COVID-19 POLICIES

COVID Policies supersede CDL’s Existing Illness Policy

• These COVID-19 Policies are considered an addendum to the already existing health and safety policies of the CDL.  The COVID-19 policies will supersede the existing program policies if there are any discrepancies.  Please see the CDL Illness & Exclusion Policies and Procedures (page 16) in our Family Handbook.
• The CDL will continue to follow the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Communicable Disease Chart for all other illnesses.
• The CDL also references the Caring for Our Children National Health and Safety Performance Standards:  Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs.

• To ensure the safety of children, families, and staff related to COVID-19, the CDL will monitor for any new recommendations for early care in education settings from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Public Health Madison and Dane County (PHMDC), and the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF).  Programs will also monitor information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and federal, state, and county governments.
• When there is a discrepancy in the guidance from these entities, the CDL will most likely adopt the guidance from local entities (PHMDC and DCF) over that of the CDC.
• Staff should follow the child care guidelines of PHMDC first and UW-Madison second, to ensure that we are following the guidelines aligned with WI Child Care Licensing.
• The CDL is primarily referring to CDC’s Operational Guidance for K-12 Schools and Early Care and Education Programs to Support Safe In-Person Learning.

Links to sources to stay informed of the evolving COVID recommendations

1. 1. Public Health of Madison & Dane County’s COVID page
   2. Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ COVID page 
   3. Wisconsin Department of Children and Families COVID-19 Child Care Resources
   4. Center for Disease Control & Prevention’s COVID page
      • CDC’s COVID Guidance for Child Care Programs (updated 8.11.23)
      • CDC’s COVID Vaccine Information for Children
      • CDC’s Guide to Staying Up-to-Date with Vaccines
      • CDC’s FAQs about COVID-19 Vaccines for Children
      • CDC’s Isolation Recommendations
      • CDC’s Quarantine Recommendations

• No.  At this time, the WI Department of Children and Families is not requiring children to be vaccinated and/or boosted for COVID-19 to attend licensed child care programs.  The CDL will let families know if this policy changes.
• It is the family’s responsibility to ensure that their child meets the CDC’s definition of up-to-date on their COVID vaccines. [Please note that the requirements of meeting up-to-date status differs by vaccine brand (and number of shots in the series), age of person being vaccinated, and immunocompromised status.]  Families who are choosing to vaccinate their children should periodically check the CDC’s website to ensure that their children are meeting the most current requirements of “up-to-date.”  

• As stated in our Family Handbook, parents must make sure the CDL has an up-to-date record of all of their child(ren)’s immunizations.  This now includes COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, if applicable.  Please give the CDL Administrative Team a hard copy of one of the following:
• 1. Your child’s WI immunization record showing the COVID-19 vaccinations (and boosters, if applicable); AND
  2. A copy of the child’s COVID-19 vaccination card received at time of vaccination; OR
  3. A print out of your child’s post visit summary that includes information about updated vaccines at that appointment. 
• In order for the CDL Administrative Team to respond to COVID exposures in the program in real-time, we are asking all parents to complete this online CDL COVID Vaccine Report questionnaire after EACH COVID vaccine their child receives.  If your child has already had more than one vaccine/booster, please enter the LAST vaccine/booster they received.  Having this information in real-time will help us be able to advise each individual family on quarantine and masking recommendations.  Please make it a habit to complete this as soon as possible after each COVID vaccination/booster your child receives.  

• A person is “fully vaccinated” for COVID-19 two weeks after the last shot in their initial COVID-19 series, as long as the person is not yet eligible for a booster.
• A person is “up-to-date” with their COVID-19 vaccines when they have received all doses in the primary series and all boosters recommended for them, when eligible.  The person is up-to-date immediately after receiving the last booster for which they are eligible.
• Please see the CDC’s webpage on COVID-19 schedules for children.  It is up to the family to make sure their child is fully vaccinated or up-to-date and to report COVID vaccines to the CDL, or children may need to stay home to quarantine if they become a close contact and do not meet other criteria to attend school.

