COVID-19 Camp Information

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, WMS has carefully considered guidelines from the CDC and the state of Delaware (including the Office of Child Care Licensing and Department of Health & Social Services) throughout all of our planning.

Please review our plan, policies and FAQ below. Should you have further questions, please email extendedday@wmsde.org.

Summer 2021 - Camp Montessori COVID-19 Plan & Policies for Families

Updated June 30, 2021

This policy has been established based on guidance from the Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing. Families will be informed as guidelines and restrictions change. This policy will also be updated, with the date of the latest update noted above.

Overview
The purpose of sharing this information is to communicate Camp Montessori's plan to help ensure the health and safety of all campers, staff and families. There is an inherent risk that viruses will spread among campers and staff, including but not limited to COVID-19. While we cannot eliminate this risk, we have adopted policies to help reduce the risk.

In preparation for the start of camp, a complete cleaning and disinfection procedure will be conducted by our facilities crew. The facilities crew continues daily cleaning and disinfection procedures, and our entire staff has received training that requires them to follow the implementation of cleaning and disinfection of classroom surfaces and materials. In October, we upgraded our HVAC filters to MERV 13 filters.

We have adopted our cleaning and disinfection procedures from the information shared by OSHA, the CDC, the Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing, and the Delaware Division of Public Health. As best practices are shifted, so will our practice. Our staff is trained to follow the guidelines and will explain and model safety, physical distancing, handwashing and hygiene procedures to students in an age-appropriate manner. In order for this plan to be most effective, Camp Montessori staff and families must comply with the plan outlined below and any future changes in this plan.

Family Responsibilities

Parents must keep children home if ill. Children with fevers greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit will be sent home. No child may return to camp until fever-free for 72 hours. If a child becomes ill at Camp Montessori, they will be isolated until they are picked up. Timely pick-up is required.

Families are expected to report any known exposure to COVID-19 positive individuals to the camp.

Age-appropriate face coverings for students must be used. The Office of Child Care Licensing strongly recommends face coverings for children ages 3 and up. Camp Montessori requires that all staff members and children in preschool (Pandas) through middle school wear face coverings. Masks with valves (even those with filters) are not allowed. Staff will model and encourage age-appropriate physical distancing.

Families will be asked to take part in regular COVID-19 testing and submit results to the school nurse.

Drop-Off and Pick-Up

Until further notice, no visitors except for child therapists and WMS’s licensing specialist from the Office of Child Care Licensing will be permitted in the WMS building. If a parent is invited to enter the building for any reason, they must wear a mask and will be screened in the same manner as staff and students.

During drop-off, cars will line up in designated areas. Camp staff will indicate when it is safe to exit the vehicle, and parents or campers are expected to open the doors of the vehicle. The staff member will then receive the child to bring them into the building.

Children will be brought to the car at the end of the school day for pick-up, using the same place used for drop-off. Parents will buckle their children into their car seats. All parents/guardians and family members of the appropriate age must also wear masks when interacting with staff during drop-off and pick-up.

A brief health screening and temperature check will occur each day at drop-off.

Camp Montessori Drop-off/Pick-up Schedules/Locations:
Note: If you have more than one child attending camp, please drop-off and pick-up from the location designated for your youngest child. Your older child will be escorted to their classroom by a staff member.

Turtles (Toddlers)
All drop-offs and pick-ups for toddlers are at the Toddler Entrance, including before-care, camp day and after-care.

Pandas (Preschool)

Drop off:
Before-Care (7-8:30 a.m.) - Great Room
Camp (8:30-9 a.m.) - Front Entrance

Pick up:
Regular Camp Day - 3:30 p.m. - Front Entrance
After-Care - Great Room

All Elementary - Kindergarten and up (Kangaroos, Tigers, Meerkats and Dragons)

Drop off:
Before-Care (7-8:30 a.m.) - Great Room
Camp (8:30-9 a.m.) - Side door/Elementary Entrance

Pick up:
Regular Camp Day - 3:30 p.m. - Side/Elementary Entrance
After-Care - Great Room

Group Size/Indoor and Outdoor Time

Group sizes, as determined by licensing will be put in place, with a maximum of 15 campers per group.

Each group will have its own indoor and outdoor space with no mingling of groups. Physical distancing will be in place in an age-appropriate manner. School-age students are expected to adhere to the guidelines as shared.

As much as possible, activities will take place outside as the outdoors has been deemed to have less risk of exposure to the virus. There will be no field trips or visitors from outside groups (though we are looking forward to offering virtual field trips this summer). Elementary-age campers will visit the pool if it is safe to do so.

Children will wash their hands upon entering the building. There will be regular and frequent hand washing with soap and water. Age-appropriate face coverings for campers must be used. The Delaware Division of Public Health strongly recommends face coverings for children ages 2 and up and requires them for students in kindergarten and up. WMS requires that all staff members and children in preschool and older wear face coverings. Staff members model and encourage age-appropriate physical distancing.

Sharing of materials will be minimized. If materials are shared, they are to be disinfected between uses, and staff and campers must wash their hands before and after use. Used materials will be kept separately until they are sanitized. Any shared items or materials will be cleaned between use.

All meals and snacks will be in the classroom or outside if weather permits. Staff members will plate students’ food. Multiple students are not to use serving utensils. There will be no heat-ups or microwave use; please use thermoses for food items that need to remain warm until lunchtime. During this time, disposable utensils, cups, plates and napkins will be in use.

Naptime mats will be spaced apart as much as possible with six feet being an optimal spacing. Children will be placed head to toe to further reduce the spread of the virus.

Staff Responsibilities

All staff members must report their daily temperatures and have a health screening upon arrival to work. Teachers remain with their assigned group throughout the day except for providing absentee coverage, staff breaks or as requested by their supervisor.

Staff must wash hands frequently using soap and water including before and after food preparation, assisting a child with eating, and changing diapers. Face coverings must be worn by all employees.

In cooperation with the state of Delaware's efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, all WMS staff members are tested for coronavirus on a monthly basis.

Illness

Anyone showing signs of illness will be isolated until their departure. The school will report any known exposures to COVID-19 positive individuals to both the Department of Health and the Office of Child Care Licensing while respecting the privacy of the individual. The Department of Health and the Office of Child Care Licensing will guide WMS through the necessary steps for risk management. COVID-19 symptoms, which may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus, include:

Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fever
Chills
Muscle pain
Sore throat
New loss of taste or smell

This is not a list of all possible symptoms. Other less common symptoms have been reported including gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. If your child experiences these symptoms, you should follow CDC recommended steps. Students cannot return to school until the criteria to discontinue home isolation are met, in consultation with health-care providers and the Division of Public Health.

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COVID-19 Camp Information

Summer 2021 - Camp Montessori COVID-19 Plan & Policies for Families

Family Responsibilities

Drop-Off and Pick-Up

Group Size/Indoor and Outdoor Time

Staff Responsibilities

Illness

Camp Closures