On Thursday, Oct. 1, The Ministry of Health changed the screening requirements for children to attend child care programs. Please see the updated screening tool for parents, which is intended to help parents decide whether or not to send their children to school.
While the majority of our families have practiced due diligence in pre-screening their children at home, there has unfortunately been an uptick in children arriving to our programs and centres who display COVID-19 symptoms. Screening must be done daily and at home before the child attends their program or centre.
Using the updated screening tool
The updated screening tool focuses on evaluating whether a child is displaying symptoms that are worsening or different from the child's usual state.
The updated criteria permits children with a single mild symptom like a runny nose or headache to return to the program or centre after being home for a minimum of 24 hours. Children can return to the program when the symptom is improving and they feel well enough to do so, without requiring a negative COVID-19 test.
Children with symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, and/or decrease of loss or smell or taste will still be advised to stay home until they are able to consult with a health care provider and receive an alternative diagnosis or a negative COVID-19 test. To see the complete screening and results of the screening, please refer to the Ministry of Health screening document.
As a child care provider, we follow different guidelines than the school boards. PLASP is required by Toronto Public Health, Peel Public Health and the Ministry of Education to ensure children who enter our programs must not exhibit symptoms of COVID-19, and that they are symptom free (for a minimum of 24 hours).
Based on the new screening protocol, children who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 will not be admitted to the program. If a child starts showing symptoms during program time, parents will be required to pick them up immediately.
Please continue following the mask protocols set out by your child's school board for the wearing of masks indoors. For further information, please review Toronto Public Health, Peel Public Health and Ministry of Education guidelines for before and after school programs, as well as PLASP's COVID-19 Outbreak Management Policy.
After school program screening form (TDSB and TCDSB only)
PLASP families in our after school programs will need to continue filling out the updated screening form online if any of the following situations apply:
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Your child(ren) are enrolled in the after school program only, and are not enrolled in a PLASP before school program
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Your child(ren) will not attend the before school program on a specific day, though they will attend the after school program later that same day
Completion of this form is required by Toronto Public Health. This document must be completed and submitted to your program location by 1 p.m. each day before the program begins when the above situations apply.
If we do not receive a copy of this form your child will not be admitted to the program. Should you experience any difficulty with using the online form, please download the Microsoft Word version of it here and send it to your child's program director via email.