OUR COVID-19 PROTOCOL

OUR POLICY—COVID-19

Exposure:
If, within the last 10 days, any member of your household has a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, or any member of your household who is not immune (as defined below) has been in Close Contact with anyone who has a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, then all members of your household who are not immune must remain out of the center. For example, if a member of your household has been excluded from school due to a possible exposure, all members of your household who are not immune must remain out consistent with our center's COVID-19 exclusion and return requirements.

Symptoms:
All symptomatic individuals (including any immune individuals) and any members of that symptomatic individual’s household who are not immune and who have been excluded under the Center Health Check and Illness Policy-COVID-19 must remain out of the center, unless cleared to return.

Individuals will be considered “immune” commencing:
For vaccinated individual: Two weeks after completing the full course of vaccination.

For previously positive individual (with lab-confirmed case): ten (10) days after the onset of symptoms, or, in the case of an asymptomatic individual, ten (10) days after the date tested.

Travel:
If you have traveled internationally within the last 10 days, you must remain out of the center unless you were fully vaccinated at the time of travel.

After the applicable exclusion period has passed, you/your household may return provided these three things have happened:
(a)     At least 10 days have passed since anyone in your household first experienced symptoms; and
(b)     Symptoms have improved for anyone in your household that experienced symptoms (for example, cough or shortness of breath has improved); and
(c)      Your household has been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducers.

Please note, depending on the circumstances we may require you to obtain clearance to return from a medical provider before return to the center will be allowed.

HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS: means anyone living or present in the household on a regular basis (e.g. houseguests, nannies, caregivers, home health workers, contractors, etc.) and includes anyone with pick up or drop off privileges at the center.
CLOSE CONTACT: Someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic individuals, 2 days prior to test date).

Consequently, when determining Close Contact for members of the general public, the determination should be made irrespective of whether the contact was wearing respiratory PPE or fabric face coverings.

FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS: The determination of Close Contact for the potentially exposed individual will consider the use of recommended personal protective equipment or PPE (e.g., gowns, gloves, NIOSH-certified disposable N95 respirator, eye protection).

EKAC CENTER HEALTH CHECK AND ILLNESS POLICY—COVID-19

ILLNESS:

During the COVID-19 pandemic period, our Health Check & Illness Policy (both COVID and Non-COVID provisions) applies to all staff, children and their household members. The final decision on whether to exclude an individual from the program due to illness will be made by the child care center.

For your child's comfort, and to reduce the risk of contagion, children must be picked up within 1 hour of notification of illness. Until then, your child will be kept comfortable and will continue to be observed for symptoms.

For a full copy of the Health Check and Illness Policy, please ask your center leadership team.

DAILY HEALTH CHECK:

All staff, families, children and their household members must conduct a check before coming into the center. Should you or any household member have any of the following COVID-19-like symptoms during the preceding 72 hours, we ask you to remain out of the center and notify the center.

Cough
Sore Throat
Muscle Aches
Difficulty Breathing
New Loss of Taste or Smell
Fever at or above the threshold temperature of 100.4° F (or would have, but for the use of fever-reducers). The threshold temperature is 100.4° F, unless a LOWER threshold temperature is imposed in the local jurisdiction or by the specific center.

All staff, families, children and their household members must submit to a temperature check upon arrival at the center and must provide complete and accurate responses to the Daily Health Check. Anyone refusing to comply will not be permitted entry. The Daily Health Check questions and the temperature threshold may be updated from time to time. All symptomatic individuals (including any immune individuals), and any members of the symptomatic individual’s household who are not immune must remain out of the center, unless cleared to return.

Note: If the exclusionary symptom has already been cleared by the COVID team, then a “yes” to the continued presence of a cleared symptom will not result in exclusion.

SYMPTOMS—RETURNING AFTER EXCLUSION:
Consistent with our COVID-19 Policy, a symptomatic household will be required to remain out of the center for at least 10 days. There are, however, two options for a household to return earlier following an exclusion due to symptoms:

PCR Clearance to Return: If the household provides a copy of a negative PCR (or other molecular) test result for the symptomatic individual(s) showing the name, date of test and date of result, then the household will be cleared to return and the ten (10) day exclusion period will not apply. Antigen tests will NOT be accepted for this clearance option.

