Our childcare programs operate Monday-Friday 7:30 am-5:00 pm.
Drop-off procedures
- Each center has a designated drop off location where staff will greet families, collect health screening information, support the goodbye transition and bring the child to his/her classroom.
- Parents/Guardians are not permitted into YMCA Childcare Program locations.
- When children arrive in their classrooms, each child’s belongings will be stored in an individual cubby/locker. Children will wash their hands before engaging in play.
- Face masks must be worn by parents/guardians when dropping off children.
Pick-up procedures
- Each afternoon when parents arrive at the designated pick-up location, a staff member will gather the child’s belongings and escort the child from the classroom to the parent.
- Parents/Guardians are responsible for securing children into car seats and booster seats.
- In our Toddler program, the ratio is 2:9 (two educators for every nine children).
- In our Preschool program, the ratio is 1:10 (one educator for every ten children).
- In our School Age/Afterschool program, the ratio is 1:13 (one educator for every thirteen children)
Children’s personal belongings, including nap items, must be secured in a zippered backpack/diaper bag/tote. In our Andover/North Andover location parents provide a morning snack, lunch and an afternoon snack.
Outdoor play is part of our daily curriculum. Each classroom will have a scheduled time outside. High touch playground equipment will be sanitized between groups.
Cleaning procedures
Staff shall ensure all equipment is properly sanitized or disinfected to prevent the spread of infection. The goal of safe cleaning is effective germ control using the safest amount of cleaning, sanitizing or disinfecting product.
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- The sanitizing and disinfecting solutions used in our child care programs are either a bleach solution prepared by the program daily or a commercial product registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
- Manufacturer’s instructions are followed.
- The center has intensified our routine cleaning, sanitizing/disinfecting practices, paying extra attention to frequently touched objects and surfaces, including door knobs, bathrooms and sinks, keyboards, and bannisters.
The center is cleaning and disinfecting toys and activity items used by children more frequently than usual and taking extra care to ensure that all objects that children put in their mouths are removed from circulation, cleaned and sanitized before another child is allowed to use them.
EEC requires all staff to wear masks. In addition, staff conducting intake screening will wear eye protection/face shields and gloves.
Masks are recommended for children 2 years of age or older who can safely and appropriately wear, remove and handle masks. Masks will not be worn during eating/drinking, sleeping/nap or outside times. Parents may provide masks for their child, educators will encourage children to wear them as much as possible. Families should provide their children with a sufficient supply of clean masks for their child to replace as needed.
Children are divided into cohorts. Each cohort is no larger than 15. Each room must have a minimum of 42 sq. ft. per child.