Will there be a parent orientation this fall?

In early August there will be a Zoom call to review our CFI Re-Opening Plan with Covid-19 related health and safety protocols as well as address any questions you might have.  The first week in September we will have a Zoom call for families participating in Morning and Afternoons in the Meadow. More information will be coming in specific program emails.

 

When do CFI programs start in the fall?

All Meadow classes start the Tuesday after Labor Day, the week of September 8-11. Morning in the Meadow and Afternoon in the Meadow classes will be split into two smaller groups so that for the first and second weeks our families can calmly ease into our new Meadow environment. After School in the Meadow begins September 16-17. Parent-Child Teas, Change Makers, and Heart Voices will start in October. Class specific information will be forthcoming.

 

Will there be any changes to parking?

CFI shares space with Trinity School and Trinity Church. Trinity families will stay in their cars and have new drop-off and pick-up protocols in the parking lot. This means a lot less parents on campus during program start and end times. This also means that parking in the rear parking lot may get congested. Our CFI families will be asked to park on Laurel Street if at all possible or in our parking lot (this may require some patience). Trinity School and CFI will offer a 15-minute earlier check in time to help with this.

 

What should we expect when checking in for all programs? 

We will start a health check 15 minutes prior to every class start time. CFI will have 2 health check stations outside each program entrance. Please be patient and prepare to social distance by standing 6 feet apart from the family ahead. You will be asked a few brief and specific health questions if you, your child, or family member living in your household has been exposed to Covid-19 or have any symptoms. All teachers and staff will also have a daily health check.

 

We will take your temperature with a no touch digital thermometer. You and or your child will be unable to come into class if you have a temperature of 100.4 F/38C or higher. All information will be logged each day to help with tracking. You will be asked to wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before coming into class. Each day there will be disposable name tags for you and or your child. Please do not bring any toys or unnecessary items from home. We are in the process of finding a place to put purses, sweaters, and diaper bags that do not touch others belongings. Oddly, we hope this will all become routine. More information will be forthcoming.  

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Will masks be required?

Our teachers and staff will always wear masks (we hope to wear clear masks) and we will require that all parents wear masks as well. We will take a look at the CDC recommendations for younger children closer to fall. Cloth face coverings should not be put on babies or children younger than 2 because of the danger of suffocation. Some adults and or older children may have sensory or other needs that may require exceptions. 

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What will the protocol look like for visiting the office or using the restroom?

We will have floor dots representing a 6-foot distance through our front hall. There will be a new Dutch door installed at the entrance to the office. We will use two restrooms this year. Each restroom has two stalls and one changing table. While there are two sinks, one of them in each restroom will either be blocked off with tape or a plastic sheet will separate the two. There will be a “wait here” floor sign at the entrance to safely distance our families. There will be signs to wash your hands properly for 20 seconds. We will suggest the use of a tissue if you are touching the toilet lever, bathroom door handle, and water faucets. The restrooms' high touch areas will be cleaned and disinfected several times during the day by our staff. We are in the process of working with the church regarding the possibility of installing no touch soap dispensers and faucets. These are guidelines not requirements, but we hope to make these changes. More information will be forthcoming. 

 

How will CFI be sanitized and disinfected?

Sanitization, disinfection, and ventilation are an ongoing component of our reopening plan. In addition to daily regular cleaning and disinfecting of all surfaces and objects between and after use, a new higher clean air filtration has just been put in to achieve MERV-13 filtration throughout each room. We will be introducing fresh outdoor air as much as possible by opening all windows and offering more outside opportunities. An Electrostatic sprayer will be used to clean/disinfect the play structure, outside ride toys, and other outside items to be used with a solution that has a 3-minute dwell time to kill any potential virus.  Inside disinfecting will be via handheld wand in between groups, and items individually disinfected with wipes, as needed. Each room will be completely deep cleaned and disinfected daily. All EPA (spell out) products used will be those recommended by the CDC for use near children. 

 

What hygiene protocols will you be putting in place this year?

There are three things we will need every family to commit to: wear a mask at all times, social distance 6 feet or more from one another, and wash your hands and your child’s hands before coming to class, before and after a snack, and after being on the playground. There will be signs reminding you to wash for 20+ seconds. There will be touchless hand sanitizers throughout campus and in front of each CFI door. There will be disinfectant wipes at each Meadow and Hearth Activity Station and you will be asked to help us disinfect toys with wipes, as we normally do. There will be hand sanitizers in all rooms, out of reach of the children. There will be hand soap and paper towels at each sink and no more cloth towels. We ask that you have a conversation with your child about trying not to touch their eyes, or face and about sneezing or coughing into a tissue or cloth and if this is not readily available to do so inside of their elbow. If your child has a runny nose, please take them to the restroom to get tissue and wash hands afterwards.

