Children's Courses Health & Safety Protocols
(Based on information provided by Ontario Ministry of Health, “COVID-19 Safety Guidelines for: Day Camps, version 1.0 May 26, 2021) updated June 6, 2021
The KSOA has been working diligently to be able to provide safe art programs for children. We are checking for the most recent information from the local public health unit. In the interest of protecting our students,instructors, assistants and staff, the KSOA will follow all existing worker health and safety requirements as outlined in the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations, public health requirements as directed by the Kingston medical officer of health, and other relevant requirements as outlined in policies and guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture.
Plans are in place to respond should any staff, student, or parents/guardians be exposed to or diagnosed with COVID-19.
Infection prevention and control practices:
● Ensuring all art materials and equipment used are made of materials that can be cleaned and disinfected, or are single use and are disposed of at the end of the day;
● Minimizing the sharing and frequency of touching of objects, equipment and surfaces, and other personal items;
● Increasing the frequency (minimum two times daily) of cleaning and disinfecting objects, art supplies, equipment and frequently touched items;
● Cleaning and disinfecting, at least two times daily, frequently touched surfaces, including doorknobs, light switches, toilet and faucet handles, tabletops, and chairs.
● All surfaces and shared materials in all studios will be wiped down and disinfected between each session
● Children will be required to either provide their own set of basic supplies or will be issued with supplies for their exclusive use.
● Performing and promoting frequent, proper hand hygiene (including supervising or assisting children with hand hygiene). Hand washing using soap and water will be emphasized with washing taking place on arrival, on the completion of an activity/program or on coming in from breaks and at the end of each session.
● Hand sanitizer will be available in all studios, washrooms, at all entrances
● Allocating specific washrooms to specific programs to reduce the risk of cross contamination.
The KSOA will encourage physical distancing of at least 2 metres between camp participants,
parents/guardians and staff by:
● Establishing art activity stations at least 2 metres apart
● Using visual cues (e.g., signs, posters, floor markings, etc.);
● Allowing no food or drink aside from individuals' water bottles.
● Incorporating more individual activities or activities that encourage more space between class participants.
Cohorts:
The KSOA will operate programs in consistent classes of no more than 10 participants plus staff who stay together throughout the duration of the program, with the following considerations:
● While close contact may be unavoidable between members of a class, physical distancing and general infection prevention and control practices will be encouraged, where possible;
● Classes will not mix with other classes or be within in the same room/space at the same time.
● Programs that utilize a room/space that is shared by classes or has other user groups will be cleaned and disinfected before and after using the space. A cleaning log will be posted and used to track cleaning;
● Each class will have designated supplies, tools, and equipment or these will be cleaned and disinfected between class uses;
● Personal belongings brought to class should be minimized.
Use of Masks and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Staff:
Campers:
Pick up and Drop off:
● Pick-up and drop-off of camp of class participants will happen at the Princess St. door. Parents/guardians will not be allowed in the school unless it is determined that there is a bona fide need for the parent/guardian to enter.
● Pick-up and drop-off procedures will support physical distancing with one designated parent/guardian pick-up and drop-off for each class participant, and limited numbers of people in entry areas.
Screening:
● All individuals, including class participants, parents/guardians, staff, and visitors must complete a daily health screening checklist. Children must bring the checklist completed and signed by a parent each class. The KSOA will deny entry to any individual who has any of the symptoms outlined in the COVID-19 Reference Document for Symptoms on the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 website or who has come in close contact with a person with symptoms of or confirmed COVID-19 in the past 14 days. Class participants, in particular, will be monitored for atypical symptoms and signs of COVID-19.
● Alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol content will be placed at all entrances to the School.
● The KSOA will contact the KFLA public health unit to report a class participant suspected to have COVID-19. The local public health unit will provide specific advice on what control measures should be implemented to prevent the potential spread and how to protect and, if needed, isolate staff members and class participants.
Record Keeping:
● The KSOA will keep daily records of anyone (e.g., class participants, parent/guardian, staff and visitors) entering the KSOA who stays for 15 minutes or longer. Records (e.g., name, contact information, time of arrival, screening completion etc.) will be kept up-to-date and available to facilitate contact tracing in the event of a confirmed COVID-19 case or outbreak.
Management of Class Participants with Suspected COVID-19:
If a class participant begins to experience symptoms of COVID-19 while attending class, KSOA staff will ensure that:
● Symptomatic class participants are immediately separated from others in a supervised area until they can go home. In addition, where possible, anyone who is providing care to the class participant will maintain a distance of at least 2 metres.
