Blog

Dear BLAST families:

We hope this letter finds you well and that you are enjoying your summer. At BLAST we are working diligently on modifying our programs according to Alberta Health recommendations, Alberta Licensing requirements and by following procedures that our school districts are laying out for their re-entry. The safety and well-being of our families and our staff is of utmost importance to us.

With the recent announcement made by our government, our schools will return on September 1, 2020 to “Near Normal” operations and we would like to take this opportunity to provide more information about what BLAST changes will look like;

BLAST Staff is asked to wear masks at all times while working. According to Alberta Health regulations, all children in grades 4, 5 and 6 must also wear their masks at all times.

Staff will be trained on proper hand washing techniques and regular disinfecting of touched surfaces will be occurring.

Cohorts will be assigned to schools where further social distancing is required. The need for cohorts exist according to enrollment numbers at each individual program. Cohorts (where necessary) will be determined according to children’s surname. A-L will occupy one cohort where M-Z will occupy the other. Should siblings have different last names, we ask that you contact our office to work out these details and to ensure that siblings are in the same cohort. Cohorts assist with contact tracing and also help our staff to maintain a two-meter distance from their co-workers.

Currently we are in the process of developing an App for contactless sign in/sign out procedures. This may include the health and wellness survey that must be completed daily by parents and by our staff for attendance to the program. App development is currently in process and more details will follow.

These past months have been a challenge for everyone. Regulations are changing regularly, and BLAST is doing our best to accommodate these changes in each of our programs. We continue to ask for your patience as we prepare for a fun filled BLAST experience within this upcoming year. We understand that there may be regular changes within our programs to maintain public health measures implemented, and we will continue to maintain communication to our families so that all information is shared. We continue to follow all of Alberta Health’s recommendations as well as working closely with both school districts.

We look forward to seeing your all soon. Please, if you have any questions regarding BLAST’s newly implemented health and safety measures do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,
Lesley Braden – Executive Director
403-634-7885

Robyn Scarfe – Program Coordinator
403-320-3988

August 25, 2020

It’s a BLAST Re-Entry Plan

At It’s a Blast we pride ourselves on being the premier out of school care program in Lethbridge. A great deal of time and effort goes into our daily programming to ensure that each child’s experience with Blast is individual and fun. Unfortunately, with the current Covid-19 pandemic, we, as many others, have seen some challenges in providing daily programming to our Blast families.

Blast is very excited to announce our re-opening for September 1, 2020. We regularly review Alberta Health recommendations and have implemented new cleaning protocols, along with our Health and Safety Policies. We are regularly monitoring the recommendations set forth by Alberta Health and continue to update our programming as necessary. Program training will be taking place for all staff the week of August 24-31, 2020, to ensure that staff are provided with the same information and that they all have a clear understanding of expectations.

As we prepare for our relaunch, below is a detailed list of our new plans to ensure the cleanliness of our sites as well as a safe return for families and staff.

1. Distancing Measures:
   1. Maintaining a two-meter distance between each other can prove itself to be difficult in our environment. Blast has committed (at this time of relaunch) to break each of our programs into cohorts of no more than 28 children and 2 staff members. Each cohort will be separated by a physical barrier (different room, large curtain dividing a gym space, etc.). Staff are encouraged to not visit other cohorts and these cohorts should remain the same each day.
   2. Currently we are working with each individual school to plan appropriate drop off/pick up procedures for children and their parents. Parents are not able to walk freely amongst cohorts. We will be doing our best to keep siblings in the same cohort for parent’s ease and for contact tracing purposes. We plan to divide cohorts by children’s last names. We are hoping to break into cohorts by names beginning with A-L in one cohort and M-Z in another, however we may need to reconsider this break down and go by numbers instead (dividing the group up evenly).8500 Concerns with children in the same family having different or hyphenated last names will be addressed by discussing this with the families and ensuring that all siblings are in the same cohort. Should more than two cohorts be necessary we will adjust our numbers in cohorts to accommodate this.
   3. At this time we use tablets to sign in/sign out children at program. We will be ensuring that there is a protective barrier on all tablets and that they are sanitized after each use.
   4. All Blast staff will be provided with two reusable masks that must be worn during all working hours. Disposable masks for staff and children are also provided on site should the need arise.
   5. A safe space that is two meters away from others will be provided at each program. Should a child display symptoms of respiratory illness immediate pick up of the child will be requested and the sick child will wait for pick up at the safe space. The staff member attending to the sick child will also remain in the safe space. All PPE must be changed and proper sanitization must occur immediately following pick up.

2. Cleaning
   1. Employees will be trained prior to the start of programs to properly sanitize touched surfaces regularly throughout the program’s operational hours as well as before and after program.
   2. Cleaning logs will be present at all programs as a means of tracking the cleaning taking place.
   3. Staff and children will be encouraged to wash their hands regularly. Hand sanitizer will be provided at all of our programs when proper hand washing is not an option.
   4. Blast has developed a cleaning schedule of toys. Staff will be expected to follow this schedule. Toys that are played with must also be sanitized prior to being used again. A “Need to be Sanitized” bin will be placed at each program should sanitization not be completed immediately after being played with.
   5. Tablets, used by parents, will be kept in a protective barrier that we can sanitize after each use. This also includes pens or any other materials that parents may require.
   6. Blast intends on working with our schools and by following their cleaning guidelines and expectations.

