Health & Safety

We take the health and safety of our community seriously. Our plan below tries to find the balance between a safe and healthy environment, while not putting excess stress on children. We know this is a tricky balance and we try to error on the side of safety as well as look to the local health board and the Bellingham Public School policy to create an environment you feel comfortable sending your child to learn with us.

HEALTH & SAFETY PLAN

Our detailed plan ensures that your children stay safe in our space. Every space is required to strictly adhere to each of the following steps.

1. Spaced seating arrangements

We will utilize social distancing inside BCRC to minimize the spread of transmission & infection. Instead of current arrangements, we will utilize as much of the space as we can to create a physical distance between students, which is easy in our 4,000 space! Sometimes kids sit very close as they create projects together, which we allow for short periods of time.

2. Limited capacity

We will cap the number of students who can attend programs during a given hour.

3. Masks Optional

At this time masks are optional during programs per the official guidelines. As a general rule, we follow the Bellingham School Districts Policies. We will always have one staff with a mask and one without to make all children feel comfortable.

4. Windows, ventilation and air filtration

In our space, all doors will be left open as often as possible, weather permitting.  We have an outdoor patio that will also be utilized when possible.

5. Symptomatic staff/student procedures

Those who present ANY signs of infection (fever, cough, etc…) will be immediately asked to leave (parents will be called to pick up their children & staff will be sent home). While waiting for parents, students will be asked to sit in the lobby or on our patio area until their parents arrive.

6. Staff/student temperature checks

We will no longer be requiring students and staff to have their temperature taken.

7. Disinfecting/cleanliness procedures

All common surfaces three times a day.  Educational devices (keyboards, mice, desks, chairs, robots, & 3D printers) will be cleaned & disinfected after each class or session.

8. Outdoor procedures

Students will be asked to maintain social distancing and reduce opportunity for viral transmission during outdoor activities. Games like Tag, Contagion, Hide & Seek will be played during outdoor activity time.

9. Hand washing

Students will be asked to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds at the beginning of each program session in our private bathroom. And, if there is any symptomatic behavior, they may be asked to wash their hands more frequently.

10. Area cleaning

At the conclusion of programming each day, the space will be thoroughly cleaned with a focus on hard surfaces (floors, desks, chairs, mice, keyboards, robots, & 3D Printers).

11. Program staffing

There will be a maximum of 4 staff members on site for each programming to maintain the ability to limit group size and the opportunity for transmission and infection. This allows us the ability to still host programs if a team member suddenly has to leave.

12. Sickness self-reporting

Any students/staff/family members who have attended our programs are asked to self-report whether or not they have been in contact with anyone who has been diagnosed with or reported symptoms of COVID-19.

13. Program check-in

Parents will be asked to positively affirm that their child has not shown any symptoms of illness or sickness during the past 72 hours. If they have noticed excessive coughing or fever, their children will not be allowed to attend.

14. Outdoor check-in/pick-up

Only students and staff will be allowed into the space. Parents/guardians will be asked to check in their children outside the coding space to minimize the number of people entering/leaving the space on a daily basis.