WHAT IZZADEEN ACADEMY IS DOING DURING THE COVID-19 SITUATION

The health and safety of our students and their families is always our top concern and we are aggressively monitoring the COVID-19 situation. We consider it a great honor to be able to support children during this time and we know that the families we partner with are the most important sources of support for these young people. To do everything we can to prevent the spread of the virus, we have taken these measures to keep our students physically and mentally healthy.

Drastically Increased Hygiene Efforts:

• Children are monitored so that they thoroughly wash their hands multiple times per day and don’t touch their eyes, nose, and mouth.
• All our schools are well stocked on soap and hand sanitizer
• Our professional janitorial service has implemented deep cleaning at all our facilities, and we are cleaning surfaces throughout the day
• Compare and contrast different dialects
• If any child shows cold or flu symptoms, we separate them from other children and call their parents to take them home immediately
• Constantly enforce and reinforce the need for healthy practices like handwashing, covering your cough/sneeze, using good social distance, staying home or going home when

Enhanced Cleaning Protocols:

• Deep cleaning of school facilities by professional janitorial company five days per week.
• Electrostatic disinfect treatment of entire school several times per week.
• Truck mount carpet steam cleaning on a monthly basis.
• Daily disinfect of classroom furniture and material, playground equipment, transportation vehicles, building entry access systems, and high traffic areas within school facilities using an EPA registered antimicrobial product with a 1-minute kill rate against coronavirus.

Tightened Security Measures:

• Only school personnel, students, and their parents are allowed in our buildings. Deliveries are dropped off outside and picked up by staff
• Anyone who enters our buildings are encouraged to wash their hands and use hand sanitizer
• All items from outside the building are wiped down with disinfectant
• Temperature screening done before entering the building and during the school.

Educating Children About How Germs Spread and Ways They Can Prevent Infection:

• To understand what is happening around them, children are listening to age-appropriate podcasts (such as NPR’s ‘But Why?’ for ages 3 and up) and watching videos (available at brainson.org) that explain the coronavirus and how it spreads.
• Children also engage in activities that teach them how germs spread, such as the Glitter Germ experiment. In this activity, children moisturize their hands in lotion, cover their hands in glitter and touch objects so they can have a visual component that shows them how germs spread. They then wash their hands thoroughly to see the “germs” disappear

Listening to Children and Working with Parents to Reduce Stress:

• Children are more aware of the situation than we might think, and we encourage parents to set aside at least 15 minutes per day for “important talk,” where they listen to their child’s thoughts and respond in a compassionate and respectful way
• We help children feel empowered by helping to improve the situation in ways they can. Some examples include drawing pictures and writing thank you cards for healthcare workers and making videos for friends and family they can’t see in person right now
• Going outside is safe and is a great way to reduce stress and improve one’s mood. At our schools with outdoor facilities, we are ensuring children get time in the sun, continue their gross motor skills development, and enjoy their day because these are stressful times and we need to do everything we can to help children remain positive.