All parents, all staff and everyone in the Rainbow community are strongly encouraged to take the COVID Vaccine. In line with government legislation, there may be a change to this in the future, where Rainbow mandate those in their community to have been vaccinated and to show the ‘green cards’.  

The manager must be informed if children or parents take a COVID test, or have been exposed to a COVID positive individual. The child will not be permitted to attend the gan, in line with Ministry of Health guidelines, and full fees for this period will be due

Cases of Covid-19 first emerged in December 2019, when a mysterious illness was reported in Wuhan, China. The cause of the disease was soon confirmed as a new kind of coronavirus  and the infection has spread to a number of countries around the world.

On 11 February the World Health Organization announced that the official name would be COVID-19, a shortened version of coronavirus disease 2019. The WHO refers to the specific virus that causes this disease as the covid-19 virus.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by SARS CoC-2 a virus closely related to the SARS virus. It is primarily spread between people via respiratory droplets from infected individuals when they cough or sneeze. Time from exposure to onset of symptoms is generally between 2 and 14 days. Spread can be limited by handwashing and other hygiene measures.

People may have few symptoms or develop fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Cases can progress to pneumonia and multi organ failure. The mortality rate is around 2%. The best prevention is to be vaccinated against the virus.

How COVID-19 Spreads

Current understanding about how the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreads is largely based on what is known about similar coronaviruses.

Person-to-person spread

The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.

• Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet)
• Via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
• These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.

Spread from contact with infected surfaces or objects

It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

When does spread happen?

• People are thought to be most contagious when they are most symptomatic (the sickest).
• Some spread might be possible before people show symptoms; there have been reports of this with this new coronavirus, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

How efficiently does the virus spread?

How easily a virus spreads from person-to-person can vary. Some viruses are highly contagious (like measles), while other viruses are less so. Another factor is whether the spread continues over multiple generations of people (if spread is sustained). The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads easily and quickly.

Symptoms of coronavirus

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

• a cough
• a high temperature
• shortness of breath
• loss of taste

How to isolate yourself if you could have coronavirus

If there’s a chance you could have coronavirus, you may be asked to isolate yourself.

This means that for up to 14 days, you should:

• stay at home
• not go to work, school or public areas
• not use public transport or taxis
• ask friends, family members or delivery services to carry out errands for you
• try to avoid visitors to your home – it’s OK for friends, family or delivery drivers to drop off food

The Israeli government, Ministry of Health, have issued official guidelines; which state anyone arriving from overseas must self-isolate for 14 days.

Governmental guidelines can be read here (Hebrew): https://www.health.gov.il/Subjects/disease/corona/Pages/default.aspx#bidud

Rainbow Specific policies

1. Any Rainbow parent, child, or staff member who has been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID must self isolate for 14 days, and have a COVID test. a negative COVID test must be provided to the gan for all persons prior to re-addmission to work or gan.

2. Any family arriving back from travel abroad must self-isolate for 14 days

3. We will report any family or persons who we believe to be breaking the self-isolation rules, via the government website in order to protect public health

Steps you MUST take:

1. If you have returned from travel abroad; contact the Rainbow Nursery manager immediately, or prior to returning home to Israel
2. Keep the Rainbow nursery manage informed of any symptoms that present, such as shortness of breath, coughing and high temperature, and keep her advised of any medical advice you have received
3. Undertake a 14 day self-isolation, following the guidelines above if you have travelled from abroad, or been in contact with a COVD positive individial

Prevention:

There are things that all of us can do, staff, parents and children to reduce the risks of spreading the virus, and contracting it. Here are some of the the tips taken from the World Health Organisation’s guidelines:

Wash your hands frequently

Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand rub if your hands are not visibly dirty.

Practice respiratory hygiene

When coughing and sneezing, cover mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue – discard tissue immediately into a closed bin and clean your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.

Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth

Hands touch many surfaces which can be contaminated with the virus. If you touch your eyes, nose or mouth with your contaminated hands, you can transfer the virus from the surface to yourself.

If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early

Contact your doctor and request a COVID test, and report the results to the nursery

https://youtu.be/bPITHEiFWLc

 

Here is a link to a video, you may wish to share with your children, to help explain what’s happening: Open Video link

You must complete a health declaration before entering the gan for he first time.