• If your child is showing symptoms of COVID-19, you should contact your child’s health care provider and have your child tested. 
• Please see PHMDC’s updated COVID-19 Health Screening Checklist to help you make decisions about COVID-related symptoms and attendance at the CDL.
• Please see the CDC’s page “COVID-19 Testing:  What You Need to Know” for more information on what type of test your child will need for each specific situation.
• Until you get the test results, you should act as if your child has a positive case of COVID, and you should have your child isolate and NOT enter the CDL.

• If your child has tested positive for COVID-19, you need to immediately inform the CDL Administrative Team.  

1. 1. Families need to text or call the CDL Scheduler’s cell phone at (608) 516-0402 immediately after finding out that their child has tested positive for COVID-19.  
   2. After texting or calling the admin team at the number listed above, complete the following online survey to relay details about your child’s positive case and their specific situation: https://uwmadison.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cBxwQNTpVtJD85o

• Note: The following information that is collected in the online survey is required for the CDL to report the case to PHMDC to determine next steps for your child’s isolation and for possible quarantine of others who are close contacts):
  1. If symptomatic:
     • When did the symptoms begin?
     • What symptoms is the person experiencing?
     • Was the person tested for COVID-19?  When and what kind of test was used?  What was the result?
  2. If asymptomatic:
     • When was the positive test taken?
     • What kind of test was used?  When was the person tested?
  3. Has anyone else in your household tested positive for COVID?  If so:
     • When were they tested?  
     • Did they have symptoms? If so, what were their symptoms?  What is the date of onset of symptoms for them? 
     • Is the person with the positive case of COVID in your household isolating (i.e., are they staying in a closed room in the house away from all other people in the home)?

Not if you also live in Dane County.  The CDL Admin Team will notify PHMDC and anyone at the CDL who is considered a close contact to the person with a positive case.  It is up to you if you want to notify any possible close contacts outside of the CDL.

If you live outside of Dane County, you should call your local health department and report the case.

Yes.  CDL families and staff will be notified of positive COVID-19 cases while their child was in attendance, but the CDL will maintain the confidentiality of the child, family, student, or staff involved as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The CDL Admin Team will also maintain confidentiality when reporting these cases to UW-Madison campus leadership.

• Please see PHMDC’s webpage “What to do if you are sick or possibly exposed” 
• The CDL will follow PHMDC’s Spring 2023 child care recommendations for details on isolation requirements:
  • Children and staff with symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home and be tested for COVID-19.
  • Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19, regardless of whether they have symptoms (including people who are waiting on test results), must:
    • Isolate at home for at least 5 days (symptom onset being day 0 OR specimen collection date being day 0 for those that do not have symptoms).
    • They may return to school or childcare on day 6 or later if they have been fever free without the use of fever-reducing medications for 24 hours AND have had improvement of other symptoms.
    • Wear a high quality, well-fitting mask through day 10* when around others.
    • If unable to safely wear a mask when around others (e.g., children under 2 or people with certain disabilities), the individual should continue to isolate at home for 10 days*.
    • Avoid high-risk activities where they cannot wear a mask (e.g., band, swimming) until after day 10.
    • If a person develops symptoms after testing positive, the 5-day isolation period should start over (symptom onset being day 0).
    • If the child or staff member has access to antigen tests, they may be able to remove their mask sooner than day 11 (or return to the facility sooner than day 11 if unable to safely and consistently wear a mask). See our Using Testing to End Masking After Isolation webpage and the CDC’s Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19 page for more information.
• Note: Individuals 2 and over who can wear their masks most of the time they are at the CDL may return to school as early as day 6 if they meet the criteria to return. 
• Note:  Children under 2 years of age (who cannot wear masks) will need to isolate for the full 10 days, and may not test to return early.

• PHMDC:  A person with COVID-19 is infectious two days before they have symptoms (or two days before their positive test was collected if they did not have symptoms) through the end of their isolation period.

