Keshet Sunday School/SOAR Guidelines 2020-21
This document is accurate as of 8/22//20. As more information becomes available, we will make it available on this page.
With the best practices of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Illinois State Guidelines as our guide, we are doing everything we can to welcome Keshet participants to our in-person Sunday School/ SOAR programs.
At Keshet, you’re part of the family. We take your child’s individual needs seriously. This year, we have additional measures and protocols in place that we want to make sure parents, staff, and participants are aware of.
Guidelines for YTT Sunday School will be distributed to families prior to the start of the program.
-
Hours of Operation
Programming will run on Sundays starting October 18th, 10:00am-12:00pm. However, in order to effectively screen participants and minimize social contact, each class will have a designated arrival/pick up time. This will be communicated to families prior to the first day of the program.
-
Location
All programs will take place at Ida Crown Jewish Academy, 8233 Central Park. Skokie.
-
Transportation - New for 2020
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are unable to provide transportation this year. Drop off and pick up will take place at Ida Crown Jewish Academy.
-
Enrollment & Class Size
Sunday School classes will have a minimum of 4 participants and maximum 7. With staff, the total number of people would be approximately 7-12 per classroom. There will be one teacher and one para educator per class. For students who require a 1:1 ration, this is availabe for an additional fee. I
To minimize exposure, students will be in their classrooms for the majority of the program, but we will also use outdoor space (weather permitting).
When considering if Keshet Sunday School/SOAR is appropriate for your child, our recommendations include that participants have the ability:
-To follow visual and/or verbal prompting within a ratio of one staff to three-four participants.
-To maintain a 6 foot physical distance from other participants and/or staff or the ability to tolerate a cloth face mask or face shield while within 6 feet of other staff and/or participants. -
Activities Offered
Keshet Sunday School
Students will be busy having fun learning, playing games and creating art. Music will take place in each classroom.SOAR
SOAR will continue to offer recreation (music, yoga, art and more) and social action, but the service projects. For safety reasons, we will bring the social action and chesed projects into the program instead of going out in the community. -
Intake, Meetings & Forms
It is important for us to know your child’s needs and behaviors as they are today. All families will need to complete an intake forms and may require a meeting with Sunday School staff prior to start. These meetings will be scheduled through Zoom, phone or in a socially distanced manner.
All participants must provide medical forms allowing them to participate. For participants with higher risk health issues, we recommend consulting with a medical provider as soon as possible to determine if they should attend in person programming.
When it comes time to complete forms, you will need to complete all of them, even if you have done so in the past. Many of our forms this year will be adapted to include specific COVID-19-related measures.
-
Daily Health Screening
Keeping everyone healthy must be a joint effort between families and Keshet. Families will be asked to be on the lookout for specific symptoms in their child every afternoon and to keep their child home if any of these symptoms are present. We will provide families with a checklist of what to look for while at home.
Additionally, we will run a full health screening prior to the start of each programing including temperature and questionnaire.
If participants or staff become ill during the program, they will be immediately isolated. Parents or Guardians will be called and asked to pick up their child. This includes exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms, vomiting (for any reason), fevers or change in physical appearance that may reflect illness.
Our increased screening procedures and new protocols will not be able to eliminate all risk when it comes to COVID-19. We will do the best we can to maintain a fun and safe program environment for everyone involved.
-
Hand Washing & Cleanliness
Students and staff will wash or sanitize their hands before and after every activity, every bathroom break, location change, etc. Hand-washing and hand sanitizer stations will be located throughout our program area at ICJA.
Keshet is also contracting with a janitorial service to have additional cleanings take place, particularly in the restrooms, during the hours that the program is in operation.
-
Face Masks - Whenever Possible
We strongly encourage participants to wear masks during Sunday School because we will be indoors, but we also understand that this might not be possible for some students. Staff and volunteers will wear masks at all times.
Handsanitizer will always be available.
-
Snacks & Drinks
Individually packaged snacks will be provided, but drinks will not.
Please bring a full water bottle labeled with your child's name. -
Volunteers
In the interest of minimizing exposure, one volunteer will be assigned to each class. We will miss our large group of volunteers this year, but hope to have people return in the future.
-
What happens if someone is exposed to or contracts COVID-19?
Keshet’s Safety & Reopening Task Force has devised specific guidelines about how to respond if a programer or staff is exposed to or contracts COVID-19. Our program protocols are in line with state and local guidance and created in conjunction with medical professionals. If you or your participant has contact with someone who does test positive for COVID-19 please contact Jen Evans at 847-308-3286 or by email jevans@keshet.org so she can take the necessary steps.