DOUBLE DECKER STAFF SAFETY AND HYGIENE CODEX

Group structure and free play

• In principle, unless otherwise announced by the Canton of Zurich Department of Health, groups of children may be larger than 5 children.
• For the benefit of the children, the children’s groups correspond to the usual structures.
• New group constellations (e.g. group-wide projects, mergering, open work) are not permitted.
• Play as much as possible outside in the garden/on the terrace/in the yard etc.
• Employees observe the distance rules (2 m) to other adults.
• The distance of 2 m between employees and child and between child and child does not have to be observed. Ensuring basic needs and positive development takes precedence over this rule and  is of the utmost relevance, especially for younger children.

Activities, projects and participation

• In planned projects / activities, care is taken to ensure that no “hygiene-critical” games are played (e.g., blowing cotton balls with straws, etc).
• Creative measures are built into the daily pedagogical routine (e.g., project “toy-free”).
• Employees continue to discuss the situation with the children in a way that is appropriate for their development.1

Rituals

• The team weighs up which rituals currently give the children structure and security and are therefore important (e.g., waving goodbye) and which rituals can be dispensed with due to the protective measures (see “hygiene-critical games”).

Outdoor Activities

• In the sense of the goal and purpose of “stay at home”, “stay in the care facility”’ applies. Playing outside should take place in the garden / yard.
• When staying in the garden employees shall also maintain the required distance of 2m from other adults and from colleagues.
• Shopping with the children is not permitted.
• After spending time outdoors, children and employees take precautions to ensure hygiene (washing hands, employees also disinfect hands).

Food Situations

• Measures are consistently implemented according to the hygiene concept.
• Before preparing meals, hands are washed and employees wear gloves during preparation.
• Children and employees wash their hands before and after eating.
• Children are encouraged not to share any food or drink.
• Scooping utensils are used consistently (e.g., taking vegetable sticks with tongs / spoon and not by hand) and care is taken that children do not help themselves to bread, fruit, etc. by hand.
• Employees sit at a distance of two metres from each other, possibly pushing tables apart.

Care

• When going to the toilet, changing diapers or other care activities, encourage the children’s independence (e.g., applying  moisturizer / sunscreen themselves).
• Disposable towels are used to dry hands.
• Disinfectants are available for the employees.
• Employees wash their hands thoroughly before every physical contact (e.g., after blowing their nose) and between caring for individual children.
• Disposable tissues, nappies and paper handkerchiefs are disposed of in closed waste containers.

Take further protective measures when changing nappies:

• Disinfection of the changing mat.
• Wear disposable gloves.
• Utilise closed bins for dirty nappies.

Sleeping/resting times

• Care is taken to ensure sufficient ventilation.
• Hygienic measures are observed: e.g., individual pillows and duvet covers, regular washing, disinfection of mats.

Drop off and pick up

When bringing and picking up children, it is important to avoid waiting times, meetings of parents in and in front of the institution and close contact between families and staff. Children who need support during their reintroduction may necessitate being accompanied by a parent. This requires spatial and organisational adjustments such as:

• Avoiding any physical contact between adults
• Shaking hands is waived
• Fixed pick-up and drop-off times for each family individually arranged.

Florastrasse  22

• Sunflower children are picked up by their parents at the back entrance / kitchen in the afternoon between 13:00 and 13:30 or 15:00 and 15:30, depending upon their individual schedules.
• Rainbow children are picked up by their parents at the front entrance in the afternoon between 13:00 and 13:30 or 15:00 and 15:30, depending upon their individual schedules.
• The Administration will coordinate morning and lunch pick-up slots for parents. Drop off will be as usual from: 07:30 to 08:45, pick up after lunch between 13:30-13:30 and 15:00-15:30 depending upon their individual schedules.
• Lunch will be separated into two shifts: First shift,   sleepers and any other designated children; second shift, all children who go home after lunch.

Florastrasse 21

• Parents do not come into the school, they are to use the bell and hand their child to the teacher at the entrance. Teachers take the children to the cloakroom and bring them to their classrooms.
• The Administration will coordinate morning and lunch pick-up slots for parents. Drop off will be as usual from: 07:30-08:45, pick up after lunch between 13:00-13:30 and 15:00-15:30 depending upon their individual schedules.

• Lunch will be separated into two shifts: First shift includes sleepers and any other designated children; second shift, all children who go home after lunch.

• We insist on maintaining the 2m distancing rule between families that might be waiting outside.

• Handover is to be kept short while maintaining the prescribed distance.
• Especially with small children or those who are in need of support, it may necessitate a short period of closeness between professionals and parents.
• Only children enter Double Decker
• As a replacement for the regular exchange we offer phone calls or WhatsApp messages from the school or group phones.
• Parents are asked to bring / fetch their child/ren singly, i.e, not as 2 adults together.
• Children enter and leave the childcare facility alone. Of course always in supervision of the teachers and received by the parents.

Hygiene measurements upon entering Double Decker:

• Disinfectants are available for the adults who need to enter school.
• Staff wash the children’s hands upon entry and moisturizing cream is available for skin care.
• Children’s personal belongings will be put in their box by the child whenever possible to avoid  “hand-to-hand” contact between them and staff.

