Dear Families,

CEO’s Early Head Start/Head Start program has been working diligently to plan and prepare for the 2020-21 school year and we are excited to welcome back students this week, starting September 14th.  Over the past several months we have been designing what programming will look like, with our main goal being to ensure the health and safety of our children and staff. These planning efforts have required the modification and adaption of program options, practices, and policies to make sure our protocols are in alignment with New York State Department of Health’s Interim Guidelines for Child Care Centers, guidance from the CDC, feedback from our health care consultant, and all other resources.

We recognize that the beginning of this school year will look different and have made adaptations to ensure the health and safety of our staff and children.  We will be offering a hybrid model of educational programming to children and families, which will include center (in-person) and virtual learning.  We are proud to be able to provide comprehensive virtual programming to children and families that are not yet comfortable returning to center-based programming and for those that we were not able to offer center-based enrollment to because of the lower overall capacity in our classrooms.

We are committed to engage and provide all of our children and families with Head Start services, regardless of the program option. Please be aware that the health, safety, and well-being of the children and staff have been our top priority and we want to ensure that we are doing everything we can to reduce the spread of COVID-19.  We will be continually assessing our center based operations and classroom sizes. For families that have expressed interest in center based programming, we will continue to keep you up to date on program options and, if space becomes available, we will reach out as soon as possible.

What will programming look like? Examples below:

Virtual programming:

• Virtual engagement with teaching and center staff
• Family Advocacy support
• Completion of developmental and health screenings of children
• Health education and support
• Utilization of Learning Genie platform to communicate and promote learning
• Other Early Head Start/Head Start services

Center Based programming:

• Curbside pick-up and drop-off
• Staggered pick-up and drop-off
• Temperature and screening assessments conducted at time of drop off
• Stringent attendance exclusion policy for children and staff
• Frequent cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfection
• Staff will be wearing face coverings
• Smaller class sizes with anticipation of increasing class sizes as the school year progresses
• Virtual engagement with teaching and center staff
• Classroom environments and materials will be modified to allow for social distancing

Even though this year will look different, we are eager for children to return. We recognize that the uncertainty and changes may be stressful. Our main goal is to ensure the health and safety of children and staff by following our developed protocols and practices.  As we reopen, we will continue to assess and make modifications and adjustments as necessary and/or required.

Welcome back! We look forward to working with your child and family and providing them with quality educational programming.

Best,

Tia Nunziato

Director of Early Childhood Services