Click here to download the form

Staff entering the building at the start of the shift

Staff must sign self-declarations and take temperatures on a daily basis. S. The temperature will be recorded by the responsible person on the SEB form  In addition, the staff member will sign a self-declaration (also contained with the SEB) to confirm that they have not shown any COVID symptoms, and have not been knowingly in contact with anyone infected with in the last 14 days. Staff who have a temperature above 37.8 or have displayed COVID symptoms, or have been in contact with anyone infected with COVID will not be permitted to work. Before clocking in, staff are required to visit the staff washroom facilities on the first floor and wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before using their thumb to clock in.

Access to the building

 We welcome all children and staff who are not displaying COVID symptoms, and have not been I contact with anyone in isolation, whether displaying the symptoms or not. We are limiting access to the nursery building as far as possible to just children and staff, to provide the greatest level of safety and a minimal risk of transmission.  Visitors will not be permitted to enter unless essential or critical to the nursery continuing its service, and where these visits are required these will be made outside of the usual nursery operational hours where possible.

 

Visitors to the building

All visitors will be asked to wait outside the building, the Office manager, or other appropriate team member will come to the street to meet the visitor, and conduct business and interactions outside wherever possible. Visitors who need to be admitted to the building, are required to have the temperature taken, and must proceed immediately to wash their hands using the hand-wash facilities on the first floor. Visitors will usually be permitted only to enter the meeting room on the ground floor, unless there is a specific reason for needing to access other areas (such as maintenance).

 

Face Masks

 All adults in the building are required to have masks with you at all times. Masks need not be worn on the face by staff when they are in the classrooms, gardens, and non-public areas of the gan. When speaking and communicating with children, masks should not be covering the face, to enable open communication. Masks should be worn at all times, and must cover mouth and nose when interacting with other adults, visitors or parents. Children are not required to wear masks. Staff working alone, such as in the office, may remove their mask if alone in a closed room.

Parents must wear masks during pick up and drop off.

 

Handwashing

 Staff are required to wash their hands for 20 seconds with soap and water every 20 minutes, before and after changing each child’s napping or supporting children with toileting, before serving or preparing food, and on entry to each room, including the kitchen. Children should wash hands no less than once per hour, and always before and after food, and toileting. Children in younger groups may have their hands wiped for them with baby wipes if appropriate.

Social Distancing in the gan

Parents are required to stand 2 meters apart when waiting outside during pick up and drop off. Parents are also asked to stand back from staff when interacting. Staff are not required to socially distance  your co-workers in the classroom, or with the children. At all other times staff should maintain, as far as possible, social distancing practice. This means keeping 2 meters away from others, including parents.

 

Staff hugging and physical contact with the children

More than ever, children will need staff to be loving and comforting with them, during this COVID period. It is essential for our staff to show usual love an affection to the children. Staff will always support children when they are upset, and provide reassuring touch to help them settle.

 

Cleaning Routines

 Daily cleaning routines largely remain the same during the COVID, as high standards of good hygiene have always been in place. However, in areas where there are hard surfaces that are infrequently cleaned or not cleaned to a high enough standard team leaders will ensure these are regularly cleaned and disinfected within the classrooms, and the deputy manager will ensure that any extra cleaning in shared areas in carried out by the housekeeping staff or practitioners where appropriate. All frequently used hard surfaces will be cleaned with a hard surface cleaning and sanitising solution each day, this includes all door handles, number pads on doors, door release buttons, light switches, door pads, and the gan phone in each classroom

 

Travel to the nursery

Wherever possible, families and staff should travel to the nursery alone, by foot, bike or using their own transport (please observe our parking regulations).  Where transport is shared, these journeys should be made with the same individuals and with the minimum number of people at one time.

If public transport is necessary, there is an escalated risk of transmission given the limited space available for the number of passengers and the high touch contact points such as ticket machines, handrails, and seats.  Parents arriving by public transport must sanitise hands of themselves and their child prior to approaching the gan.

 

Children with fever (high Temperature)

Our usual policy is children with a high temperature can return to gan after the temperature has passed. However during this time, a further two-days of exclusion will apply (as required by national guidelines).

Therefore, any child who tests a temperature of 37.8 or above, must be sent home from gan immediately, and may not return for a minimum of two days AFTER the high temperature has passed. Staff must keep a log of all children who have tested high temperature, this should be passed to the deputy manager for central recording and it should also be recorded in the classroom daily diary.