 

Will teachers and staff at CFI be trained specifically for Covid-19 risk minimization?

Yes, this is an important priority prior to the start of our programs.

 

What is your regular sick policy? What is your Covid-19 sick policy?

If you or your child are sick, please stay home. If you or your child has green nasal discharge, a cough or a fever, do not come to class. Our 24-hour policy still stands for vomiting, diarrhea or other communicable illness. If you feel the onset of any Covid-19 symptoms (fever, coughing, shortness of breath and or other) please contact your doctor, follow their advice, and stay home. Please help us in our fight against the spread at CFI.

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What is the protocol if a parent, child or staff member is diagnosed with Covid-19?

If a staff member, parent or child or any member of a child’s household is diagnosed with Covid-19, CFI must be notified at once for contact tracing and to communicate with others. Parent and child must quarantine at home until they are/are both cleared for reentry by a doctor.

 

We will notify families immediately if there is a positive case in our CFI community. Our program would then be closed for a quarantine period as instructed by the local health department. Our facility will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Note: If a day is missed in our physical space our teachers will be prepared to lead an online class the very next day. We will review further instructions in our upcoming Parent Orientation.

 

Can my child and I attend CFI if my child attends a preschool or other program?

Because we are not a school, or day care center, we are able to welcome our families without program restrictions. Each family, however, should check with their schools or other programs to make sure they are following other program expectations.

 

What happens if we need to shelter-in-place?

We have created a comprehensive online program if we are forced to shelter-in-place. Our teachers are planning meaningful and magical programs whether they happen in person or online. Should we need to shelter in place, every Meadow program will have an online class and a Meadow Box filled with activities and supplies for each week to pick up. Each Parent/Child Tea will have a craft bag, boxed tea food, and conversation card, whether we have tea in our tearoom or tea online together. All Heart Voice classes will continue online. Change Makers location and service project is still to be determined. Regardless if we are sheltering-in-place or together at CFI, we have created fun, creative and educational programs that incorporate our mission and offer a warm and nurturing program you have come to expect at CFI. 

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CFI Together 

In the classroom or together in online classes. Special one on one time together, connection with other parents and children and the opportunity to share in that sense of overall community.

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CFI On Demand 

We will offer support two ways; In case you miss our online class, class will be recorded (teacher side only) and even if you did attend our online class, the video will be available in case it helps to put your child in front of the screen to listen to stories and songs by their teacher one more time. 

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CFI To Go 

Each parent/child will have their own Meadow box, sensorial items, or Tea Craft Bag. If in the classroom you can always go to it and sit down and do several activities together with the selected items in the box. Each week we will have an activity card with new suggestions and a new item. If we need to go into shelter-in-place you can pick up our box and it will be ready to go with different activities and crafts that will match up with our online classes. 

 

What will a typical Meadow program look and feel like in the fall?

The Meadow will look similar to what you have come to expect except we are creating stations, spaced 6 feet apart. Each parent/child will enjoy a choice of activities on a carpet square or at a table socially distanced (Inside or outside) or behind a clear divider for added safety if spacing an activity 6 feet apart is not possible. There will be a selection of activities at each station. We have taken out the pillows lined up against the wall. We will have all windows and doors open. We will also be offering more outdoor time. You will be asked to bring a sweater to each class time. In the Hearth, we will no longer have shared sensory items. Instead each family will have their own play dough and their own sensorial bag. In addition, families will also have their own program box filled with supplies and activity suggestions that can be checked out during class time or sent home if we shelter-in-place. Our teachers are having fun creating these boxes and we are excited to share them with you! 

 

Will there be smaller class sizes in the Meadow for fall?

For our Meadow Programs, we typically have 16 parent/child “family units” per class. This year we anticipate having 10 “family units.” A family unit is two people (parent and child) from the same family who do not need to social distance from one another and who will be encouraged to stay together. The same parent must come consistently, no alternate parent, grandparent or nanny will be permitted due to COVID-19. Each class must remain a stable group with their same teacher. Each class will be split into two groups. Half will either be in the Meadow or Hearth first. We are installing a new Dutch door in between the Meadow and the Hearth. After snack time and deep disinfecting, we will switch rooms. We will also offer activities outside. This will reduce the spontaneous flow of “family units” from one room to another to ensure we can offer a safe, socially distanced environment. Closing Circle will be outside on the lawn or in Angus Hall with all windows open for fresh air.

