Ensuring the health and wellbeing of our children, families, and staff remains our highest priority. We’re actively partnering with local health departments and closely monitoring the latest updates from the CDC and World Health Organization to follow their most up-to-date guidance. For more information and resources on coronavirus, please visit the following websites:
Coronavirus Health and Safety Measures
Updated Tuesday March 31, 2020
This week, we’ll start new protocols in your center during the coronavirus crisis. We’re working closely with a medical advisor, and following CDC guidance. As a result you’ll see the following:
- Additional teacher and staff training. We’re training all of our teachers and staff on the enhanced precautions and preventative measures to keep everyone safe and healthy.
- Handwashing, regular disinfecting. We continue to follow the most up-to-date guidance to ensure that our centers are as safe and clean as possible.
- Continued suspension of family style dining. We’ve stopped our family style dining practice to reduce the spread of germs at meal time.
- Social distancing. We’ll practice social distancing as much as possible to reduce risk.
- Stay home if sick. Per new guidelines from our medical advisor, if you or your child have symptoms or a fever, you’ll need to stay home for 72 hours after symptoms subside.
- Enhanced health screenings. You’ll be asked a few quick questions before you drop your child off. At centers already equipped with thermometers, teachers and children will have their temperature checked.
- Longer drop-off and pick-up times. Health screenings above, and those to follow below will mean longer times before you enter your center. We’re working on a few activities for you and your child to do together while you wait outside or in your car.
- Temperature checks. Forehead thermometers have been shipped. Starting Wednesday March 25, 2020 you’ll stop at a temperature check station for teachers and children before drop off.
- Staggered drop-off and pick-up schedules. We’ll check in with you about your typical routine and may ask for your flexibility to avoid gathering of large groups.
- Response protocols in place. We’re collaborating with local officials to make sure we have procedures ready to put in place as the situation evolves.
- Please launder bedding and stuffed toys nightly. Taking your child’s sheets, blankets, stuffies, and plush items home every night and washing them will help limit the amount of germs in the center.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your center director if you have any questions about this. We’re all in this together!
Health and Hygiene Practices
As always, we’re following our existing hygiene and cleaning procedures, including disinfecting high-touch surfaces like door handles, and rotating toys so we can sanitize them even more frequently.
As part of our daily curriculum, we continue to emphasize the importance of hand washing and align with recommended 20-second hand-washing techniques. We’re reinforcing this action with children multiple times throughout the day.
If your child has had a fever or trouble breathing, we ask that they stay home until they’ve been symptom-free without medication for at least 72 hours. If you choose to keep your child at home, just call your center and let us know.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have further questions, please visit our FAQ.
Temporary Center Closures
To address the public need during the coronavirus crisis, we are offering care in hundreds of essential KinderCare centers across the country to offer childcare to families in essential service roles. If you work in essential services, and your center is closed, you are eligible to enroll your child in the essential center that is closest to you. If your center is not listed on the Essential KinderCare Center Locations page, it is temporarily closed in the best interest of global health.
Family Communications
We’re continually updating our families around the latest developments.