Pick up and drop off

Rainbow operate a strict parking policy with parents, and it is the responsibility of all staff to help enforce this. Parents may not stop their cars illegally during pick up or drop off. This means no double parking, mounting the pavement, or stopping their car anywhere apart from a legal, designated parking spot. There is a parking lot across the road (on Maze).

We are requesting that parents stand against the building at pick up and drop off, as close to the building as possible, so other people can easily pass in the street. The MOH guidance states that parents must continue to social distance; we have tagged the street outside the gan with red tape demarcating two meters; this is so that parents can wait two meters apart! Parents are also required to wear masks (children are not).

The buggy parking area is available for use, but only one parent at a time may use the area, and social distancing must be maintained. We are asking parents avoid bringing a buggy or keeping it when them when they leave if possible.

Drop off will be between 7:30 and 8:30; Tigers should register and enter at the LEFT gate, Zebras should register and enter at the RIGHT gate, and Lions and Elephants should register and enter through the central gates and into the lobby. Penguins should register at the RIGHT gate (by Zebras), and then wait outside the centre gate, and a team member from Penguins will come to the street to take your child from the centre gate.

From 8:30 to 9:00 we won’t have any more registrations or entries. Then from 9:00 – 9:30 one team member will come out to the street, and continue with registration and entries through the main middle gate. If you arrive after 9:30, please call us and someone will come out.

For registration, we will take each child’s temperature, and apply hand sanitiser. We will give parents  the option of a 12:00 pick up

Any child with a temperature at 37.5 or above will not be permitted to the gan for the day, and for two following days (as per requirements).

We will require a signed health declaration from every child. This is a one-time thing, and parents are not required to bring a new form every day. No child is allowed to enter the building without the form.

No parents will be allowed to enter the building or be allowed past the gates. We have asked parents to be ready to say goodbye to their child outside. Staff must provide comfort and reassurance to children, and if they are unhappy for a prolonged period, the keyworker, after checking with the team leader should contact the parent/s, to discuss with them.

For pick-ups, will also operate from the street. Feedback on the door will be limited, but parents can request a call back after pick up from their child’s key worker, or team leader. Team leaders need to allocate a team member or more than one, to be on duty after 4:30 to make these calls as needed.

Staff should also call parents during the day if there is anything specific to feedback to parents.

The pick-up times for the groups are as follows:

We need all the Tigers and Zebras to be clear of the building and surrounding area by 4:25, so we can bring the Elephants out safely at 4:30.

Late Club Arrangements

Pick up from late club is managed by the Late Club Co-ordinator (LCC). Parents are required to call the Zebras phone, and the LCC will put on their mask, and will bring the child to the gate, and give relevant feedback. Maintaining social distancing with parents. It is essential that the LCC holds the Zebras phone in their pocket from 4:30 through to 5:30, to enable parents to reach them easily. 058 5152266

Staff have been issued with these general principles to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including:

• washing your hands often – with soap and water, or use alcohol sanitiser if handwashing facilities are not available. This is particularly important after taking public transport
• covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throwing the tissue in a bin.
• people who feel unwell should stay at home and should not attend work
• Everyone should wash their hands:
  • before leaving home
  • on arrival at gan
  • after using the toilet
  • after breaks and outdoor activities
  • before food preparation
  • before eating any food, including snacks
  • before leaving gan
• Hand santiser is not a replacement for handwashing, but should be used in addition to regular handwashing routines, each time you enter a room
• avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
• avoid close contact with people who are unwell
• throughout the day, and at the end of the day, staff are required to clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces – this will be directed by team leaders

Fee policy relating to COVID related closures

1. If there is government mandated shutdown again, and we are required to close the gan, and there is support scheme (such as Halat) for staff, we will charge 30% of full fees for this period.

2. If there is government mandated shutdown again, and we are required to close the gan, and there is NO support scheme (such as Halat) for staff, we will charge 90% of full fees for this period.

3. If there is a mandated restriction on number of children who are allowed to attend the gan, and so your child can only attend part time, we will charge 85% of fees for this period

4. If the gan is required to close temporarily for quarantine purposes because a staff member, parent or child has COVID, we will offer a 10% rebate for the weeks affected for parents who apply to the rebate scheme.

5. If individual children are required to quarantine because of contact with a COVID positive person (either from the gan, or from outside the gan), or if the child has COVID and cannot attend, normal fees will apply if the gan is open.