Tender Years’ COVID-19 Response
While the COVID-19 pandemic has caused considerable confusion and disruption to our daily lives, we at Tender Years have compiled this page to help our parents stay up-to-date on our centers and programs. Please check back regularly for new and revised information. As always, if you have questions or concerns, please contact your center director.
ATTENTION:
If your child has tested positive for COVID-19 or has come into contact with someone who is, or may be, positive, please notify us immediately by completing our COVID-19 Case Reporting Form…
Center Operations
All Tender Years Child Development Centers are currently operating Monday – Friday, 7:00am – 5:30pm with modifications, as outlined on this page.
All Tender Years centers are following the recommendations of the PA Department of Human Services (DHS) and The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL). You can review the current guidance here.
Health & Safety Policies
The following policies have been implemented to prevent and/or limit the spread of COVID-19 among our staff, students, families, and the communities we serve. Thank you in advance for doing your part.
Face Masks
Following orders from PA Secretary of Health, Tender Years, Inc. is complying with the Universal Face Coverings Order: “to protect the public from the spread of COVID-19, all customers are required to wear masks while on premises, and deny entry to individuals not wearing masks.”
All children age 2 years or older*, all parents dropping off and picking up children, all childcare staff, and all other vendors or visitors to the center are required to wear cloth face coverings on our properties.
*Children 2 years of age and older are required to wear a face covering as described in the Order of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health Order for Universal Face Coverings, unless they fit one of the exceptions included in Section 3 of the Order. If a child is outdoors and able to consistently maintain a social distance of at least 6 feet from individuals who are not part of their household, they do not need to wear a mask.
Cloth face coverings will be washed daily at our centers.
Personal Items
Parents, as well as staff, shall limit bringing items from home into our centers. Furthermore, breastfeeding mothers will be asked to please sign their children out.
Health Screenings for Staff
ALL staff coming into the center shall be checked for symptoms (including a fever of 100°F or higher, cough, shortness of breath, chills or repeated shaking with chills, new loss of taste or smell).
Staff members must report through front doors only. Staff members who are unwell, have a fever, or display other symptoms will not be permitted to work.
Student Illness & Health Screenings
Children who are exhibiting symptoms of illness, such as vomiting or diarrhea, a fever of 100°F or higher, cough, shortness of breath, chills or repeated shaking with chills, new loss of taste or smell, will not be permitted to attend.
Due to the nature of COVID-19, children must be symptom-free for at least 72 hours before they are allowed inside the center. Please note that in order for a child to qualify as symptom-free, he/she must be fever-free for at least 72 hours without the use of medication, including acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil).
ALL children will undergo a health check before they are permitted to stay for care. Please see our Modified Drop-Off Procedures, below, for further details.
Personal Hygiene
All children and staff members will continue to practice frequent and meticulous hand washing.
Cleaning & Disinfection at Centers
We will continue regular, intensive cleaning with hospital grade sanitizers, and we will continue to disinfect toys that are handled or mouthed. Additionally, our professional cleaning service will continue to clean the centers as scheduled.
Modified Drop-Off & Pick-Up Procedures
We recommend that parents designate a single person to drop off and pick up a child. We also recommend that the designated person is not a “vulnerable” person (older person such as a grandparent or a person with serious underlying medical condition) or a person at high risk of contracting COVID-19 (such as a healthcare worker exposed to ill patients).
Drop-Off Procedures
All children shall be brought to the front door of the center for a health check before being allowed to stay for care. Front doors will remain locked, and key pads or pin code pads will not allow access to parents. A designated staff person will screen your child and take him/her to their classroom. We ask that you please wait until a health check has been completed. Please note, it is at the discretion of Tender Years staff to determine whether your child is healthy, based on our current policies.
Health screening checks are administered to all children before they are taken to their classrooms. These checks include a visual inspection for signs of illness (including cough, shortness of breath, chills or repeated shaking with chills, new loss of taste or smell), as well as temperature screening. We utilize temperature scanning kiosks to provide fast and accurate temperature readings, supplemented by touchless thermometers when necessary. If a child has cold or flu symptoms, or fever of 100°F or higher, they will not be permitted to attend childcare.
Pick-Up Procedures
At the end of the day, please come to the front door, and a designated staff person will bring your child to the front for pick up.
Travel Policy
If you have traveled recently, we ask that you please comply with Pennsylvania’s mandate to quarantine for 14 days upon returning home. NO ONE IN THE HOUSEHOLD SHOULD VISIT THE CENTER during this time.
Notifications of Potential Exposure to COVID-19 & Case Reporting
Attention: If your child has tested positive for COVID-19 or has come into contact with someone who is, or may be, positive, please notify us immediately by completing our COVID-19 Case Reporting Form.
We will inform our staff and families of possible exposure to a positive COVID-19 case. Parents and staff will be notified through the emergency alert system on Tadpoles. The alert will specify possible exposure, exposure or a positive case, as well as guidance for center closures, quarantine and exclusion (per the PA Department of Health, DHS and OCDEL).
Tender Years, Inc. will report COVID-19 cases to the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Human Services (DHS) within 24 hours of notification. We will inform parents of enrolled children and staff when there is a suspected or positive case of COVID-19 in our childcare center. Notification will include the appropriate guidance from the Department of Health and Department of Human Services. For your reference, please download the PA DOH Covid-19 Patient Instructions for Self Isolation below.
Illness & Tuition Payment Policies
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tender Years, Inc. will continue to refer to our existing policies regarding illness and tuition. These policies are supplemented by our COVID-19 policies and procedures, detailed above. For your convenience, we have compiled the relevant policies from the Tender Years Parent Handbook and our COVID-19 response, along with some additional notes for clarification. Please take a moment to review this information in the document listed below. If you have questions, please reach out to your center’s director.
COVID-19 Policies Acknowledgment Forms
COVID-19 Policies Acknowledgment – PARENT
COVID-19 Policies Acknowledgment – ALL
Additional Resources
Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services (DHS) and Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) have released an FAQ for Families considering child care. You can access the document here: Child Care FAQs for Families in Need of Care
Traveling out of state? Pennsylvania’s Department of Health provides a list states with high case counts. To see the latest information, CLICK HERE.
