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We opened AKIDEMY with the desire to provide a safe and inspiring place for children to create connections, experiment, wonder, learn, and grow. We truly value the families and children in our communities and believe that children need stimulating and exciting spaces where they can play and make sense of the world around them, especially now more than ever. We are dedicated to our mission of making a positive impact in children’s and family’s lives.

 

We are doing our best to adapt and respond to the current health orders while also providing a fun and relaxed space that children feel safe to explore and discover. As always, we are committed to maintaining our high standards of health and safety at our program and have we have implemented the following additional precautions.

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Pick-up & Drop-off Procedures//

At the start of class, we will have a teacher at the door to greet you. We will ensure that your child is feeling well and should not attend class as per the Alberta Health Daily Checklist provided by AHS. We will then bring your child into the classroom and get them settled. We are keeping as few outside adults in the classroom as possible, but we understand that at the start of the year some children may need a little more help getting settled. In this case, parents can come in briefly but will need to wear a mask, apply sanitizer upon entry and maintain 2 meters physical distancing from others.

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At the end of class, we will help children pack their backpacks and bring them to the door as parents are picking up to again reduce the number of adults gathering in the space. We also ask that families maintain physical distancing while outside before and after class.

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AKIDEMY Classroom//

Our classroom has been set up intentionally to support cleaning between cohorts. Our classroom shelving is predominately built in cabinets that allow us to be very strategic about the materials that each class will have access to. This will allow us to ensure that we are sanitizing toys and equipment that children have access to between classes.

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To sanitize toys, materials and surfaces we use Benefact’s Decon 30. It is proven to kill over 99.99% of microorganisms and is non-toxic. Benefect’s botanical active ingredient is identified by Health Canada as having no known adverse effects to human health or the environment. Benefect uses only authentically botanical ingredients, no synthetic derivatives, petrochemicals or solvents. You can read more about it here.

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In addition, we continuously run a PYURE OH AIR Machine in our classrooms. PYURE’s technology replicates the way sunlight sanitizes the outdoor environment by generating and diffusing hydroxyls and organic oxidants indoors. PYURE technology produces these natural sanitizing agents in the same concentrations typically found outdoors on a sunny day, so it can be safely operated continuously indoors. The PYURE air purifier reduced airborne SARS-CoV-2 by 99% in 20 minutes in air and reduced surface-bound SARS-CoV-2 by 99% in one hour. 

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Class Procedures//

Each class will be considered a cohort and within each cohort children are not required to physically distance or wear masks. Classes will not overlap with other classes, and all toys, surfaces and structures will be cleaned and disinfected between groups of children. All Teachers, Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, and practicum students are fully vaccinated and will assess themselves before their shift for symptoms of COVID-19. They will always wear a mask and wash their hands (or use alcohol-based hand rub) when entering and exiting the space.

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Children will hand wash frequently; upon arrival, after meeting time, between sensory material play, before snack, after snack, prior to leaving, after toilet use. Children and staff will also follow proper respiratory etiquette (wash hands frequently, sneeze/cough into their elbow, put used tissues in a waste receptacle and wash hands after). Signs with visual cues will be posted to remind staff and children. If a child develops symptoms while at preschool, we will provide activities to play in a separate space away from other children and we will notify the parent to come and pick up their child immediately. Alcohol-based hand rub (with at least 60% alcohol) will be placed at the entrance and exit to the program area for use by staff, directors and parents doing pick-ups/drop-offs.

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The AHS Coordinated Early Identification and Response (CEIR) team is available to all child care settings and we would be in contact for additional guidance and decision-making support if there are 2 or more children/staff members who are showing symptoms of illness, within 48 hours of each other, or we had a staff or child test positive for COVID-19. Parents would be notified if their child was exposed to someone who had tested positive for COVID-19 (or any other communicable disease). We had a healthy and successful school year last year, working together with families and we strive to

continue that in this school year as well. Please reach out if you have any further questions.