Effective 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, December 26, 2020, the Southwestern Public Health region is shutting down with the rest of the Province. This Provincewide Shutdown document will guide this process.
Quick Links
- Resources for Parents and Caregivers
- Resources for Educators and Child Care Centres
- COVID-19 School/Child Care Screening
- COVID-19 Decision Tool for Parents and Caregivers
- COVID-19 Decision Tool for Schools
- What to do when your child has been tested for COVID-19 (Schools and Child Care) (SWPH)
- COVID-19 Cases in Schools and Child Care Centres
- Preventing COVID-19: Tips for Children Attending School (Public Health Ontario)
- COVID-19 Tips for Limiting Face Covering Skin Irritation
Provincewide Shutdown Summary
Schools
Schools and private schools in Southern Ontario are closed for in-person teaching and instruction until January 25th, 2021. Elementary and secondary school students at publicly funded schools in the region will participate in remote learning from January 4th to January 23rd, 2021. During this time, schools will be closed, except for staff who are unable to deliver quality remote teaching, instruction, or support to students from home and to provide access to child care centers in schools.
Child Care
- Child care will remain open for the duration of the Provincewide Shutdown period. This includes child care offered in licensed centres, in home-based settings (licensed and unlicensed) and by authorized recreation and skill-building providers.
- During the period where elementary schools are operating virtually (i.e., from January 4 to 8, inclusive), licensed child care centres and authorized recreation and skill-building providers will be prohibited from serving school-aged children. All before and after school programs are being closed during this one-week period. These programs may resume operation when elementary schools return to in-person learning on January 25, 2021.
- To support the parents of school-aged children who may not be able to accommodate their child’s learning/care at home, the Ministry of Education will be implementing a targeted emergency child care program for school-aged children, at no cost to eligible parents. Please refer to Appendix B of the COVID-19 Provincewide Shutdown document for a list of eligible workers.
- Operators of before and after school programs that are required to close from January 4-8, 2021 are prohibited from charging fees or otherwise penalizing parents during this time period (e.g., parents must not lose their respective child care spaces).
Resources for Parents and Caregivers
School will be different this year due to COVID-19 and many of these changes will be new, potentially confusing or frustrating, and challenging for many families. It’s okay to be scared. That’s normal - but we want you to know that we are working very closely with the school boards in our region to ensure it’s as safe as possible. Whether your child is returning to the physical classroom this September or learning remotely, here are some ideas on how to prepare your family.
Back to School Plans
For provincial information about reopening schools, please visit the Government of Ontario’s web page COVID-19: reopening schools and its Guide to reopening Ontario’s schools.
Operational guidance: COVID-19 management in schools
To find out what will happen if there is a coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak at a school, please visit the the Government of Ontario’s Operational guidance: COVID-19 management in schools.
For local back-to-school plans, please check your school board’s website:
- Thames Valley District School Board
- London District Catholic School Board
- Conseil scolaire Viamonde
- Conseil scolaire catholique Providence
- Private School Back to School Guidance
School transportation (bussing)
Southwestern Ontario Student Transportation Services
For information on school transportation (bussing), please read the Southwestern Ontario Student Transportation Services’ plan, Ready to Roll: A roadmap for safely returning students to school by bus.
Francobus
For information on school transportation for French Catholic Schools Boards, please refer to the Francobus website.
Can my child go to school?
Use the COVID-19 School Screening tool and refer to the COVID-19 Decision Tool for Parents and Caregivers to help you determine if and when your child can go to school. For help filling out the COVID-19 School Screening Tool, view our demonstration videos:
Review the list of COVID-19 symptoms.
If a household member has symptoms of COVID-19:
- Everyone else in the household needs to stay home from work, school, child care, and other activities that happen outside the home, until COVID-19 can be ruled out for the person who is symptomatic.
- If the test result is negative, everyone in the home who is feeling well may return to their normal activities and monitor themselves for symptoms. The household member who is symptomatic must remain in self-isolation until their symptoms have been improving for 24 hours.
- If the test result is positive, all household members will be contacted by Southwestern Public Health staff with further direction.
- If it is decided that the person who is symptomatic will not get tested for COVID-19, all household members need to stay home and not leave their home for 14 days. This action protects others in the event symptoms are due to COVID-19.
