Early Childhood @ MCC Health and Safety
Quick Links for Families:
Quick Links for Teachers and Staff:
In following our school’s sickness policy, families must keep their children at home if they have experienced any symptoms of COVID-19, cold, flu, and other illnesses within the previous 24 hours. Children who experience symptoms during the day at school will be sent home. Please review our sickness policies in our school handbook, or on our website here.
In accordance with guidance from the NYC Department of Health and NYC Department of Education, we will also follow updated recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlined below:
Symptom Screening and Temperature Checks
In following updated guidance from New York City, temperature checks are no longer required when entering Manny Cantor Center. Digital Health Screenings remain required for Early Childhood participants. Families should fill in your child’s screening daily at mannycantor.org/healthscreen and show your result to our Member Services or Security Team when entering the building each day.
Masking
Masks remain strongly encouraged but not required for children and staff at Early Childhood @ MCC. Masking remains an effective mitigation strategy against transmission of COVID-19 in close settings like classrooms.
Families should share their masking preferences for their child’s teachers. Teachers will ensure every family’s individual decision is supported and respected. If at any time the City decides that masking is needed, we will update our policies accordingly.
Because MCC also houses senior programming for community members over 60 who are at higher risk of complications due to COVID-19, face coverings will remain required in all public spaces at MCC including our lobby, elevators, and hallways. Parents, teachers, and children over two years must continue to wear masks when traveling through these areas, including during drop off and pick up, or when parents visit classrooms. Thank you for your continued cooperation and for your support of our safety and security teams who will be enforcing this policy.
In following guidance from the CDC, masking may be required for all community members in Early Childhood @ MCC at some times, including during a return to school after exposure to COVID-19, or return to school after a COVID-19 infection.
Exposure To COVID-19
Last week, the NYC Department of Health updated their COVID-19 guidelines for Child Care Programs stating that adults and children, regardless of vaccination status, do not need to quarantine after exposure and may continue to participate in Early Childhood Programs.
After consulting with our medical advisors at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, we have decided to adopt these new guidelines for Early Childhood @ MCC Programs.
Effective immediately, all children, adults, and staff who are exposed to or potentially exposed to COVID-19 and remain asymptomatic may continue to participate in Early Childhood Programs in accordance with the following guidance:
- For children over age 2, mask-wearing will be required from the date of the exposure or potential exposure (Day 0) through at least Day 5 at all times except when a mask is not able to be worn (such as during lunch, snack, and nap time. Exposed persons should remain physically distanced from others when their mask is removed).
- Testing is strongly encouraged immediately upon learning of the exposure or potential exposure.
- Testing on Day 5 after exposure is strongly recommended to detect infection among individuals identified as exposed or potentially exposed, regardless of vaccination status.
- If the individual is not fully vaccinated, frequent testing (e.g., daily, every other day) is strongly recommended.
- Individuals with lab-confirmed COVID-19 within the past 3 months do not need to get tested after exposure unless they develop symptoms.
Adherence to these guidelines is required if your child is exposed to COVID-19 at school, in your household, or in any other setting.
If you have any questions, please reach out to us at earlychildhood@mannycantor.org and follow our illness and exclusion policies, outlined here.
Testing and Test Kits
In order to keep each other healthy and safe, we strongly recommend that all staff and students regularly test for COVID-19. If your family needs a test kit, please email earlychildhood@mannycantor.org or visit anyone on the administrative team while you’re at school.
If your child has a positive test result, please email the positive test results to earlychildhood@mannycantor.org. Negative test results do not need to be shared with us.
Isolation After Testing Positive for COVID-19
Any child or staff member who tests positive for COVID-19 can return to school on the sixth day after exposure if:
- They had an asymptomatic infection or have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.
- AND they are able to wear a well-fitting mask at school until Day 10 after exposure.
Children and staff who are symptomatic after testing positive for COVID-19 can return to school on Day 11, or 24 hours after their fever has completely subsided without the use of fever-reducing medication, whichever is later.
Children who are too young, or otherwise unable or exempt from wearing a mask at school can return on Day 11 after positive test.
Vaccination Against COVID-19
Educational Alliance supports COVID-19 vaccination. All MCC employees, including teachers and fitness instructors, are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Vaccination against COVID-19 is strongly encouraged, but not required for children older than 6 months who are enrolled in the 2022-2023 school year. Please consider having your child vaccinated against COVID-19.
If you were unable to attend our town hall about vaccination safety with Dr. Czer Anthoney Lim, Director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Mt. Sinai Beth Israel, you can view the recording here. Dr. Lim answers parent questions about COVID-19 vaccination safety and efficacy.
Once your child receives the COVID-19 vaccine, please upload their information here: https://forms.office.com/r/5QMZNnbTUa
We are at our strongest and safest when we are working together. Thank you for your diligence in adhering to these policies.
