Health & Safety Policies

As per the "Key to NYC" mandate all persons aged 12 and over entering Kids at Work are required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19. This applies to anyone attending classes INDOORS at the studio or OUTDOORS at the Kids at Work Studio Terrace (as guests will have to walk through the studio to get there). There is no vaccine requirement for anyone attending classes at Madison Square Park, Chelsea Green Park, Washington Square Park, or the Gertrude B. Kelly Playground.

Since Kids at Work is a part of the "Key to NYC" mandate there is no option to test out of this requirement. Acceptable proof of vaccination includes:

• CDC Issued vaccine card (or photo of)
• The NYS Excelsior pass smartphone app
• Any official immunization record from outside NYS or the US

• All adults are required to wear a KN95 mask regardless of vaccination status, since we work with unvaccinated children. Kids at Work can provide these masks for participants who don't have one at a cost of $1.50 per mask charged to the child's account. Adults are welcome to wear their own KN95 mask.
• Per the NYCDOH, all persons over the age of 2 WHO ARE REASONABLY ABLE TO TOLERATE A MASK will be required to wear an acceptable face covering. If your child over 2 wears a mask in other indoor settings, we respectfully ask you to have your child wear a mask at Kids at Work. EXCEPTION: Cooking class.
• All staff must wear KN95 face coverings at all times when interacting with children.

• All unvaccinated children will have their temperature taken upon arrival to the Kids at Work studio.
• Kids at Work requires ALL adults to wear socks in our indoor space. Kids at Work has socks to loan adults if they do not have socks. Children can be barefoot.
• Any child that cancels their class due to illness from class will be contacted and our sickness policy will be executed. Any child with any COVID-19 symptoms is asked to either 1/get tested for COVID-19 or 2/consult their pediatrician for guidance on whether testing is recommended, and for specific guidance on when they may return to Kids at Work. Kids at Work remains involved in this chain of communication before the child can be welcomed back. Any adult with COVID-19 symptoms must get tested for COVID-19 before re-entering Kids at Work, regardless of vaccination status.

Please see below for more information on symptoms of COVID-19 "What if Someone Who Has Entered KAW Has Symptoms of COVID-19?"

Sanitization Equipment

• Two Commercial Grade HEPA Air Scrubbers – constantly in use – changing the indoor air 8 times per hour.
• UV Light treatment on all surfaces (fabrics, etc) that cannot be effectively sanitized, once per day.
• Hudson mist-sprayer for our child-safe prokure sanitization solution.
• DARCY AI temperature camera and health check system. Kids at Work will take temperatures of all children and unvaccinated adults who enter our space.

Partnership with Pathogen Alliance trained contractor from Black Squirrel Artisans

• Training for staff on how to properly sanitize objects between classes.
• Training for staff on UV light use.
• Proper maintenance and upkeep of our HEPA filter air scrubbers and HVAC system.
• Immediate assistance with full professional remediation should we be forced to close due to a confirmed positive case.

Cleaning Practices - Indoor and Outdoor Programming

• Objects that staff and children handle are sanitized throughout class (“ad hoc” cleaning) by our teachers, as well as after each class. Kids at Work always maintains multiple sanitized objects to swap out at any time.
• Every play object, instrument, toy, and art supply that comes into contact with childrens’ hands is deep cleaned and sanitized with child-safe Prokure after class.
• The entry way, elevator, and stairwell are cleaned at the end of every day.
• All walls, floors, and other hard surfaces inside Kids at Work are cleaned at the end of every day with soapy water and sprayed with Prokure, which is a child safe sanitizing agent.
• Any fabric (including rugs) or sensory items that cannot be washed with soapy water and sprayed during classes are sanitized with the handheld UV light at the end of each day.
• All mats, furniture, chairs, tables, large motor objects, etc are wiped with soapy water and sprayed with child-safe Prokure between classes.

Temperature Checks - Indoor and Terrace Programming only.

