Rooted & Free’s COVID-19 Response
COVID-19 Response
We feel that our outdoor learning space and our well ventilated indoor cabin are safe locations for our students and staff to gather and learn together. We do recognize the importance of keeping ourselves and each other safe from COVID-19 and its variants. As such we have developed the following response to COVID-19:
Children at Rooted & Free Nature School will be outside all morning, only going inside to use the restrooms or in the case of severe weather. Our indoor space is well ventilated. We will continue to monitor community transmission, vaccination coverage, and occurrence of outbreaks to guide decisions on the level of layered prevention strategies (e.g., physical distancing, masking) per CDC recommendations.
The CDC links mask guidance to the level of community spread in a particular county. Masks are recommended indoors for both Medium and High transmission levels. Lebanon County is currently listed as having a “low level of community transmission”. This means masking is currently optional in our indoor play spaces. We do not require masks in our outdoor play spaces. We will follow CDC guidelines and ask students to wear masks indoors during periods of substantial and high level community transmission. When transmission levels change, we will communicate this to parents.
Rooted & Free Nature School will:
Provide hand sanitizing stations and regularly disinfect surfaces.
Keep participants in the same small groups.
Provide a separate place for a child that has COVID-19 symptoms to wait until their parent/guardian can pick them up.
Follow CDC guidelines for masking and screening
Commit to regular communication with parents and families concerning COVID-19 protocols.
Participants/parents will:
Screen their child for COVID-19 symptoms, such as cough and/or fever, as described by CDC, and keep them home if necessary.
Bring his/her own mask, if needed.
Bring his/her own snack and water bottle labeled with the child's name.
Label backpack.