Cara's Kids

It’s with a heavy heart that I announce that after 11 school years, Cara’s Kids Preschool has shut its doors. It has been an absolute honor and pleasure to have taught and cared for so many of Maricopa’s youth over these past years. It is something I will always cherish. This was not an easy decision but sometimes life forces us to make hard and unfair decisions, and due to health issues, I must do what is best for myself. Being a preschool teacher has become a part of who I am and I feel blessed to have watched so many children grow and learn, and extending my family to include yours as my students become like my own children.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me through the years. If I see you around town, please say hello, stay in touch, and know that my invite to pop in and say hello still stands for all my students!

And kids (parents if you could relay), please remember -
“You are super smart...
You are super kind...
You are capable of wonderful things...
And you are special, because you are you!”

Due to the updated guidelines recommended by the CDC we are updating our policies a bit. Please be aware that yes, if you are looking at the recommendations for dealing with typical life most guidelines state 5 days, BUT if you read further, it has a 10-day recommendation when dealing with the immunocompromised. Mrs. Cara IS immunocompromised, so this adjustment is taken into consideration with the policies we are following:

- Families must abide by the class’s Family Sick Child Policy with the updated rule that if a student has the following symptoms, they need to remain symptom free without the aid of medication for at least 72 hours, not 24 hours, before returning to class:
Fever or chills ● Cough ● Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing ● Fatigue ● Muscle or body aches ● Headache ● New loss of taste or smell ● Sore throat ● Congestion or runny nose ● Nausea or vomiting ● Diarrhea

Exposures-

Stay home for at least 10 days (day 0 through day 10) after the LAST contact with a person who has COVID-19. The last date of exposure is considered day 0.

For 10 days after the last close contact with someone with COVID-19, watch for fever (100.4◦F or greater), cough, shortness of breath, or other COVID-19 symptoms.

If symptoms develop, get tested immediately and isolate until test results are received. If the test is positive, follow isolation recommendations (see below).
Isolation-

If a student has presumed or confirmed COVID-19 they should stay home and isolate away from class for at least 10 full days (day 0 is the first day of symptoms or the date of the day of the positive viral test for asymptomatic persons) AND are at least 72 hours symptom free without the aid of medication.
If symptoms develop after testing positive, the 10-day isolation period should start over. Day 0 is the first day of symptoms.

Some examples….
Scenario 1:
The student visits a friend or relative’s house on a Saturday for a BBQ and is exposed to a confirmed case. The student is to stay home from class for 10 days, if they remain symptom free, before returning to class the Wednesday a week and a half after their exposure.
If during that 10-days the student develops symptoms or tests positive, the 10-day countdown starts over at the day symptoms begin/the positive test took place. Once that new 10-day countdown is over AND the student has been 72 hours symptom free without the aid of medication, then they may return to class.
Scenario 2:
Someone in the student’s household has covid. The student is to stay home for while the household member has covid AND 10 days after their last exposure to said household member while the member was positive with covid. So if mom got sick and tested positive for covid on Tuesday and continued being sick until Saturday, the LAST day of mom’s symptoms is considered the last exposure. That last day, Saturday, is when the 10-day countdown begins and is considered the day 0 of the 0-10. The student should be home that initial Tuesday of mom becoming positive and continue to remain home until Wednesday a week and a half later from that Saturday (so a total of 14 days).

-There is no tuition due for the dates of a student being home to quarantine/isolate due to COVID.

- Any student showing ANY symptoms of illness will have their parents/guardians contacted to pick up their child immediately, and the student will be isolated from other students until they go home.

- Parents/guardians are asked to give Mrs. Cara immediate notice if a student has covid or is having to quarantine due to exposure so contact tracing may be done and the local health department and all possibly involved parties may be notified.

- Temperatures will be checked upon entering for drop-off using a no contact method and those with fevers 100*F or higher will not be admitted.

- Students will be given hand sanitizer to use upon entering.

- Masks are required to be worn and worn properly over the mouth and nose by all.

- Students are asked to leave toys, backpacks, lunch boxes, outside food, etc. at home. All necessary items are provided in class. Water-bottles/sports-bottles of water are permitted to be brought to class.

We will continue to teach about the importance of proper hygiene, regular hand washing, and proper hand washing techniques, as well as continuing to sanitize and disinfect throughout the day.
Everyone’s health and safety are top priority, and your understanding in this matter is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to ask!

Due to varying schedules so everyone may participate, students are invited to wear warm pajamas to class Wednesday through Friday this week!

Cannot wait to see all my students again this week!

I hope everyone has been enjoying their Fall Break! Cannot wait to see everyone when class resumes starting on Tuesday at 8am! Don’t forget we are on our new schedule of mornings!