Clearance to Return from Medical Provider: If a medical provider assesses the symptomatic individual and provides acceptable clearance to return, then the individual will be cleared to return and the ten (10) day exclusion period will not apply. Clearance to return will be acceptable if a medical provider confirms in writing that: a) the individual has tested negative and can return when fever-free for at least 24 hours (without use of fever-reducers) and symptoms are resolving, b) there is an alternate diagnosis causing the COVID-like symptoms and the individual has tested positive for a confirmed non-COVID microbiological diagnosis, or negative for COVID-19 using a molecular or antigen test for SARS- CoV-2, or c) there is an alternate diagnosis causing the COVID-like symptoms. Patients presenting with symptoms of an upper respiratory illness, or ear, nose or throat infection, must provide clearance to return pursuant to options a or b above, and option c will not be sufficient. Any unspecified diagnosis is presumed to be COVID-19 and the exclusion will continue.

Clearance to Return cannot be provided by a family member, can only be provided to clear an exclusion for symptoms and is not sufficient to clear an exclusion for exposure. All Clearances to Return must be reviewed and approved by the COVID-19 Response Team.

Early return requirements may change, from time to time, based on current conditions. Once all COVID-19 concerns have been cleared, all returns must still comply with standard (non-COVID) return requirements per EKAC Health Check and Illness Policy.

REPORTING SUSPECTED OR CONFIRMED CASE IN HOUSEHOLD:
Notify us immediately if you become aware of any suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in your household occurring within 14 days prior to or 48 hours after any member of your household has been in present at the center.

BACK-UP CARE USER POLICY-COVID-19

Exposure:
If, within the last 10 days, any member of your household has a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, or any member of your household who is not immune (as defined below) has been in Close Contact with anyone who has a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, then your household may not use EKAC Back-Up Care (inclusive of in-home care). For example, if a member of your household has been excluded from school due to a possible exposure, your household must not use EKAC Back Up Care (inclusive of in-home care) until cleared for return.

Symptoms:
All symptomatic individuals (including any immune individuals) who have been excluded under the Back Up Care User Health Check and Illness Policy-COVID-19 and their household must not use EKAC Back Up Care (inclusive of in-home care) until cleared for return.

Individuals will be considered “immune” commencing:
For vaccinated individual: Two weeks after completing the full course of vaccination.

For previously positive individual (with lab-confirmed case): ten (10) days after the onset of symptoms, or, in the case of an asymptomatic individual, ten (10) days after the date tested.

Travel:
If you or anyone in your household has traveled internationally within the last 10 days, your household may not use Bright Horizons In-Home Back-Up Care and if your household is using Bright Horizons In-Center Back-Up care, the traveler must remain out of any back-up care center unless the traveler was fully vaccinated at the time of travel.

Please note, depending on the circumstances we may require you to obtain clearance to return from a medical provider before your household may use EKAC Back-Up Care.

HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS: means anyone living or present in the household on a regular basis (e.g. houseguests, nannies, caregivers, home health workers, contractors, etc.) and includes anyone with pick up or drop off privileges at the center.

CLOSE CONTACT: Someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic individuals, 2 days prior to test date).

Factors to consider in determining Close Contact include proximity, duration of exposure, whether the infected individual was symptomatic and/or generating respiratory aerosols (e.g., was coughing, singing, shouting), and other environmental factors (crowding, adequacy of ventilation, whether exposure was indoors or outdoors). Masks are not a substitute for social distancing. Consequently, when determining Close Contact for members of the general public, the determination should be made irrespective of whether the contact was wearing respiratory PPE or fabric face coverings.

BACK-UP CARE USER HEALTH CHECK AND ILLNESS POLICY– COVID-19

ILLNESS:
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, caring for ill or mildly ill children (regardless of what symptoms they are presenting with) is not allowed as part of the EKAC’s back-up care program at this time. Suspension of a care session is sometimes necessary to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. To reduce the risk of contagion, if your child is at a center and becomes ill your child must be picked up within 1.0 hour after notification of illness. If the care session is in-home and your child, the caregiver or anyone else present in the household becomes ill, you must relieve the caregiver and make alternate arrangements for supervision of your child(ren) within 1.0 hour of becoming aware of or notification of illness. In addition to the non-COVID illness policy, households must screen specifically for COVID-19 symptoms and households where those symptoms are present will be excluded from using back-up care for at least ten days unless the household provides an acceptable Clearance to Return.