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How will outside time be impacted by social distancing during Meadow classes?

Each class will be split into two groups. Each smaller group will trade off every other week having alternate playground time and alternate front lawn time (planned activities) in order to provide increased outside play, while limiting the number of children only and or parent/child units playing together in the same space.

 

How will “Mom’s time” look and feel if we have to shelter-in-place? Will we have a Mom’s time? 

For our Morning in the Meadow (2yr classes) and Afternoon in the Meadow families there is a Mom’s time component. Spiritual parenting topics, best practices, and sharing wisdom are always invaluable, especially during SIP. We would like to offer an additional Mom’s Time online if you all would like this. More information will be forthcoming and discussed in individual classes. Please do not worry—we’ve got YOU!

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What will After School in the Meadow look and feel like?

This year, for the first time, we have two classes on either Wednesday or Thursday. Each class will have up to 8 Parent/Child “Family units”. Families will be asked to enjoy an after-school snack before coming to class and to bring a water bottle, if desired. We will be continuing our one on one parent-child games outside on the lawn with careful attention to remaining socially distanced by 6 feet or more. All activities will be safely distanced in the Hearth and Angus Hall as well. Activities will be outside whenever possible and practical and or we will have windows open. Story Time will be outside on the lawn or in Angus Hall with all windows open. If we need to shelter-in-place, we will resume our CFI Together time online. Each family will have an activity bag to pick up that will correlate with each class. Any questions or feedback please let us know.

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What will a Parent-Child Tea look and feel like?

We will have a completely new layout and structure to our tea program. The changes are wonderful and I wish we had thought of them sooner. There will be a health check at the door. Our Tea set up will consist of two chairs and one small metal tray table dispersed throughout our Tea Room to accommodate between 8-12 tea couples, socially distanced. All windows will remain open. We suggest bringing a sweater to each tea. We will offer the option of having your tea time outside, when weather permits. There will be a craft bag on your table when you arrive with supplies and instructions. Once finished you can begin your conversation card and pick up your warmed tea pot and boxed tea food, from an outside table. Everyone will get a chance, if they would like, to share about their conversation and then the story will be read out loud with a closing hand movement to end your time. If we need to shelter-in-place, we will provide the exact same craft bag and boxed tea food to pick up and enjoy while attending tea for two with us online. Just wait and see how wonderful this tea will be! 

 

What will the Change Makers group look and feel like?

We are still exploring opportunities to learn about and serve supporting organizations in-need in our community while following health and safety guidelines. Considerations for our families’ comfort level as well as for those we serve are being taken into consideration. We are working on creative ideas to provide opportunities for kindness. Those registered will receive an email with more specific information. Please reach out to Brooke, anytime, with any questions, project ideas, or partner suggestions. 

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What will a Parent-only Heart Voice group look and feel like?

Heart Voice Groups will be moved to the other larger side of Angus Hall this fall and or across the circle to Trinity Hall to have space to socially distance around a few larger tables pushed together. We can also provide a zoom option. You will be asked to bring your own water bottle or coffee. If we need to shelter in place, HV classes will resume online. If you would like to join a new Heart Voice group, we have some spaces available. Please contact Brooke ASAP if you are interested. 

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Will there be any Meadow Maker events to meet one another outside the classroom?

Our Family Time Founders event is scheduled for Saturday, October 3 from 4-7pm. We will be featuring Painted Rhino again since our families love them! We will either social distance and stagger attendance or provide this concert online. No matter the plan, we hope you will join us!

 

Our Meadow Makers Moms get together is scheduled for September 21 at 7:30pm outside at the Dutch Goose. Plans could change but if you feel comfortable, and we are allowed to gather, we hope to see you with a mask and provide an opportunity for you to get to know one another. The alternative is to host a zoom get together! This might be safer and you might be able to see one another better.

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You can view our Meadow Maker calendar here. If you would like to help out with your individual class or with any activity this year, please contact our Meadow Maker Co-Presidents, Michelle Eakin colinandmichelleeakin@gmail.com and/or Anna White (Welcome Anna!) anna.richardson.white@gmail.com.

 

There are other events scheduled to help create community and we will adjust accordingly as the State and County guidelines change.