Dear Parents and Friends of Learning Bridge,

I understand there are many questions and concerns about the future of programming and when the centers will be opening.

The Illinois Governor has changed the timing for childcare centers to Phase 3. But there is much to do to make sure our Center is the safest place for your child.

Most importantly, we are waiting for the Governor’s office and DCFS to reinstate our license. The only operable childcare licenses at this point are programs providing emergency care to first responders and essential workers. All other childcare licenses in the State were suspended for Covid-19. We anticipate that this reinstatement of our license will come in Phase 4 of the Governor’s reopening plan sometime in June. The earliest we could possibly be prepared to open would be July 1st. 2020. We will not be waiting for D65 schools to open this summer.

That said, safety of our children, families and staff is our highest priority. We will not open our center until we are fully prepared and safety procedures are clear and in place. One of the ways we prepare is to make sure we have current contact information on all our children. If you have not sent in your contact form, please look for an email from Ann Rappelt in your mailbox.

We want to make you aware of some of the potential changes in procedures and policies in this new environment:

·        Arrival & Departure: changes to entering and exiting the center, as well as parent drop-off/pick-up procedures

·         Classroom Management: smaller groups sizes, no mixing of students or teachers

·         New health and safety policies, daily temperature checks and monitoring

·         Heightened cleaning and sanitizing: we are looking into purchasing UVC lights, having sanitizing stations and hiring professional sanitizing companies for this support on top of daily staff cleansing of toys, materials and surfaces.

·         Staff training: increased professional development on health and safety as well as new guidelines and protocols.

·         There is a need for PPE: masks, gloves, etc. We will also need to acquire new cleaning supplies that we do not currently have. We will be working with the City of Evanston for support of these supplies.

There will also be an expectation that parents will follow our new guidelines and we will be developing an addition to the parent policy handbook that will need to be signed and agreed to.

We understand that all of this is challenging. We want to ensure that our center will  stay true to what has made LBEEC so special in the field of early care and education. We will continue to be a nurturing, caring, loving and supportive environment that focuses on healthy development, social emotional learning and a strong commitment to the growth of your children.

These adjustments will be challenging, but with the support of one another we will overcome this challenge and move forward together. 

Thank you for your support and commitment to LBEEC,

-Lindsay Percival, Executive Director