Metropolitan Montessori Schools is adhering to the following points of interest/recommendations, outlined by the Center for Disease Control, to help protect the health of our staff and the children and families we serve against swine influenza:
• First and most importantly, it is critical that parents enforce the schools policies for having ill children stay at home during their illness.
• We are enhancing our process for tracking illness and absence due to illness among children and staff.
• We are reviewing and implementing CDC Guidelines and Recommendations for Preventing the Spread of Influenza (the Flu) in Child Care Settings. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/infectioncontrol/childcaresettings.htm)
• Staff are being familiarized with the above guidelines and our program is following these guidelines. Staff are being reminded to clean/disinfect frequently touched surfaces within the facility.
• We are monitoring the postings on the CDC web site about this virus to see if child care facilities should begin preparing for possible closure or changes in operation (www.cdc.gov/swineflu).
• We will immediately contact our local public health department if we have any questions or suspected cases.
• Our facility’s emergency preparedness plans are being reviewed.
All child care and preschool programs can help protect the health of their staff and the children and families they serve by calling attention to the every day preventive actions that staff and parents can initiate to protect children.
More information on preventing the spread of influenza can be found at: http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/school/preschool.html. For generic information on disaster preparedness, see NACCRRA’s web site http://www.naccrra.org/for_parents/coping/disaster.php
Additional generic planning information for schools, including examples of state and local plans, can be found on the Department of Education’s website at: http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/pandemic/index.html.
Thank you.
