COVID-19: Operational guidance for EarlyON Child and Family Centres

This document constitutes direction issued by the Ministry of Education and approved by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health for the purposes of regulations made under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID‑19) Act, 2020 and the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014.

Last updated: February 7, 2022

Table of contents

• Introduction and purpose
• Pedagogical approaches during COVID‑19
  • Tracking re-opening of sites
  • Meeting mandatory core services
• Service delivery
  • Re-opening EarlyON Centres
  • Pre-registering for programs and services
  • Communication with families
  • Mobile programming
  • Outdoor programming
  • Virtual programming
  • Child minding and respite child care
• Health and safety requirements
  • Working with local public health
  • Health and safety protocols
  • Cleaning and disinfecting EarlyON Centres
  • Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette
  • Guidance on the use of masks, and other personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • Screening for symptoms
  • Attendance records
  • Monitoring and responding to reports of COVID‑19 symptoms in an EarlyON Centre setting
• In-program considerations
  • Transportation
  • Visitors and students on placement
  • Safe sign-in procedures
  • Equipment and toy usage and restrictions
  • Outdoor play
  • Space set-up and physical distancing
  • Food and drink provision
  • Mental health
• Other Operational Considerations
  • EarlyON Centres in Schools
  • Staff training
  • Liability and insurance
• Data-reporting-requirements Data reporting requirements