(Re-)settling in

Children who have not attended Double Decker since the lockdown need time to arrive. This is especially true for children with special needs, newly settled-in children and any other child who requires increased support in transitional situations. Possible forms of implementation are:

• Staggered admission of children per day/week
• Shortened daycare times / days
• For children who have difficulty with transitions, avoiding drop-off and pick-up at peak times will assist in less exposure to coming and going.
• Get in contact with parents to clarify how the re-acclimation can be arranged.
• If parental supervision is absolutely necessary, coordinate so that there are not several parents present at the same time.
• Schedule time to get used to regular operations if groups or locations have been temporarily merged.

Settling in:

• Postponed or future settling-in periods are planned step by step and in consultation with the families. If possible, the individual situation of the family is taken into account (work situation, family conditions).
• Split the group (e.g., new child in a separate room with 1-2 children).
• The accompanying parent should keep a distance of 2m from the reference parent and the other children.
• Parents should sit on the sidelines and not become actively involved.

Transition from play to eating situations

• Pay attention to hygiene, wash your hands, put any dirty toys to the side and clean them as soon as possible (e.g., toys that were in the mouth must be put in the dishwasher immediately).
• Wash your hands before preparing food.

Transfer of employees from meetings/breaks back to the group

Hygiene measures:

• Wash your hands and keep your distance from each other.

Distance between employees

• The distance regulation of 2m must be maintained. To this purpose, evaluate everyday situations within the team and record what needs special attention: e.g., morning reports, circles, eating situations.
• During meetings and discussions, ensure that the seating arrangements are adequate enough and that there is sufficient distancing.
• For meetings that require the presence of many or all team members, use online solutions (Google Meet, WhatsApp, WebEx, etc)

Personal belongings

• Employees are not allowed to bring their own private toys and materials (e.g., picture books, hand puppets, etc.) for the children.

Wearing protective masks

• All institutions have protective masks. Employees who fall ill in the institution wear a protective mask and leave the institution immediately. Employees who isolate a sick child until it is collected by its parents also wear a protective mask.

Employees at particular risk

• Employees who are particularly at risk will continue to be exempted from direct support work. If possible, they can be assigned an appropriate replacement work while observing the recommended protective measures. However, contact with children and other employees must be avoided. See BAG/BSV.
• The employer gives leave to employees who are at particular risk, with continued payment of their wages, if it is not possible to work from home. See SECO.

New employees

• For job interviews, check online solutions (e.g., for initial interviews).
• If the interviews cannot take place online, do not schedule them during the delivery and collection times of children.
• Avoid visits to the institution during opening hours.
• Carefully introduce new employees to the hygiene and safety measures.
• Do not hold meetings if symptoms of illness occur.

Hygiene measures on the premises

The hygiene regulations according to the internal hygiene concept are strictly implemented:

• Wash hands with soap regularly and thoroughly.
• Provide soap dispensers, disposable towels and disinfectants.
• Provision of closed waste bins
• Regular cleaning of surfaces and objects as well as premises, especially places that are often touched, e.g., door handles, light switches, stair railings or fittings.
• When cleaning, especially objects of direct use by children, care should be taken to use suitable, non-harmful cleaning agents.
• Employees wear gloves when cleaning.
• Ventilate rooms regularly and extensively (shock ventilation).

Visits by external  (specialists / therapists

• Visits or clarifications by specialists are important for the child’s development and are therefore guaranteed under the protective measures.
• All external persons (e.g., supervisory and licensing authorities, therapists, etc.) adhere to the federal rules on distancing and hygiene.
• The specialists’ visits are carried out in mutual consultation and are made dependent on the development and welfare of the child and the group situation.
• Specialists maintain the necessary proximity to the child that is required for the therapeutic /educational intervention.

Recommendations from  BAG

The BAG recommendations on behaviour in the event of signs of illness or contact with patients or risk groups remain valid:

• Children with symptoms of an acute respiratory disease, e.g., cough, sore throat, shortness of breath) with or without fever, feverish feeling or muscle pain stay at home or must be picked up immediately from the care institution by their guardians: see recommendation from the   BAG. This also applies to parents, i.e., they cannot bring and pick up the children themselves.
• Employees with symptoms of an acute respiratory disease, e.g., cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, with or without fever, feverish feeling or muscle pain stay at home or leave the care institution: see recommendation from the  BAG
• Employees who live in the same household or have been intimate with a person with an acute respiratory disease, e.g., cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, with or without fever, feverish feeling or muscle pain are not allowed to visit the institution for 10 days as a precaution and must observe their state of health:see recommendation from the  BAG.

Occurrence of acute symptoms in the care facility

The care facilities define a clear procedure to be followed in the event of acute symptoms of a respiratory disease see BAG recommendations:

• Employees leave the care institution immediately
• If acute symptoms occur in children, they are immediately isolated until they are picked up by their parents. Employees who isolate themselves with the child during this time take the necessary protective measures by wearing a protective mask and, if necessary, gloves.
• In principle, children under 16 years of age do not wear protective masks.

Events Events with larger numbers of people

Are currently avoided, but the following protection concept exists:

• At events with a large number of people, the seats must be arranged or occupied in such a way that at least one seat is kept free or an equivalent distance is maintained between the seats.
• Contact lists are kept if the distance measures cannot be observed at events, occasions, etc. with external participants. This ensures contact tracing in the event of a positive outcome
• The form of registration is fixed
• The collected contact data may not be processed for any other purpose, must be kept for 14 days after participation in the event or visit to the facility or plant and must be destroyed immediately afterwards
• Rules of conduct and measures are communicated/publicised in an appropriate form (posters etc.)