● We will contact the KFLA public health unit to notify them of a potential case and seek advice regarding the information that should be shared with other parents/guardians of class participants in the program.
● While contacting the public health unit, at a minimum the class participant and staff member will be required to wear a face mask (if tolerated), and the staff member should also wear eye protection (goggles or face shield).
● Environmental cleaning/disinfection of the space and items used by the class will be conducted once the class participant has been picked up. Items that cannot cleaned and disinfected (e.g., paper, books, cardboard puzzles) will be removed from the area
● Other class participants and staff who were present while a class participant or staff member became ill will be identified as a close contact and grouped together until they can be picked up by parents/guardians to self-isolate at home. The local public health unit will provide any further direction on testing and isolation of these close contacts.
● Class participants or staff who have been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19 will be excluded from the program setting for 14 days.
Testing for COVID-19
● If there is a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 at the school the facility will remain closed for 24 hours to facilitate a deep cleaning of the building.
● Staff members and class participants awaiting test results will be excluded from camp.
Occupational Health & Safety:
● All KSOA staff will receive training in all policies and procedures in regard to Ministry of Health requirements.
● If a KSOA staff member is diagnosed with COVID-19, they will remain off work for 14 days following symptom onset and must receive clearance from the KFLA public health unit to return.
● If a staff member is a close contact of an individual diagnosed with COVID-19, the staff member will be required to remain off work for 14 days from their last exposure and must consult with the local public health unit to determine when they can return to work.
(Based on information provided by Ontario Ministry of Health, “COVID-19 Safety Guidelines for: Day Camps, version 1.0 May 26, 2021) updated June 6, 2021
The KSOA has been working diligently to be able to provide safe art programs for children. We are checking for the most recent information from the local public health unit. In the interest of protecting our students,instructors, assistants and staff, the KSOA will follow all existing worker health and safety requirements as outlined in the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations, public health requirements as directed by the Kingston medical officer of health, and other relevant requirements as outlined in policies and guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture.
Plans are in place to respond should any staff, student, or parents/guardians be exposed to or diagnosed with COVID-19.
Infection prevention and control practices:
● Ensuring all art materials and equipment used are made of materials that can be cleaned and disinfected, or are single use and are disposed of at the end of the day;
● Minimizing the sharing and frequency of touching of objects, equipment and surfaces, and other personal items;
● Increasing the frequency (minimum two times daily) of cleaning and disinfecting objects, art supplies, equipment and frequently touched items;
● Cleaning and disinfecting, at least two times daily, frequently touched surfaces, including doorknobs, light switches, toilet and faucet handles, tabletops, and chairs.
● All surfaces and shared materials in all studios will be wiped down and disinfected between each session
● Children will be required to either provide their own set of basic supplies or will be issued with supplies for their exclusive use.
● Performing and promoting frequent, proper hand hygiene (including supervising or assisting children with hand hygiene). Hand washing using soap and water will be emphasized with washing taking place on arrival, on the completion of an activity/program or on coming in from breaks and at the end of each session.
● Hand sanitizer will be available in all studios, washrooms, at all entrances
● Allocating specific washrooms to specific programs to reduce the risk of cross contamination.
The KSOA will encourage physical distancing of at least 2 metres between camp participants,
parents/guardians and staff by:
● Establishing art activity stations at least 2 metres apart
● Using visual cues (e.g., signs, posters, floor markings, etc.);
● Allowing no food or drink aside from individuals' water bottles.
● Incorporating more individual activities or activities that encourage more space between class participants.
Cohorts:
The KSOA will operate programs in consistent classes of no more than 10 participants plus staff who stay together throughout the duration of the program, with the following considerations:
● While close contact may be unavoidable between members of a class, physical distancing and general infection prevention and control practices will be encouraged, where possible;
● Classes will not mix with other classes or be within in the same room/space at the same time.
● Programs that utilize a room/space that is shared by classes or has other user groups will be cleaned and disinfected before and after using the space. A cleaning log will be posted and used to track cleaning;
● Each class will have designated supplies, tools, and equipment or these will be cleaned and disinfected between class uses;
● Personal belongings brought to class should be minimized.
Use of Masks and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Staff:
- All staff in a day camp setting must wear a surgical/procedure mask, with reasonable exceptions for medical conditions in the. In the event a surgical/procedure mask cannot be worn, physical distance must always be maintained to minimize risk to others.