3. Screening for Symptoms:
   1. Blast will require all staff, and all families to complete a Daily Screening Questionnaire. Currently we are in the process of developing plans to help staff and parents complete this questionnaire daily and as easily as possible. This survey will keep us informed of how everyone is feeling and if there are concerns that need to be addressed.
   2. Should a child become ill at our program we will provide a safe space for that child to remain until their parent arrives. If a child becomes ill, Blast will contact parents for immediate pick up. Dependent on the situation and the symptoms of illness, we may recommend they contact 811 prior to returning to program, as per recommendations from Alberta Health. Blast will also ensure the school is notified that a child was showing symptoms and has been sent home.
   3. As health and safety is a top priority at Blast, we will be encouraging our employees to stay home when ill. Employees are asked to contact our HR office to discuss options with them and to discuss their symptoms. HR will suggest to the employee to contact 811 should they be displaying symptoms of respiratory illness according to Alberta Health recommendations.
   4. Should children be displaying symptoms of respiratory illness they will not be able to attend the program until symptoms subside or receive a negative Covid-19 test result.
   5. As our programs are based out of community schools, we will work along side the schools and will comply with their individual school policies that they have implemented. This includes not inviting volunteers into our programs. Plans will be set forth at each individual school to limit visitors into the building. This includes having a plan for parents during pick up and drop off times to avoid unnecessary visitors.
   6. Staff logs or time cards are maintained for licensing and contact tracing purposes. Visitors to each individual program (including Blast admin staff) must also log their visits for contact tracing purposes.

4. Personal Protective Equipment
   1. As of August 25, the City of Lethbridge has implemented a temporary by-law that states that any person older than the age of 2 years must wear a mask while indoors. All adults and children within our Blast programs must wear a mask indoors at all times (unless eating or drinking).
   2. Blast will ensure there is a supply of disposable masks (both adult and children sizes) should someone forget to bring their own mask.
   3. At Blast we utilize common spaces within the schools. At this time we will break into cohorts of 28 children and 2 regular staff members. This will help to create a natural barrier for employees and children and assist with contact tracing.

5. Responsibilities
   1. Blast has updated Employee Policies to ensure that our new safety regulations are complied with. Should there be concerns with an employee adhering to these rules, we have added a four-step disciplinary action policy.
      1. Offence 1: Verbal Warning
      2. Offence 2: Written Warning

• Offence 3: Suspension from work for 1 week without pay

1. Offence 4: Termination

All staff will be aware of this policy. Blast admin staff will be responsible for enforcing this policy.

1. As we are in the process of registration and re-entry, all staff’s personal information is current and up to date. This also includes the information of our families registered with Blast. In the event of known exposure of Covid-19, the appropriate people will be notified and asked to contact 811 for further details or necessary testing arrangements.

Blast recognizes the need for fluent changes to operations, dependent on the pandemic situation. Blast will ensure that all employees, families, Alberta Licensing and Schools will be kept privy to these changes should/when they occur.

2020-2021 Parent Handbook

Dear Parents and Guardians;

BLAST would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to our program! Whether you are a returning family or new to Blast we would like to thank you for your patience over these past months as we restructured our programming to meet Alberta Health Standards. Previously BLAST released our Re-Entry Plan, which can be found below. BLAST is adapting to the regular changes that are occurring in our re-opening guidelines and any changes that have occurred following the release of our Re-Entry Plan will be updated in that document.

Over the past couple weeks, BLAST has met with the principals at our program schools. On the Parent Portal we have listed any news, updates or information that applies to your child’s school. This includes specific requests that individual principals have made of us.

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding this information please do not hesitate to contact us at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely, Lesley Braden Executive Director

August 25, 2020

It’s a BLAST Re-Entry Plan

At It’s a Blast we pride ourselves on being the premier out of school care program in Lethbridge. A great deal of time and effort goes into our daily programming to ensure that each child’s experience with Blast is individual and fun. Unfortunately, with the current Covid-19 pandemic, we, as many others, have seen some challenges in providing daily programming to our Blast families.

Blast is very excited to announce our re-opening for September 1, 2020. We regularly review Alberta Health recommendations and have implemented new cleaning protocols, along with our Health and Safety Policies. We are regularly monitoring the recommendations set forth by Alberta Health and continue to update our programming as necessary. Program training will be taking place for all staff the week of August 24-31, 2020, to ensure that staff are provided with the same information and that they all have a clear understanding of expectations.

As we prepare for our relaunch, below is a detailed list of our new plans to ensure the cleanliness of our sites as well as a safe return for families and staff.