• It is unlikely at this point in the pandemic that the entire CDL would close again as a result of a UW-, Dane County-, or State-mandated COVID-19 closure.  However, the CDL will continue to follow the guidance of PHMDC, UW-Madison, and federal, state, and county governments regarding center-wide closures. 
• There is a small chance that the entire CDL would need to close if there are not enough teachers or administrators able to report to work due to COVID-19 related absences or staff shortages.  
• Note:  *Should the entire CDL close due to a COVID-related reason, the CDL Admin Team would notify families and staff as soon as possible via email and will make every effort to call families and staff if there is not much notice between the closure announcement and the next scheduled day of care at the CDL.

The CDL may need to close at the classroom-level if there are significant Staff shortages.  The CDL may need to close certain classrooms if there are not enough teachers able to report to work during the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., due to illness and/or isolation).  We will make every effort to ensure that there are enough teachers to meet teacher:child ratios in each classroom, but this may not always be possible.

*Note:  Should your child’s classroom need to close for a COVID-related reason, the CDL admin team will contact you as soon as possible via email, and will follow up with phone calls if there is not much time between the classroom closure announcement and the next scheduled day of care at the CDL.

Effective August 26, 2022, the original COVID-19 Tuition Payment Policy no longer applies due to the removal of the quarantine requirement for close contacts. A positive COVID-19 infection falls under the CDL’s standard illness policy, much like a child who is excluded from care while they are home with the flu.  As long as the CDL teachers are at work and available to provide care, families will be responsible for tuition.

The CDL’s revised COVID-19 and Emergency Closure Tuition Policy applies to ALL CHILDREN for the following reasons:

1. 1. 1. The entire CDL closes due to a UW, local, or state mandate; inclement weather; or other unforeseen circumstance.
      2. The entire CDL closes due to COVID-related staff shortages.
      3. The child’s entire classroom closes due to COVID-related staff shortages.

Parents are responsible for tuition payments as follows: 

1. 1. Full tuition for the first 1-10 business days care is not available,
   2. 50% tuition for the next 11-20 business days care is not available,
   3. 25% for the next 21-30 business days care is not available.
   4. If care at the CDL is not available for more than 30 business days in a six month period, program administrators will assess the specifics of the situation to determine the need to charge partial tuition for families to maintain their enrolled status.
   5. The number of closure days will reset if there is a lapse of six months between center-wide closing events, or at the beginning of each Academic Year. 
   6. Factors impacting the assessment may include projected length of the closure, demand for virtual learning opportunities, and potential limits on group sizes upon enrollment. All contracted enrollment spaces will be maintained during a closure period as long as all financial commitments to the Center are fulfilled.

In the event that the CDL has limited capacity for any reason, enrolled children will be prioritized by the family’s essential employee status and UW affiliation.  At time of signing the contract, families are responsible for obtaining a letter from their employer(s) indicating their precise priority status.  If the CDL does not have a letter on file for a family, the family will fall into Priority Group #4.

Considerations such as classroom assignment, teacher:child ratios, and group size limits will also be taken into account when making final decisions regarding who will receive child care.  Should there be a teacher shortage, families will be notified as soon as possible in the same manner as Inclement Weather days (See Family Handbook for details).

The list below is in order of priority for which children already enrolled in the Center would get care in the event of a limit on capacity or teacher shortage.

• Priority Group #1: 
  • UW Madison – Children of UW Essential Employees: employees with responsibilities critical to maintaining essential functions and services on campus, including, but not limited to, completing the academic semester and supporting students who are engaged in ongoing classes, providing housing and dining services to students who remain in residence halls, life/safety, hazardous research and animal care, and Physical Plant. Essential employees often need to report to campus to fulfill essential function duties. Depending on the specific situation and who is needed for the preservation of life and property, essential employees may or may not be called in, but the designation of essential employees should be determined ahead of time.
  • DCF – Children of Tier 1 Individuals: employees, contractors, and other support staff working in health care
• Priority Group #2:
  • DCF – Children of Tier 2 Individuals: employees, contractors, and other staff in vital areas including but not limited to military; long term care; residential care; pharmacies; child care; child welfare; government operations; public safety and critical infrastructure such as sanitation, transportation, utilities, telecommunications; grocery and food services; supply chain operations; and other sectors as determined by the Secretary of the Department of Children and Families.
• Priority Group #3:
  • Children of UW Students, Staff, & Faculty that do not meet Essential Criteria:  Children will be selected by lottery considering age/group size/ratio requirements and staffing availability
• Priority Group #4:
  • Children of Community Families: Children will be selected by lottery by age/group size/ratio requirements and staffing availability

