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March 20, 2020

**For External Release**

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Re: Closure for Child Care Centers, Child Care Homes, and Early Education Programs.

     

Dear parents,

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Today we were notified of a Mandatory note from The Governor Pritzker, please read below an excerpt from the main paragraph:

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           ["March 20, 2020

             Guidance for Child Care Centers, Child Care Homes, and Early Education Programs

           In response to the unprecedented public health emergency that Illinois is facing as a result of the spread of COVID-19, Governor Pritzker has mandated the following closures for child care centers, child care homes, and early education programs across the state:

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•  Effective March 21, 2020 all child care centers licensed by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), as well as legally license-exempt centers outside of schools

•  Effective March 21, 2020 all child care homes licensed by DCFS. 

•  Early education programs in public and private schools are required to remain closed while the K-12 schools are closed. This mandate covers any early childhood program for children ages birth through five located in public schools or in private schools.
   

           The State is mindful that child care is a critical emergency service that is necessary for the children of essential workers currently required to work to maintain the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of Illinois"]
 

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Alternatives for child care will be available accordingly with the Office of Governor and the DCFS

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Emergency Child Care Homes
 

Effective March 21, 2020 and for as long as the public health emergency continues, child care homes may serve up to six children as a legally license-exempt home.

Emergency Child Care Centers

Effective March 21, 2020 child care centers that wish to serve as emergency child care sites for the children of critical emergency workers. These emergency child care center sites will be the only child care centers legally allowed to operate during the COVID-19 State of Emergency.

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Those alternatives apply only for the children of parents or guardians who are essential workers can receive care at an Emergency Child Care Program. The list of essential workers eligible to access child care through an Emergency Child Care Program is the same as the definition of Essential Workers available on the State of Illinois Coronavirus Response website (coronavirus.illinois.gov).

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If you qualify as such essential workers or having any questions / comments, please do not hesitate to contact us to Tel 708.317-4175.

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March 18, 2020

**For External Release**

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Re: In response to coronavirus COVID 19 Outbreak.

     

Dear parents,

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As you all know, we are currently experiencing an unprecedented public health emergency as a result of the spread of COVID-19. At Son-risitas daycare we have always strive to provide a safe and healthy environment for the children and the families that we serve, as well as for our staff. Given the increasing concerns about the spread of COVID-19, and the role of social distancing in mitigating the public health impact of the pandemic, we feel obligated to support the community attempts to slow the spread of the virus. Therefore, we want to share the following updates as well as the measures that we will be implementing.

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Few days ago, Governor Pritzker announced that all K-12 non-residential, public and private schools must close March 17 through March 30. This mandate extends also to any early childhood program for children ages birth through five located in public schools or in private schools. The purpose of the school closure is to maximize “social distancing” with the goal of slowing the spread of the virus in many children, including children under age 5. Even when daycare program serves children within this population, Governor Pritzker has not mandated childcare programs to close, but the programs are allowed to close if they chose to do so. In addition, the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and Illinois Action for Children have sent a notification to all daycare providers asking to base their decision on closing their program on whether they serve many parents who still need to work outside of their homes (e.g., health care workers, first respondents, grocery store clerks, etc.) and whose ability to work would be limited if the program closed.

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At Son-risitas daycare we are aware about the need that all our families have and how much you rely on our services to continue bringing an income to your home. At the same time, we are thankful that you continue to rely on us to care for your little ones and allowing our small business to remain standing. In it with this in mind that we are committed in keeping our program open and continue to support each other during these difficult times. However, in order to be able to continue providing our services at the time that we continue to maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone, we are implementing the following measures which will be implemented as of 03/19/20:

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            1.- Pick-up and Drop-off Measures.

             When arriving to drop-off your children, please give us a call before coming to the door.

             We will be receiving your children at the main entrance, but we will ask all parents to remain outside. The same principle will be applied when arriving to pick-up your children.

             This will help us decrease the person-to-person contact at the time that help us maintain a better sanitized environment for your children.

 

            2.- Communication about your children.

            We know how important is for you to learn about your children’s day and get updated about how they eat, play, or behave during their care. In order to decrease the person-to-person contact, at the end of the day, once we close our facilities, feel free to contact us for updates our facilities for care. If you have specific questions or concerns, please do it via text message, fax, or e-Mail.

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             3.- Limit nonessential visitors.

             We ask for you to come alone when coming to drop-off or pick-up your children. We know how important is for parents and family members to reunite with their children. But we want to stress the importance of social distancing.

 

             4.- Stay home.

             In order to decrease the number of children present at daycare, we ask you if you are able to keep your children home properly supervised and without compromising your ability to work, please do so. The current CDC recommendations state that all of us must try to remain home as much as possible. If this is the case for you, please let us know.

              In addition, if you, your child, or a member of your household is experiencing any symptoms of illness such as cough, fever, or breathing difficulties, please remain home and contact your primary care provider.

 

              5.- Maintaining a clean environment.

              All children will be directed to watch their hands as they arrive to the program. In addition, we are following all CDC recommendations during our operations hours to decrease the risk of exposure. In addition, we are committed to keeping our classroom, and all the materials thoroughly sanitized. We have always taken steps to sanitize any materials that children use, and we will of course continue to meticulously do so.
 

We will continue to monitor closely all upcoming updates from CDC and the Governor’s as this situation is rapidly changing. We will also keep you updated and make as many changes and accommodations as possible to continue providing you with the high-quality service that we have always strive for. Please reach us back if you have any questions or concerns, and we hope you all remain safe and healthy during these times.

 

Warm regards,

 

Son-risitas Daycare

 

Tel. 708.317.4175

Fax. 888.510.7446

Tel y text message: 708.357.8484

Correo electrónico: aliciacarmac@gmail.com

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