1. Distancing Measures:
   1. Maintaining a two-meter distance between each other can prove itself to be difficult in our environment. Blast has committed (at this time of relaunch) to break each of our programs into cohorts of no more than 28 children and 2 staff members. Each cohort will be separated by a physical barrier (different room, large curtain dividing a gym space, etc.). Staff are encouraged to not visit other cohorts and these cohorts should remain the same each day.
   2. Currently we are working with each individual school to plan appropriate drop off/pick up procedures for children and their parents. Parents are not able to walk freely amongst cohorts. We will be doing our best to keep siblings in the same cohort for parent’s ease and for contact tracing purposes. We plan to divide cohorts by children’s last names. We are hoping to break into cohorts by names beginning with A-L in one cohort and M-Z in another, however we may need to reconsider this break down and go by numbers instead (dividing the group up evenly).8500 Concerns with children in the same family having different or hyphenated last names will be addressed by discussing this with the families and ensuring that all siblings are in the same cohort. Should more than two cohorts be necessary we will adjust our numbers in cohorts to accommodate this.
   3. At this time we use tablets to sign in/sign out children at program. We will be ensuring that there is a protective barrier on all tablets and that they are sanitized after each use.
   4. All Blast staff will be provided with two reusable masks that must be worn during all working hours. Disposable masks for staff and children are also provided on site should the need arise.
   5. A safe space that is two meters away from others will be provided at each program. Should a child display symptoms of respiratory illness immediate pick up of the child will be requested and the sick child will wait for pick up at the safe space. The staff member attending to the sick child will also remain in the safe space. All PPE must be changed and proper sanitization must occur immediately following pick up.

2. Cleaning
   1. Employees will be trained prior to the start of programs to properly sanitize touched surfaces regularly throughout the program’s operational hours as well as before and after program.
   2. Cleaning logs will be present at all programs as a means of tracking the cleaning taking place.
   3. Staff and children will be encouraged to wash their hands regularly. Hand sanitizer will be provided at all of our programs when proper hand washing is not an option.
   4. Blast has developed a cleaning schedule of toys. Staff will be expected to follow this schedule. Toys that are played with must also be sanitized prior to being used again. A “Need to be Sanitized” bin will be placed at each program should sanitization not be completed immediately after being played with.
   5. Tablets, used by parents, will be kept in a protective barrier that we can sanitize after each use. This also includes pens or any other materials that parents may require.
   6. Blast intends on working with our schools and by following their cleaning guidelines and expectations.

3. Screening for Symptoms:
   1. Blast will require all staff, and all families to complete a Daily Screening Questionnaire. Currently we are in the process of developing plans to help staff and parents complete this questionnaire daily and as easily as possible. This survey will keep us informed of how everyone is feeling and if there are concerns that need to be addressed.
   2. Should a child become ill at our program we will provide a safe space for that child to remain until their parent arrives. If a child becomes ill, Blast will contact parents for immediate pick up. Dependent on the situation and the symptoms of illness, we may recommend they contact 811 prior to returning to program, as per recommendations from Alberta Health. Blast will also ensure the school is notified that a child was showing symptoms and has been sent home.
   3. As health and safety is a top priority at Blast, we will be encouraging our employees to stay home when ill. Employees are asked to contact our HR office to discuss options with them and to discuss their symptoms. HR will suggest to the employee to contact 811 should they be displaying symptoms of respiratory illness according to Alberta Health recommendations.
   4. Should children be displaying symptoms of respiratory illness they will not be able to attend the program until symptoms subside or receive a negative Covid-19 test result.
   5. As our programs are based out of community schools, we will work along side the schools and will comply with their individual school policies that they have implemented. This includes not inviting volunteers into our programs. Plans will be set forth at each individual school to limit visitors into the building. This includes having a plan for parents during pick up and drop off times to avoid unnecessary visitors.
   6. Staff logs or time cards are maintained for licensing and contact tracing purposes. Visitors to each individual program (including Blast admin staff) must also log their visits for contact tracing purposes.

4. Personal Protective Equipment
   1. As of August 25, the City of Lethbridge has implemented a temporary by-law that states that any person older than the age of 2 years must wear a mask while indoors. All adults and children within our Blast programs must wear a mask indoors at all times (unless eating or drinking).
   2. Blast will ensure there is a supply of disposable masks (both adult and children sizes) should someone forget to bring their own mask.
   3. At Blast we utilize common spaces within the schools. At this time we will break into cohorts of 28 children and 2 regular staff members. This will help to create a natural barrier for employees and children and assist with contact tracing.

5. Responsibilities
   1. Blast has updated Employee Policies to ensure that our new safety regulations are complied with. Should there be concerns with an employee adhering to these rules, we have added a four-step disciplinary action policy.
      1. Offence 1: Verbal Warning
      2. Offence 2: Written Warning

• Offence 3: Suspension from work for 1 week without pay

1. Offence 4: Termination

All staff will be aware of this policy. Blast admin staff will be responsible for enforcing this policy.

1. As we are in the process of registration and re-entry, all staff’s personal information is current and up to date. This also includes the information of our families registered with Blast. In the event of known exposure of Covid-19, the appropriate people will be notified and asked to contact 811 for further details or necessary testing arrangements.

Blast recognizes the need for fluent changes to operations, dependent on the pandemic situation. Blast will ensure that all employees, families, Alberta Licensing and Schools will be kept privy to these changes should/when they occur.