Print out this letter, have your employer complete it, and then give it to the CDL Admin Team for your child’s file:

CDL Priority Letter

• Staff and student interns are employed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison; therefore the CDL must abide by UW-Madison’s Human Resources COVID-19 policies and the UW’s COVID Workplace Safety Policy for all employee-related questions.
  • Please also refer to UW-Madison’s COVID Response page for UW-Madison specific COVID information and resources.
  • If you have specific questions about COVID and your employment at the CDL, please contact SoHE’s Divisional Disability Representative.  The CDL Admin Team will have their contact information.
• As a child care program licensed by the state of Wisconsin and accredited by the City of Madison, CDL employees must also follow the child care specific guidelines of Public Health of Madison and Dane County (PHMDC), Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF), and the City of Madison Accreditation.
• The CDL also references child care specific COVID recommendations from the CDC.
• Note:  There are times that the guidance or requirements from each of these entities contradict.  We must follow the COVID-specific guidance of DCF and PHMDC for licensed child care centers first, and then the guidance of UW Madison.

• Please see PHMDC’s updated COVID-19 Health Screening Checklist to help you make decisions about COVID-related symptoms and attendance at the CDL.
• If you are feeling ill, you need to take the following steps immediately.  Please give us as much notice as possible (2 hours minimum):
  1. Text or call the CDL Scheduler/Associate Director’s cell phone at (608) 516-0402 immediately.  You need to make sure that the CDL Scheduler responds to your text so you know we are working on finding coverage.  If they don’t respond to your text within 10-15 minutes, follow up with a phone call.
  2. You will also need to contact both lead teachers in your classroom via phone call or text.
  3. Please follow up these calls/texts with an email to your supervising teacher(s) and the CDL Associate Director/Scheduler.
  4. Ideally, you would try to help find a substitute to fill your shift for you by calling the other students working in your classroom or in your partnering classroom to see if they can cover your shift.
  5. Keep the Scheduler/Associate Director and both lead teachers in your classroom informed of the status of finding replacement coverage.
• Please see the “Student Employee Attendance Procedure” you signed at time of hire and/or page 136 of the CDL Policy Handbook for more specific information about the illness policy (the link for the Policy Handbook is on Canvas).

• The mask mandate was removed on 10.15.22 after most of our children have had the chance to become fully vaccinated.  This decision is contingent upon:
  • Dane County’s Level of COVID being low or medium and no/low levels of COVID in the CDL.  If/when the level of COVID in Dane County is in the “high” category or
  • we have a COVID outbreak  or suspected outbreak at the CDL (see “When will the CDL lift its indoor mask mandate?” for definitions), we will need to reinstate the mask mandate.
• Please always have masks with you, just in case.  The CDL does have extra KN95 masks for staff if you forget yours.
• Children over the age of 2 years old and staff will be required to wear a mask until the end of Day 10 if they are returning from isolation before day 11.  There is a test to remove your mask early option after isolation.  Please see PHMDC’s page on this for more information.
• You will also need to wear a mask as part of universal masking if you work in a classroom with a child under 2 who is a close contact and returning to school before day 11.  Everyone over 2 in that classroom will stay masked until day 11 after the child under 2’s last day of exposure to the person with the positive case.

• Staff and student interns and student assistants are employed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison; therefore, the CDL must abide by UW-Madison Human Resources COVID-19 policies.  Staff and student interns are encouraged to get COVID-19 vaccines and boosters.The University of Wisconsin-Madison and its affiliated programs do not have a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, nor does the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, which licenses child care programs in the state.  UW students and staff can sign up for a free COVID-19 vaccine or booster on campus.  Here is the UW’s page with vaccination information and resources. 
• CDL staff, student interns, and student assistants are all encouraged to stay up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccines.  The CDC’s definition of up-to-date changes as the pandemic progresses and as there is more data about vaccines and COVID variants.  CDL staff are encouraged to check the CDC’s up-to-date website periodically to ensure that they are current in their vaccination status, if they so choose.  (Please note that the definition of up-to-date differs by vaccine brand, age of person, and immunocompromised status.)  
• UW Students and staff are encouraged to upload their vaccination records to myUHS if vaccines were received outside of UHS.
• City of Madison Accreditation requires that the CDL has a copy of your most recent vaccination record.  Please be sure to upload your most recent vaccination record to Canvas after each new vaccine you receive.

