At Little Angels, the safety of your child and our staff members has always been our top priority. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have updated our policies and procedures to follow the latest government guidance, a full copy of which is given to all parents.
We understand that hygiene is a top priority for parents and we want to reassure you that your children are in safe hands with us. It may be that you are reluctant to take your child to start nursery with the worry of there not being adequate safety measures in place.
This is why we are going the extra mile to ensure that our nursery hygiene practices and safety measures are rigorous. They allow us to run the nursery safely, whilst limiting the risk of coronavirus transmission. These safety measures include:
Temperature taking
When children and staff arrive at the nursery, we are taking their temperatures. The NHS has reported that one of the main symptoms of coronavirus to look out for is a high temperature.
For babies and children, a normal temperature is said to be about 34.4C, but this can vary by child. A high temperature is said to be 38C or more. Therefore, if your child’s temperature is above this then we will ask them to leave immediately or stay away from the setting.
PPE (namely, disposable aprons, gloves and face masks) are used by staff taking temperatures and when handling bodily fluids.
Social distancing requirements
We have also implemented social distancing where possible in the nursery. When parents and guardians arrive to pick up their children, we are asking that they socially distance from each other and our staff for their safety.
We are also asking parents to wear face coverings when picking up their children unless they are exempt from wearing one.
Keeping children in small groups
To limit mixing between the children, we are keeping them in small groups with as much consistent staff as possible.
Gov UK has stated that minimising contact between groups can reduce the number of children or staff required to self-isolate in the event of children or staff testing positive for coronavirus.
Dedicated time slots for drop-offs and pick-ups
To further limit social contact, we also have allocated time slots for drop-offs and pick-ups to ensure we don’t have all the parents arriving at once.
These are given in advance to the parents to ensure this works for them and so they can make arrangements.
Regular hand hygiene
In accordance with the government advice, we are also ensuring that both our children and staff clean their hands regularly throughout the day.
We have developed routines to ensure children understand when and how to wash their hands. This includes making sure they wash them thoroughly for at least the recommended 20 seconds using soap and water or alcohol hand rub or sanitiser.
We also encourage good respiratory hygiene with the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach and ensure we have a good supply of tissues and bins throughout the nursery.
Deep cleaning
We also have an enhanced cleaning process in place to ensure the nursery is as safe as possible for children and staff. All surfaces touched by children and staff such as tabletops, door handles and play equipment are cleaned regularly throughout the day.
A deep sanitisation of the nursery is also done weekly, with the carpets also cleaned regularly. We are asking children not to bring toys or other items from the home to nursery unless this is vital for their health and wellbeing.
We have also been awarded a 5 out of 5-star Food Hygiene Rating from the Southwark Council and Food Standards Agency.
Strict policy for children with symptoms
If a child displays coronavirus symptoms whilst attending nursery, they should be collected as soon as possible and isolate at home in line with the NHS guidance. This also applies to all staff working at the nursery.
Meanwhile, if they develop symptoms at home, we request that they do not come into the nursery. They should then get tested and if the result is positive, this should be reported to the nursery straight away. These rules also apply if someone in your household has tested positive.
If a child was to test positive after being in our setting, we would then contact the Department for Education and take the necessary actions and confirm who was in close contact with the individual.
Little Angels 24/7
If you have any questions on our hygiene and safety measures, do not hesitate to get in touch and we will be happy to share the full copy of all measures with you.
We have also introduced video call tours to help meet these safety measures. If you would prefer to do an in-person tour, this will be done after hours and the premises will be cleaned after the viewing.
Get in touch with us to arrange a tour.