UPDATE 4/22/2020
Dear Families,
As we do our part to minimize the exposure of the COVID-19 virus to our community, we wanted to share MORE FREE resources with you that may benefit your family.
Thank you to all of the families that join us each day with KOE LIVE! If you haven’t stopped by, what are you waiting for, our full April schedule is available here?!
EXCITING FREE RESOURCES
Frog Street for Early Learners, bring our curriculum to your home. Via Frog Street website you can access over 250 English and Spanish electronic books, activities and songs from the Frog Street “Empowering Families” and “Sing & Read” collections simply by creating an account and logging in. Please click the link here to set up an free account, https://parents.frogstreet.com/.
Teaching Strategies ParentPal, offers engaging activities and active learning for children from birth through age three. ParentPal™ is an all-in-one personal parenting coach, offering tools to take the guesswork out of parenting, helping families nurture their children to thrive socially, emotionally, physically and cognitively. ParentPal™ provides families a daily roadmap to follow each day that promotes active, joyful engagement and developmentally appropriate progress through key developmental milestones from birth through age 3. Please click here to sign-up for the free resource, it is free until June 30, 2020.
Please use this unique link to download Noggin, an integrative, play-along, educational app from the experts at Nick Jr. Noggin features educational games that are smart and fun, featuring kids favorite tc shows PAW Patrol, Bubble Guppies, and Dora the Explorer, and so much more! It includes short-form videos developed by curriculum specialists, play-alongs and sing along as their favorite characters teach them everything, and a huge library of some of the most popular and beloved preschool shows of all time— including PAW Patrol, Peppa Pig, Bubble Guppies, Dora the Explorer, and lots more! PLUS Play-Along Videos are downloadable, so kids can keep watching & playing even while offline. Please use this link for a FREE 90 DAY SUBSCRIPTION, and follow the steps to create a FREE account, http://www.noggin.com/noggin-cares-first-book/.
COVID-19 Related Resources
Hospitality Cares Pandemic Fund, if you work in the hotel or restaurant industry, you may be eligible for funding. APPLICATION OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 24TH AT 9AM. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE APPLICATION. https://www.unitedwaysela.org/hospitality-cares-pandemic-response-fund-0
UPDATE 4/1/2020
Dear Families,
As we do our part to minimize the exposure of the COVID-19 virus to our community, we wanted to share some resources with you that may benefit your family.
Education Resources
Caring for Preschoolers at Home https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/20/03/caring-preschoolers-home
At-Home Activity Guide: Play promotes healthy development, even when you are stuck at home https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/3264-at-home-activity-guide
Caring for Each Other: This site provides content and resources you can use with your family to offer comfort and spark playful learning activities https://www.sesamestreet.org/caring
Magic of Everyday Moments: This series focuses on how, through interactions with your baby during everyday moments, you can support your baby’s social, emotional and intellectual development. https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/series/magic-of-everyday-moments
Virtual Storytime – NOLA Library http://nolalibrary.org/page/36/for-children
Hatch Early Learning, code, MHU2020 https://rms.hatchearlychildhood.com/homeUser/register/
COVID-19 Related Resources
Agenda for Children http://www.agendaforchildren.org/resources-to-share-with-families.html
Creative Connections While Apart: Ways to come together as families, schools and communities while keeping your (social) distance. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/20/03/creative-connections-while-apart
COVID-19: Five Helpful Responses for Families from Conscious Discipline https://consciousdiscipline.com/covid-19-five-helpful-responses-for- families/?mc_cid=89fc7c1740&mc_eid=1f3ff2dd20
Helping Children Cope with Coronavirus and Uncertainty https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/20/03/helping-children-cope-coronavirus-and-uncertainty
UPDATE 3/20/2020
Dear Families,
As we do our part to minimize the exposure of the COVID-19 virus to our community, we wanted to share some resources with you that may benefit your family.
FREE MEALS
The School Meal Sites During COVID-19 Closures Interactive Map provides the most current listing of schools providing meals for children 18 years of age and younger during the closure. Parishes have stepped up to fill this vital need in creative ways, such as grab-n-go, curbside pickup, and even meal delivery services.
Additionally, Hoonuit has a mobile friendly nationally updated resource that families can search by address at schoolmealfinder.hoonuit.com.
EDUCATION
Teaching Strategies, creator of The Creative Curriculum® and GOLD®, has developed a free toolkit for supporting families impacted by COVID-19. The Healthy at Home toolkit offers a free selection of resources from The Creative Curriculum® and ReadyRosie™ providing families with information and resources for supporting the children in their care. Other resouces, ABC Mouse (free 30 day trial) and Hands On We Grow (free online activites for all early learner ages).
CHILD CARE SUPPORT
The TIKES Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation is providing MHC services via telephone or a telehealth web-based platform for any individual affiliated with Type III centers.
Please complete the request form at https://tinyurl.com/TulaneTIKES and a consultant will contact you as soon as possible. They are able to assist individuals, whether or not they have received consultation previously, with issues related to:
Child behavior and social-emotional concerns
Supporting children during the COVID-19 pandemic
Self-care
Stress and coping
Parent Concerns
Other concerns as needed
Update 3/16/2020
Dear Families,
Over the past few weeks, it’s become clear that the world is facing an unprecedented challenge. Like you, we are deeply concerned and our first priority is our students, teachers, and families’ safety and health.