Preparing for School
The routines your child may have developed since schools closed in March and then over summer vacation may be different from what will be needed for the return to school. Help get them ready for school by talking about what their new routines will look like and practice them before school begins.1 2
Changes to their routine may include:
- a different bedtime and time to wake up
- packing a lunch and reusable water bottle
- packing their mask/face covering
- doing the screening process before going to school
- putting their reusable mask or face covering in the laundry as soon as they get home
- logging into their computer at a certain time to participate in online learning or setting aside designated time to do independent school work during the day (if learning remotely)
For high school students who will need to balance remote and in-person learning, discuss the importance of routines and going to bed and getting up at the same time during the week, regardless of whether they are in school or learning from home that day.3
Focus on the Positive
While it’s important to talk with your children about COVID-19 and discuss their concerns and any questions they may have, you can also help them prepare for school by focussing on the positive and fun things about schools.4
- Picking out school supplies and clothes
- Seeing old friends and making new ones (either virtually or in-person)
- Learning new things
- Seeing their teachers
For more information on how to talk to your children about COVID-19, check out these resources:
- Children’s Mental Health Ontario - COVID-19 Resources
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health - How Do I Talk To My Children About COVID-19 and Its Impact?
- Canadian Paediatric Society - COVID-19 and Your Child
- Anxiety Canada - Talking to Kids About COVID-19
Develop New Habits
Hand hygiene
Washing hands or using hand sanitizer frequently is a key public health practice for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses. Help your child learn and practice how to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer properly. Be a good role model - demonstrate this routine yourself and remind your child to wash their hands when needed.
Watch a video together with your child to help them learn:
- Hand-washing Heroes Video (for younger children)
- Wash your hands, Brother John! (for younger children)
- Wash Those Mitts (for younger children)
- Reduce the Spread of COVID-19: Wash Your Hands (for older children)
How to cough and sneeze safely
COVID-19 is spread when droplets from an infected person are released by coughing or sneezing and then breathed in by another person who is nearby. It’s therefore important for everyone to practice good respiratory etiquette.
- Cough or sneeze into your sleeve or elbow
- If available, sneeze into a tissue and promptly throw the tissue into the garbage
- Always wash your hands or use hand sanitizer after coughing and sneezing
- Teach your child what to do and set a good example
Wearing a mask
The Government of Ontario has made wearing a non-medical mask or face covering mandatory for children in grades 4 and up while in the school building and on the school bus. Some school boards in our region, including the Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board, have also made it mandatory for children in kindergarten to grade 3 to wear a mask or face covering. For more information, please check with your school board.
Wearing a mask can be a new experience for children and getting used to wearing one can take some practice. Before school starts, make sure your child knows how to properly put the mask on, wear it, remove it, and store it as well as when to discard or replace it.
Learn how to properly wear a mask:
- Watch our video on how to safely wear and remove a non-medical mask
- Learn more about how to properly wear, clean and dispose of face coverings
- Use of Non-Medical (Cloth) Masks Infographic
Tips for making masks a habit 5 6 7
- For younger, school-aged children, use play to normalize wearing masks.
- Practice putting masks on toys
- Put a mask on yourself or get siblings and relatives to wear them
- Do fun activities with masks on
- Show pictures or videos of other kids wearing masks
- Look in the mirror together when putting masks on
- Consider getting masks in fun fabrics your child will enjoy
- Start with wearing a mask for a few minutes then increase the amount of time each day.
- Try to mimic what they will need to do in school for snacks and lunch. Practice removing the mask, placing it in a container or paper bag, have a snack or drink, and then put the mask back on. Pick it up by the ear loops without touching the fabric of the mask.
- Talk with your child about how they feel wearing a mask and look for ways to make them feel more comfortable.
- Emphasize that the child should never share their mask with others or put on another child’s mask. Encourage them to touch their mask while it is on as little as possible and to wash their hands when they do.
Minimize Physical Contact
An important practice for reducing the spread of COVID-19 is to maintain physical distance as much as possible. Talk to your child about what it means to keep physical distance from others.
Provide them with examples they will understand for what 2 metres apart looks like:
- A couch with three cushions
- The length of a bed
- A pool noodle
- An adult hockey stick
For younger school-aged children, help them reduce the amount of physical assistance they may require from their teacher.
