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One of the reasons to choose Ponderosa is the small class sizes. As the world recovers from the COVID-19 Epidemic, minimizing risk to ourselves and our families continues to be one of our top priorities. It can be difficult to know if your child is healthy enough to come to school, and how soon they ought to return after illness.
Please help us protect the teachers and other children from unnecessary exposure by keeping sick children home. The first line of defense is hand washing, which is the most effective deterrent to the spread of illness. Adults who accompany children to school are requested to take the children to wash their hands before they enter the classroom and upon leaving the school each day.
Your child IS TOO SICK to come to school if the child:
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Currently has a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher
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Is vomiting, or has vomited more than twice in a 24 hour periods
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has three or more diarrheic episodes (unexplained loose stool) in a 24 hour period
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has been told to stay at home on the advice of a medical professional
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is generally unable to function without 1:1 care
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has two or more symptoms of COVID-19
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has symptoms of conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)
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has mouth sores with drooling
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has a rash with fever
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has a persistent hacking cough
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has untreated lice, nits or scabies
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is an under-immunized child who seems to show symptoms of a disease that is vaccine preventable
In addition, please keep your child home if:
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They feel too sick or sleepy to participate in school today, whether due to disease or environmental factors (like jet lag)
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You suspect they may have a contagious disease, including COVID-19, WHETHER OR NOT you test for it
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Your child has come in contact with someone with a contagious disease and you are waiting to see if they have contracted it
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You are awaiting the results of a test for a contagious disease for ANY MEMBER OF THE HOUSEHOLD
If your child exhibits or develops any of these symptoms while in care, the child will be isolated and all contacts called until someone is reached that can pick up the child. Ponderosa's staff reserves the right to use their discretion in requiring families to pick up a child who is clearly not able to function at school without 1:1 attention and care.
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if they are ill with a minor illness that does not impact their ability to participate in regular activities. For example, your child MAY come to school if:
they only have a cough, and you do not suspect a severe disease
they have allergies
they have a runny nose or other cold symptoms, but no fever
they were excluded for an acute infection but have received treatment and symptoms are subsiding (e.g. pink eye, impetigo, ear infections)
they have been cleared by a medical professional or the local health authorities to return to school and have a note to that effect
it has been more than 24 hours without a fever
it has been more than 48 hours since they LAST vomited
it has been 72 hours since THE LAST diarrheic episode
If you are debating whether your child is well enough for school, please remember that your child comes in close contact with staff, other young children and their families daily. Your child is most contagious prior to full-blown symptoms. It is also imperative that children who have been ill are not sent back to school until they are fully recuperated. Low resistance jeopardizes your child’s health. If your child is not ready to fully participate in the class activities, including outdoor play, do not send your child to school.
When a child attends any type of play group, child care, or school for the first time, it is not unusual for them to develop more illnesses than in the past. The most common contagious diseases in this setting are respiratory illnesses, followed by the common cold. You should see the illnesses are most prevalent during the first calendar year in care, and decrease steadily with each subsequent year.
Your child MAY attend school...
As part of our reporting requirements to the state, we must be able to provide an immunization record for all students in our care. Further, we are required to report any family that "neglects or refuses to immunize their child" or to complete and submit an immunization waiver. ( N.M. Stat. § 24-5-4 ) To facilitate our compliance, all families must provide an immunization record when enrolling their child. Please update this record as needed, which may be several times a year over the first few years of life.
At this time, we do not accept students who are not fully vaccinated according to current guidelines from the American Academy for Pediatrics and Centers for Disease Control. This includes students who are over six months of age who are not vaccinated against COVID-19. We expect that students receive a flu shot annually by October 31, or as indicated by a medical professional.
Exceptions may be made for students who have documentation from a licensed medical professional familiar with their care; an Autism Spectrum diagnosis is not a sufficient waiver. The notice must be in writing on letterhead and include which specific vaccines are being waived, the projected alternate vaccinate schedule, and a provider's signature.
We retain the right to refuse service to any child or family that does not comply with these expectations or fails to notify Ponderosa of updates to their child's medical status in a timely manner (within three calendar weeks). Your family has the right to take your service elsewhere, if you are not willing or able to comply with this policy. Families with children in Foster Care or similar custody situations in which immunization permissions may be delayed should submit a notice to Ponderosa in writing. Ideally this notice would outline the child's projected vaccination schedule and parent/ guardian communication plan, if possible.
We will not hire or retain teachers (including substitutes) that are unwilling to maintain full vaccination as defined by current guidelines from the American Academy for Pediatrics and Centers for Disease Control--including COVID-19 and flu vaccines. Your child's safety is our first priority. We hold our staff and families to the same standard.
Diapering
We are happy to work with families in both toilet learning and toilet training. We use "toilet learning" to describe the many steps needed to toilet independently such as assisting children's mastery with removing their clothing and redressing, climbing a step stool up and down from the toilet, and washing hands. We use "toilet training" to describe the behaviors needed to use a toilet, including observing physical signals, eliminating waste, wiping and flushing. We use age-appropriate language and anatomically correct language to support autonomy and independence, and as part of abuse prevention education. Ponderosa encourages families of toilet training children to pack more extra clothes than normal, as the child learns to use a toilet in a variety of environments.
Children in diapers will be changed promptly when wet, dirty or both. Children who are able to sign or speak will be asked if they need a diaper change. While we try to respect the child's bodily autonomy, if clear evidence exists that a child needs a diaper change and they say "No", we will explain the evidence and proceed to change the diaper.
For legal compliance as well as health and safety reasons, we do not permit the use of cloth diapering while children are in care. Please provide disposable diapers for your child/ children. Unless the family provides diapers to Ponderosa, we will assume that if a child arrives in diapers, your family intends to use our diapers. In this event, your family will be billed a Diaper Fee of $150/ month. (It should be understood that diapers and pull ups are both included in this fee. We will replace the child's underwear with an item of the same size and type as they were wearing when they arrived.) In addition, if you provide your own diapers and fail to keep a supply despite requests to send more diapers, Ponderosa will use site supplies and charge your family the Diaper Fee. This fee is charged monthly, not by the number of days used. We will not charge for only one day's worth of diapers, for example. If your child has no diapers, your family will be charged for the month.