DAILY HEALTH CHECK:
All caregivers, families, children and their household members must conduct a health check before any back-up care session. Should you or any household member have any of the following COVID-19-like symptoms during the preceding 10 days, you should not use back-up care and should notify us.

Cough
Sore Throat
Muscle Aches
Difficulty Breathing
New Loss of Taste or Smell
Fever at or above the threshold temperature of 100.4° F (or would have, but for the use of fever-reducers). The threshold temperature is 100.4° F, unless a LOWER threshold temperature is imposed in the local jurisdiction or by the specific center.

Any household that has a household member who is symptomatic (including any immune individuals) must not use EKAC Back-Up Care (inclusive of in-home care), unless cleared to return.

Note: If the exclusionary symptom has already been cleared by the COVID team, then a “yes” to the continued presence of a cleared symptom will not result in exclusion.

SYMPTOMS— RETURNING AFTER EXCLUSION:
Consistent with our COVID-19 Policy, a symptomatic household will not be able to use Bright Horizons Back-Up Care (inclusive of in-home care) for at least 10 days. There are, however, two options for a household to return to using Back-Up Care earlier following an exclusion due to symptoms:

PCR Clearance to Return: If the household provides a copy of a negative PCR (or other molecular) test result for the symptomatic individual(s) showing the name, date of test and date of result, then the household will be cleared to return and the ten (10) day exclusion period will not apply. Antigen tests will NOT be accepted for this clearance option.
Clearance to Return cannot be provided by a family member, can only be provided to clear an exclusion for symptoms and is not sufficient to clear an exclusion for exposure. All Clearances to Return must be reviewed and approved by the COVID-19 Response Team.

**Early return requirements may change from time to time based on current conditions. Once the COVID-19 concern has been cleared, all returns must still comply with standard (non-COVID) return requirements consistent with EKAC Health Check and Illness Policy.

REPORTING SUSPECTED OR CONFIRMED CASE IN HOUSEHOLD:

Notify us immediately if you become aware of any suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in your household occurring within 14 days prior to or 48 hours after any back-up care session.

CAREGIVERS AND FAMILIES MUST COMPLY WITH STATE AND LOCAL REGULATIONS REGARDING MASKS/FACE COVERINGS.

Center-based Back-Up Care:
Families using center-based back-up care must comply with all mask/face covering protocols in place at the centers. These protocols may differ from center to center depending on state and local guidance.

In-Home Back-Up Care:
Adults: Adults must wear masks/face coverings when in the presence/same room as the caregiver, even if the adult is not in Close Contact with the caregiver. This guidance does not apply to adult care recipients who are:

Advised not to wear a face covering for health reasons;
Are unable to remove the face covering without assistance; or
Have severe asthma, breathing difficulties or other safety concerns.

Caregivers: Caregivers must wear masks/face coverings at all times when at a care session, except during a break or while eating (in each case, provided proper social distancing can be maintained).

Children: This guidance does NOT apply to children under 2, or to those who are advised not to wear a face covering for other health reasons.

Parents should consult with their child’s health care provider if necessary (e.g., for children with certain conditions such as asthma), to determine if an individual child age 2 years and older is able to safely and consistently wear a cloth face covering while in care.

When in the presence of the caregiver, children 5 and over are required to wear masks/face coverings and children over 2 are recommended to wear masks/face covering unless:

The child is interacting in on-line schooling activities, provided proper social distance from the caregiver is maintained
The child is unable to remove the face covering without assistance
The child has severe asthma or other breathing difficulties or safety concerns
The child has special educational or healthcare needs, including intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental health conditions, and sensory concerns or tactile sensitivity
The child continues to remove the face covering or otherwise cannot wear the face covering safely and consistently

Face coverings should NOT be worn, but proper social distancing should be maintained:

While engaged in physical activities outside (unless otherwise required under local regulation)
If the face covering is wet or if the child is engaged in activities that may cause the face covering to become wet (e.g., swimming)
While eating at least 6’ apart from the caregiver
If the child is unconscious or otherwise incapacitated

**Mask Exceptions: At the time of the care request and during the introductory call (if applicable), the family must note in the care request if a care recipient (adult, or child 5 and over) is unable to wear a mask due to one of the above-stated health and safety exceptions.

Masks/face coverings are NOT a substitute for social distancing, hand washing or other everyday preventative actions.

COVID-19 Protocol: Welcome