children only.
• No visitors in the building. No visitors in the classrooms to reduce spread of virus.
• Field trips and events. All in-person program assemblies, special activities, field trips and program wide events will be canceled or postponed.
• Meal time changes. Families will bring meals from home to reduce the spread of germs.
• Staggered reopen dates. To help ensure the best possible experience for our families and staff, we have staggered our center reopening dates.
• Updated policies. Policies and procedures were updated to reflect these changes. Please see center Administrator for details.

Questions? Each family will receive a phone call from your center Administrator to discuss the changes and your family’s plan upon reopening.

Children’s social-emotional health is also important during this transition. Children may have many emotions about returning to school. They may not fully understand why there are changes in their school. Some teachers and classmates may not return or there may be new faces in the classroom. We released a new social story that focuses on acknowledging and sharing children’s feelings in reaction to COVID-19: My school changed after COVID-19