- Make sure your child can open their own food containers, packages and drinks. Practice with lunches and snacks before school starts.
- Make sure your child can take off and put on their outerwear such as coats and boots.
Talk About It
Talk with your child about the new health measures they can expect at school and explain why they are important to follow. Encourage your child to ask questions.8 New health measures and changes at school may include:
- Wearing a mask/face covering
- Washing or sanitizing hands at certain times throughout the day
- Keeping physically distant from others
- Following signs (e.g. where to stand to maintain 2 metres, direction of flow in the hallways, which doors to use)
- Not sharing personal items with other students
- Telling their teacher or another staff member if they are not feeling well
Talk with your child about their cohort (the group of students and staff who remain together each day), the changes it will cause, and why it is important for them to stay with their cohort
- It may mean your child won’t see all of their friends as much as they used to
- Lunch/nutrition breaks and recess may be different than last school year
- It is important for your child to stay in their cohort to make it easier and quicker for public health to track and trace contacts when there is a suspected case of COVID-19
Here are some additional resources to use when talking to your child about the pandemic:
- “My name is Coronavirus” a book to support and reassure children
- Talking to Children About the Pandemic
If your child is getting a COVID-19 test, you may find it helpful to view this video together on supporting your child during COVID-19 nasal swab testing.
Daily Checklists for Going to School In-Person
| Elementary School Checklist |
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| Secondary School Checklist |
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Mental Health Support
- Children’s Mental Health Ontario - Back-to-School Mental Health Kit
- School Mental Health Ontario - COVID-19
- Canadian Mental Health Association - Mental Health Support during COVID-19
- World Health Organization: Helping children cope with stress during COVID-19 outbreak
- World Health Organization: Coping with Stress
- List of local mental health services
Health Care
- COVID-19 Assessment Centres in Oxford County, Elgin County and the City of St. Thomas
- COVID-19 Test Results
- COVID-19 and Children
- How to Care for a Child with COVID-19 at Home: Advice for Caregivers
Food Access
- Food Programs and Services in Elgin, Oxford and St. Thomas
- Packing Healthy and Safe Lunches for School
Resources for Educators
Guidance Documents
Signage and Resources
- Children’s Mental Health Ontario - Teachers Resources
- Wash Your Hands Poster
- Physical Distancing Poster
- Cleaning and Disinfection
- If You’re Sick, Don’t Visit
- Playground Open - Not Disinfected
- Mixing of Bleach Solution for Disinfecting
- How to Wash Your Hands Poster
- How to Clean (Sanitize) Your Hands Poster
- Alternative PPE Supplier List
- Information in other languages
References
1Children’s Mental Health Ontario. (2020). Six tips to support your child’s mental wellness and prepare for the start of the school year. Retrieved from
https://cmho.org/six-tips-to-support-your-childs-mental-wellness
2CHEO. (2020). Back to school during COVID-19: Tips for parents and caregivers. Retrieved from
https://www.cheo.on.ca/en/resources-and-support/resources/P6225E.pdf
3Teens and sleep: Why you need it and how to get enough. Retrieved from
https://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/teens_and_sleep
4School Mental Health Ontario. (2020). Supporting mental health and wellness during the return to school. Retrieved from
https://smho-smso.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Supporting-Mental-Health-and-Wellness-during-the-Return-to-School-Tip-Sheet-EN.pdf
5Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health. (2020). Back-to-school 2020-21: Mask guidance for parents. Retrieved from
https://wdgpublichealth.ca/sites/default/files/file-attachments/mask_guidance_for_parents_r5_final_aug.26.2020.pdf
6Cavanaugh, B., Aponte, C., & Shamlian, K. (2020). A toolkit for helping your child wear a mask during COVID-19. University of Rochester Medical Center. Retrieved from
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/strong-center-developmental-disabilities/resources/masks-toolkit.aspx
7American Academy of Pediatrics. (2020). Cloth face coverings for children during COVID-19. Retrieved from
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/Cloth-Face-Coverings-for-Children-During-COVID-19.aspx
8Children’s Mental Health Ontario. (2020). Six tips to support your child’s mental wellness and prepare for the start of the school year. Retrieved from
https://cmho.org/six-tips-to-support-your-childs-mental-wellness
Adapted with permission from Middlesex-London Health Unit