Choklits and current COVID-19 Updates

Choklits Owner Jade is continually updating our community throughout the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Below is the latest information we have, we will post further information as it comes to hand.

20.7.22 Update: Covid-19 Child Care Information.

Dear Choklits Community,

We hope you’re having a good week! Unfortunately, colds, flu and Covid-19 all continue to play a big part in our daily lives.

In line with our COVIDsafe policy at Choklits, we continue to check all children’s temperatures who show signs of any of the common symptoms while at the centre. For precaution and as advised, all children with a temperature of 37.5C and above need to be sent home from Choklits.

Please find below the latest updates from the Department of Education-

As you may know, new cases of COVID-19 are expected to continue to increase in the coming weeks. At the same time, there is an increase in colds and flu which, along with COVID-19, is putting additional pressure on hospitals and healthcare workers across the country.

Our early childhood service is working to keep children and staff as safe as possible, following COVIDSafe rules and recommendations from the Victorian Government. Families can also help to reduce the spread of cases in the community.

Masks

The Victorian Department of Education and Training is encouraging all staff, parents/carers and students aged 8 years and over to wear face masks when indoors.

As a result, we are asking parents, carers and children aged 8 years and older who enter the indoor areas of the service to wear masks from now to the end of winter.

A reminder that children 8 years and older and adults must wear a mask while on public transport and in sensitive settings, and if they are a close contact and are indoors when outside their home, unless an exception applies.

Children aged 2 years or younger should not wear a mask, because it is a choking and suffocation risk.

Masks for staff in ECEC services are not recommended in circumstances where staff are actively teaching, and clear enunciation or visibility of the mouth is essential.

If your child has symptoms, please keep them at home

Staff and children are required to stay home when unwell, as this will reduce the likelihood of passing on COVID-19 as well as colds and flu.

Children should stay home and get tested if they have symptoms such as fever, chills or sweats, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose or loss or change in sense of smell or taste.

If your child has COVID-19

Positive cases are still required to isolate for 7 days from the day they took their test. You must continue to notify the Department of Health and our service if your child returns a positive COVID-19 result. Additionally, you should inform us if your child is a household contact.

After someone has had COVID-19

The period someone is considered a recently confirmed case (and therefore exempt from testing and isolation requirements) is 4 weeks. This is because new variants of COVID-19 are easier to catch.

This means that children who are household contacts of people with COVID-19 are no longer exempt from the testing and isolation requirements after 4 weeks from completing isolation.

Your child will need to take 5 rapid antigen tests (RATs) over 7 days and have negative results if you want them wish to attend ECEC services.

You must also let us know if someone in your household has COVID-19 after this 4-week period.

Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs)

Our service will continue to distribute RATs to families as we have been doing, but children no longer need to take a RAT test twice a week.

RATs, however, will continue to be needed if someone in your household has COVID-19, or if your child has symptoms such as fever, chills or sweats, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath or a runny nose.

Children who are close contacts, with no symptoms, will require 5 negative tests over a 7-day period to attend the service.

The ongoing supply of RATs to families in our early childhood service will ensure that parents and carers will have them should they need them. These RATs are provided by the Victorian Government and will continue to be distributed to families during Term 3 and Term 4 of 2022 (until 20 December 2022).

Thank you again for your ongoing cooperation and support during this time.

Stay safe, thanks,

Jade

As always, please get in touch if we can be of any assistance –

Choklits Ringwood | [email protected] | 98795888

Choklits Surrey Hills | [email protected] | 98999404

Please also connect with us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news.

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7.6.22 Update: Covid-19 Isolation Child Care Information.

Dear Choklits Community,

Well, we certainly have entered winter with a bang. The cold weather and rain has meant lots of sickness across the community including flu and covid-19.

A big thank you to everyone who is communicating with us and following the covid safe rules.

When someone tests positive for covid-19 they are required to isolate for 7 days from the day they test positive. This includes all the Choklits team and educators.