- All day camp staff must wear a surgical/procedure mask and eye protection (e.g., a face shield, safety glasses, or goggles) when unable to maintain physical distance of at least 2 metres or engaging with an individual who is not wearing a mask.
- Staff may take off their masks and eye protection when eating/drinking or on break; however, time with masks off should be limited and a physical distance of at least 2 metres should be maintained between staff members. Mask breaks are allowed outside and in the WAG.
- The use of masks by staff during outdoor camp activities is encouraged and is required if physical distancing of at least 2 metres cannot be maintained between individuals.
Campers:
- All camp participants are required to wear well-fitting masks (e.g., non-medical) while indoors.
- Use of masks is not required for outdoor camp activities if physical distancing of 2 metres can be maintained between camp participants and cohorts are maintained.
- Each camp participant should have access to multiple masks to facilitate changing, as needed (e.g., when soiled, damp, damaged or difficult to breathe through).
Pick up and Drop off:
● Pick-up and drop-off of camp of class participants will happen at the Princess St. door. Parents/guardians will not be allowed in the school unless it is determined that there is a bona fide need for the parent/guardian to enter.
● Pick-up and drop-off procedures will support physical distancing with one designated parent/guardian pick-up and drop-off for each class participant, and limited numbers of people in entry areas.
Screening:
● All individuals, including class participants, parents/guardians, staff, and visitors must complete a daily health screening checklist. Children must bring the checklist completed and signed by a parent each class. The KSOA will deny entry to any individual who has any of the symptoms outlined in the COVID-19 Reference Document for Symptoms on the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 website or who has come in close contact with a person with symptoms of or confirmed COVID-19 in the past 14 days. Class participants, in particular, will be monitored for atypical symptoms and signs of COVID-19.
● Alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol content will be placed at all entrances to the School.
● The KSOA will contact the KFLA public health unit to report a class participant suspected to have COVID-19. The local public health unit will provide specific advice on what control measures should be implemented to prevent the potential spread and how to protect and, if needed, isolate staff members and class participants.
Record Keeping:
● The KSOA will keep daily records of anyone (e.g., class participants, parent/guardian, staff and visitors) entering the KSOA who stays for 15 minutes or longer. Records (e.g., name, contact information, time of arrival, screening completion etc.) will be kept up-to-date and available to facilitate contact tracing in the event of a confirmed COVID-19 case or outbreak.
Management of Class Participants with Suspected COVID-19:
If a class participant begins to experience symptoms of COVID-19 while attending class, KSOA staff will ensure that:
● Symptomatic class participants are immediately separated from others in a supervised area until they can go home. In addition, where possible, anyone who is providing care to the class participant will maintain a distance of at least 2 metres.
● We will contact the KFLA public health unit to notify them of a potential case and seek advice regarding the information that should be shared with other parents/guardians of class participants in the program.
● While contacting the public health unit, at a minimum the class participant and staff member will be required to wear a face mask (if tolerated), and the staff member should also wear eye protection (goggles or face shield).
● Environmental cleaning/disinfection of the space and items used by the class will be conducted once the class participant has been picked up. Items that cannot cleaned and disinfected (e.g., paper, books, cardboard puzzles) will be removed from the area
● Other class participants and staff who were present while a class participant or staff member became ill will be identified as a close contact and grouped together until they can be picked up by parents/guardians to self-isolate at home. The local public health unit will provide any further direction on testing and isolation of these close contacts.
● Class participants or staff who have been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19 will be excluded from the program setting for 14 days.
Testing for COVID-19
- Symptomatic staff and camp participants will be referred for testing.
- Those who test negative for COVID-19 will be excluded from the program until 24 hours after symptom resolution. If a symptomatic person receives a negative result, a repeat test within 24-48 hours can be considered if clinical suspicion is high.
- Those who test positive for COVID-19 must be excluded from the program for 14 days after the onset of symptoms and clearance has been received from the local public health unit.
● If there is a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 at the school the facility will remain closed for 24 hours to facilitate a deep cleaning of the building.
● Staff members and class participants awaiting test results will be excluded from camp.
Occupational Health & Safety:
● All KSOA staff will receive training in all policies and procedures in regard to Ministry of Health requirements.
● If a KSOA staff member is diagnosed with COVID-19, they will remain off work for 14 days following symptom onset and must receive clearance from the KFLA public health unit to return.
● If a staff member is a close contact of an individual diagnosed with COVID-19, the staff member will be required to remain off work for 14 days from their last exposure and must consult with the local public health unit to determine when they can return to work.
