COVID-19 Health Policies & Procedures

Last updated on 4/24/24

Isolation and Quarantine

Isolation: When someone has a confirmed case of COVID

When someone has a confirmed case of COVID (via rapid or PCR test), that person is required to isolate for 5 days after the test date (test date is day 0). The person can return on day 6 if their symptoms have improved, have not had a fever for at least 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medications), and have tested negative on a rapid test.

Quarantine: When someone has been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID

We will let families/faculty members know of known positive cases within their class or age grouping at SEED.  When a child has been in close contact with a known case, we ask families to monitor for any symptoms, (as the child cannot attend when exhibiting any single symptom), and to test every morning before school through at least the first 5 days after exposure.  If your child who is 2 or older has been in close contact with a known case, we ask that the child wear a KN95/surgical style mask to the best of their ability for the first 5 days after exposure.

For household exposures, the exposed person who comes into SEED must test each morning before school, until 5 days after the last positive household member’s isolation has ended.  We ask families to monitor for any symptoms (as the child cannot attend when exhibiting any single symptom).  If the person who has been in close contact is 2 or older, we ask that the person wear a KN95/surgical style mask to the best of their ability for the first 5 days following exposure.

SEED Environment/Grouping Adaptations

SEED groups will combine, at times, in order to staff hours of care.  In addition, children from different classes of the same age group will play together on the playground and breezeway, and combine at times for small group work or for celebrations.

Classes are running portable HEPA filters all day, and keeping windows at least cracked open for air turnover.

Vaccines

All staff at SEED and Temple Beth Am are required to be vaccinated and boosted when eligible.

When children at SEED become vaccine-eligible, we require that they get their first shot within 3 weeks of eligibility, with the remaining dose(s) at the appropriate timeline following.

Parents/Guardians and anyone dropping off/picking up from SEED is required to be fully vaccinated.  We are not going to track this internally but ask that you make sure that anyone nannying for your child/emergency contacts etc. are vaccinated before you have a plan for that person to pick up or drop off your child.

Masks

Mask use is currently optional (when the person is feeling well, and has not been in close contact with a COVID case).  We may ask children in 2’s rooms and older, and all faculty, to temporarily mask at times when case counts are high in the school or in the community. Although masks are not currently required, King County Department of Health recommends mask wearing as an important tool in helping to limit the spread of COVID. People who are immunocompromised or want extra protection should wear masks to protect themselves and others when indoors.

Travel

Following the CDC’s recommendations, there is not currently a quarantine required after travel.

Illness/Testing and Exclusion

It is important that children and faculty stay home when they are ill, and alert health@seedecs.org, along with your child’s classroom, of any potentially communicable disease.

Please note that, under many circumstances, children will be asked to be out for testing, until symptoms improve, and to be 24 hours fever-free in order to return.  For children younger than 2, if the only symptom is mild congestion/runny nose, the child does not need to be out of school (unless they have been a recent close contact to a COVID case).

For any health issues (questions, to report a communicable disease, a child out sick, etc…) please email health@seedecs.org.