COVID-19 Update: May 18, 2021
We are delighted to share some exciting news with you about an important change we are now able to make at the CEC. Since COVID-19 infection in the local community has dramatically decreased, the CEC community has not had any incidents of COVID-19 or close contact exposure for several months. We believe there is also a high percentage of fully vaccinated adults in our community, and we are ready to cautiously move forward with adjusting our practices with the goal of eventually returning to our pre-COVID-19 style of operation.
To date, our regulatory agencies have not led us to believe that changes regarding reducing or eliminating mask-wearing in early care programs will happen in the near future. However, LA County Department of Public Health guidance now allows us greater liberty in defining stable cohorts of children and staff. This change creates the opportunity for us to expand the outdoor space available to children by re-joining the sibling groups of the Zebra/Appie and Bunny/Koala yards. The Preschool Yard groups will pair up as younger/older cohorts: Dolphin/Eagle groups and Sea Lion/Flying Squirrel groups. Unicorn and Panda groups will not experience a change since they have their own yard spaces. In addition to having access to additional outdoor space and all the wonderful experiences these contain, children will also benefit from an increased opportunities to socialize with more children and teachers. This expanded access to space, children, and adults will create greater richness in relationships, complexity, and variety of activities, not to mention a greater sense of freedom. Spring is the perfect time for us to unfold this change as the children are eager for additional adventure, opportunities, and inspiration. This change will begin Wednesday, May 19.
Important note: The only possible drawback to expanding the cohorts will be the need for a quarantine period should a child or adult in one of these groups test positive for Covid. Given vaccines and the low community infection rate, we believe the benefits of expanding the cohort groupings outweigh the possible risk of exposure and look forward to this big step forward. If you have questions, please feel free to contact Lisa Cain-Chang.