As many of you are aware there are critical staff shortages across many industries at present and this includes the early childhood sector. Due to the isolation rules, we’ve had many of our team off over the past few weeks which puts obvious pressure on the whole Choklits system. Unfortunately, there isn’t any replacement staff available.

To help keep everyone in our community safe, we’re asking all families to PLEASE follow the covid safe rules and not send your child to Choklits if they are unwell, even if they test negative to covid-19.

If your child is unwell they need to remain at home until they are symptom free. Other viruses and illnesses are also present in the community, and it is important we do our best to keep all families safe and healthy.

Please be alert for even the mildest symptoms, including:
– tiredness
– headache
– sniffle
– nausea
– stomach issues, and
– temperatures above 37.5.

To stay inline with the Department of Education’s rules and to keep the entire Choklits Community safe we will notify you if your child shows any signs of covid-19 or flu like symptoms and they will need to be picked up. You will be asked to keep your child home until they are system free.

We ask all families wear a mask when at Choklits, and please, DO NOT ENTER if you are unwell.

We continue to monitor our communities health and wellbeing and as a result may need to reintroduce restrictions including temperature checks at drop off and pick ups again.

We understand everyone is under pressure and continue to deal with post-covid pressures. We are here to support you all in the best way we can, we ask everyone to support the rest of the Choklits Community too so we can all stay safe and well.

Stay safe, thanks,

Jade

As always, please get in touch if we can be of any assistance –

Choklits Ringwood | [email protected] | 98795888

Choklits Surrey Hills | [email protected] | 98999404

Please also connect with us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news.

—-

15.1.22 Update: Covid-19 Isolation and Child Care Fee Information.

Good afternoon Choklits Community,

As we experience more cases of Covid-19 right across Australia, some changes are now in place for the child care sector who, by extension, have also experienced an increase in cases too.

Choklits remains open and you are able to attend as you normally would if you do not have any Covid-19 symptoms.

The following information and explanations all come from the Department of Education, which we must and do follow.

Isolation and reporting rules for Covid-19

Choklits is an education setting and to help with some the confusion, it’s important to remember the protocols are different to household contacts, you are not required to isolate at all of you do not have symptoms.

From Friday 7 January, education contacts who:

do not have any symptoms can continue to attend their ECEC site (Choklits). It is strongly encouraged that a rapid antigen (RA) test is taken each day for 5 days following notification of a COVID-19 exposure in an educational setting (which Choklits does via email).
have symptoms must undertake a RA test or a PCR test and quarantine until they receive a negative result. Contacts are to stay home if unwell.

As above, if your child has NO symptoms you are able to attend Choklits.

If you return a positive test you are required to contact us and let us know.

We kindly ask if your child is showing symptoms of Covid-19 please keep them home and get tested. If you return a negative test and your child is symptom free you are welcome to return.

If your child or someone in your family tests positive for Covid-19 we will need to obtain a copy of your child’s negative day 6 test prior to their return.

Fee information including gap fee waiving

Until 30 June 2022, services can waive the gap fee and receive Child Care Subsidy if a child is unable to attend care because:

they, or a member of their immediate household, must isolate due to COVID-19
the service, or a room at the service, is closed due to COVID-19 on written advice from the state or territory government authority
The state or territory has restricted access to child care in a region due to COVID-19.

Services must not waive the gap fee for families in any other circumstances. If a family chooses to keep their child at home they may use their allowable absences, but must pay a gap fee to the service.

More information is available on the department website.

Allowable absences

All children have an extra 10 allowable absences for the 2021–22 financial year. This brings the total number of allowable absences to 52 and is on top of any absences provided during lockdowns.

The above information will help answer many of the questions we’ve received recently, but please continue to contact us via the email address below if you have additional questions or need further clarification.

Stay safe, thanks,

Jade

As always, please –

Choklits and current COVID-19 Updates

COVID-19 Updates

Croydon

Ringwood

Surrey Hills

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