• Here is the CDC’s page “COVID-19 Testing:  What you Need to Know” to help you determine what type of test to use in each situation.
• Here is PHMDC’s page with information about testing in Dane County.  We will also follow the child care specific testing recommendations of PHMDC.
• Here is a link to the UW’s page about testing on campus.

The CDL follows PHMDC guidelines regarding COVID -19  exposures and close contacts.  Therefore, any individual affiliated with the CDL must report a positive COVID test result or a known close contact to the CDL Director or Assistant Direct as soon as known by texting or calling the CDL Scheduler’s cell phone at (608) 516-0402 and then completing the appropriate online questionnaire. 

Employees should refer to the campus COVID-19 Workplace Safety policy for the most up to date campus policies regarding COVID-19. Staff who violate this policy and/or associated policies, protocols, or procedures will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment, in accordance with the relevant policies and procedures applicable to their employee category.

1. 1. • Employees  should complete this online survey if they have a positive case of COVID or if they are a close contact of someone with COVID:
        https://uwmadison.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6QXkoeStMFDsT5A
      • Please see PHMDC’s Spring 2023 Interim Operational Guidance for K-12 Schools & Childcare Programs for more detailed information about specific testing requirements or recommendations for each unique circumstance.

• Please see PHMDC’s webpage “What to do if you are sick or possibly exposed” 
• The CDL will follow PHMDC’s Spring 2023 child care recommendations for details on isolation requirements:
  • Children and staff with symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home and be tested for COVID-19.  (Please see PHMDC’s updated COVID-19 Health Screening Checklist to help you make decisions about COVID-related symptoms and attendance at the CDL.)
  • Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19, regardless of whether they have symptoms (including people who are waiting on test results), must:
    • Isolate at home for at least 5 days (symptom onset being day 0 OR specimen collection date being day 0 for those that do not have symptoms).
    • They may return to school or childcare on day 6 or later if they have been fever free without the use of fever-reducing medications for 24 hours AND have had improvement of other symptoms.
    • Wear a high quality, well-fitting mask through day 10* when around others.
    • If unable to safely wear a mask when around others (e.g., children under 2 or people with certain disabilities), the individual should continue to isolate at home for 10 days*.
    • Avoid high-risk activities where they cannot wear a mask (e.g., band, swimming) until after day 10.
    • If a person develops symptoms after testing positive, the 5-day isolation period should start over (symptom onset being day 0).
    • If the child or staff member has access to antigen tests, they may be able to remove their mask sooner than day 11 (or return to the facility sooner than day 11 if unable to safely and consistently wear a mask). See our Using Testing to End Masking After Isolation webpage and the CDC’s Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19 page for more information.
• Note: Individuals 2 and over who can wear their masks most of the time they are at the CDL may return to school as early as day 6 if they meet the criteria to return. 
• Note:  Children under 2 years of age  and staff who cannot wear masks will need to isolate for the full 10 days, and may not test to return early.
• Note:  Even if your doctor tells you that you can return to the CDL before meeting PHMDC’s full isolation criteria (above), you may not return to the CDL until you have met the criteria of PHMDC.

• No.  PHMDC no longer requires close contacts to quarantine.
• Please report your close contact to the CDL scheduler.
• You are required to wear your mask 10 days after exposure while in the CDL and should not unmask to eat while in the presence of children during that time.
• Monitor yourself for symptoms and test if you start to feel sick.

Please see the precautions in the Child section above.  As a CDL employee, you are responsible for knowing these precautions, staying up-to-date with any changes, and implementing these precautions while in the classroom.