As of March 16, 2020, the Louisiana Department of Health has reported 2 deaths and 114 presumptive positive cases of COVID-19, the potentially deadly respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus.
As of now Kids of Excellence will be closed up to 8 WEEKS STARTING MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2020 due to the rapid growth of the virus in our state. We did not make this painful decision lightly, but our lives have drastically changed from a week ago, and we are taking this drastic step to help save the lives of our communities. However, as we monitor the state and local health department releases, we will make changes as needed and update families as soon as possible.
Our hopes are to reopen our facility as soon as we can. Again, we are closely monitoring the situation and will continue to communicate information to our community, by email and text, as it becomes available to us, in a timely and transparent way.
We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding during this unimaginable time. We urge all families to remain safe, practice social distancing, and follow the guidelines of the CDC. We hope to be back in business really soon.
Kind Regards,
Kristi Givens
Executive Director
UPDATE 3/13/2020
Coronavirus Update to Parents 3/13/2020
Dear Families:
We want to assure you that we are taking all the necessary precautions to minimize the exposure to the Coronavirus-19.
While it is impossible to ensure that virus doesn’t spread, we are taking extra precautions to minimize any exposure to your child. Communication between you and Kids of Excellence is the first step. We will make sure that you are kept abreast of any health-related concerns involving your child and we ask that you keep us informed of any health concerns that could affect your child at the center. Our top priority is the health and safety of our youth, families, and staff. Kids of Excellence is taking measures to ensure we continue to protect those in our care.
Kids of Excellence staff is monitoring the situation and working on outlining measures we should take as identified by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We are monitoring state and local health department releases to ensure response plans are in place should we identify an active case of Coronavirus-19.
We have just been informed via "breaking news" that Governor John Bel Edwards has closed all Louisiana public schools from Monday, March 16th- Monday, April 13th.
AS OF NOW KIDS OF EXCELLENCE WILL BE CLOSED FROM MONDAY, MARCH 16TH- FRIDAY, MARCH 27TH. SCHOOL WILL REOPEN ON MONDAY, MARCH 30TH. AS WE MONITOR THE STATE AND LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT RELEASES, WE WILL MAKE CHANGES AS NEEDED AND UPDATE FAMILIES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Meanwhile, I urge you to focus on your own plan for your family during this fluid and uncertain time. I will update you via email and text to keep you informed as our decisions are made.
Again, we are closely monitoring the situation and will continue to communicate information to our community as it becomes available to us. If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at 504.518.7840. We have also included some additional resources that will keep you up to date.
• Text COVIDNOLA to 888-777 for updates released by the City of New Orleans
• Louisiana Health Department- COVID19
• Follow on social media: @cityofnola @mayorcantrell
With kind regards,
Kristi R. Givens
UPDATE 3/6/2020
Coronavirus Guidance for Child Care from CDC via Early Head Start
Dear Parents,
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Louisiana Office of Public Health continue to closely monitor the outbreak of a 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) that originated in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China in December 2019.
As of Wednesday, March 4, the CDC has confirmed 80 COVID-19 cases, and there are no known cases of COVID-19 in Louisiana.
We want to remind parents that THERE IS NO NEED TO PANIC. There have been no reports of children being diagnosed with coronavirus as of 3/4/2020. This notice is to inform parents of the virus and preventive measures the CDC is recommending for early child care centers.
Recommendations:
Wash hands frequently and thoroughly (20 seconds/ 2 happy birthday songs for adults and children)
If a student has a temperature of 100 or more taken under the arm he or she needs to stay or be sent home.
Daily sanitation of classroom and common use surfaces (doorknobs, light switches, and countertops).
More recommendations and prevention from the CDC can be found here. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/guidance-for-schools.html
Prevention:
There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. However, as a reminder, CDC always recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, including:
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask. CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. Facemasks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. The use of facemasks is also crucial for health workers and people who are taking care of someone in close settings (at home or in a health care facility).
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
Basic Coronavirus Facts
You can only be diagnosed with COVID-19 by the CDC. There is no test that any localized facility can perform to determine a COVID-19 diagnosis. COVID-19 is just one form of coronavirus.
How COVID-19 Spreads: COVID-19 is a new disease and the CDC is still learning how it spreads, the severity of illness it causes, and to what extent it may spread in the United States.
The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.
Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Travel:
The CDC has issued travel warnings for several countries with widespread COVID-19 transmission:
China
Iran
Italy
Japan
South Korea
The list of destinations with travel warnings is updated regularly and can be found here. As part of the United States’ COVID-19 containment strategy, the CDC recommends canceling or postponing nonessential travel to these destinations due to potential health risks. These destinations are subject to change at any time due to the unpredictable nature of this virus.
Questions:
Louisiana Office of Public Health Infectious Disease Epidemiology Hotline: 1-800-256-2748
Detailed information about the coronavirus from the CDC can be found here, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/2019-ncov-factsheet.pdf