• For those families that have been attending “post-COVID”, Kids at Work will no longer require the health check questionnaire before each entry. We will, however, continue to take temperature's of all children and adults entering the facility as a part of the check in process!
• Partnership with DARCY AI by Edgeworx Software
• The DARCY thermal camera allows your child to have their temperature taken without a typical thermometer gun and without close contact by our staff. In the event of an elevated temperature, DARCY creates an alert/tone that our staff can monitor upon each entry.

The following applies to both indoor and outdoor programming.

Symptoms of COVID-19

Persons (adults and children regardless of vaccination status) will be required to stay home in the event any of the following symptoms are observed or felt within 24 hours before each attendance, without the use of medication.

• Fever
• Cough**
• Shortness of breath
• Chills
• Night sweats
• Sore throat
• Muscle/body aches
• Loss of taste or smell
• Headache
• Confusion
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea

**Many children exhibit non-illness related dry cough and clear runny nose (such as with teething). We ask that all families maintain open communication about the history of such symptoms in their child. For instance, if your child has allergies OR has already been cleared by a pediatrician that it is not illness-related, please let us know ahead of time.

Those persons who are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms must stay home. They will not be allowed to return to class until they either (1) stay home for 14 days since the onset of symptoms OR (2) get NEGATIVE COVID-19 test results OR (3) get pediatrician guidance that the child is ok to come back to class and that a COVID test is unnecessary (children only). In any case, they must also stay home for at least 24 hours after symptoms have gone away WITHOUT the use of medication If a child exhibits symptoms during class and is sent home, the families within that class will be notified and kept up to date on the status of the affected child. The above sickness policy holds REGARDLESS OF VACCINATION STATUS. This is in line with current NYCDOH protocols for child care center staff and children.

Families should be made aware that Kids at Work’s policies may be more stringent than other businesses, because we frequently work with unmasked children.

The below applies to BOTH indoor and outdoor programming

What if someone in my household who HAS been to KAW within the last 5 days tests positive for COVID-19?

You are compelled to contact Kids at Work in the case of a positive test result on the part of ANYONE who has entered KAW within 5 days of the positive result or onset of symptoms (whichever comes first). Kids at Work is required by law to contact the NYC Test and Trace Corps and to supply contact information of infected individual(s). The infected individual will be required to remain at home for 14 days from the onset of symptoms or the positive result. Individuals still displaying symptoms of COVID-19 will not be permitted to come back to class until 72 hours after symptoms have disappeared without the use of medication. We require a full 14 day quarantine from KAW regardless of test & trace policy, pediatrician, or physician advice for a shorter quarantine.

What if the positive case has NOT come into contact with my child, myself, or my caregiver?

In the case of a positive COVID-19 test on the part of a participant who has been to KAW 5 or fewer days before positive specimen collection or symptoms onset, whichever comes first, KAW will contact the Test and Trace Corps to let close contacts know of the positive case. All participants in all groups will be alerted to the situation by KAW. Participants within the affected classes, as well as their close contacts and family members, will be encouraged to get tested. If the positive person is an UNVACCINATED CHILD, KAW will close for min 24 hours following alert of a positive case for a deep clean and microsprayer application by our remediation contractor, held on retainer for this purpose. (indoor/terrace case only.) All staff will be asked to get tested at no cost to the staff member. Staff members are paid for their time in acquiring testing for themselves. We ask our participants to remember that a positive case at KAW doesn’t mean that the case originated at KAW. We ask all participants to respect the privacy of all families and caregivers. This will only work if we’re part of a respectful, caring community. We DO NOT want positive cases to be fearful of coming forward as that puts everyone at risk.

What if there is a positive case within a class that my child, myself or my caregiver has attended?

In the case of a positive COVID-19 test on the part of a participant who has been to KAW 5 or fewer days before positive specimen collection or symptoms onset, whichever comes first, KAW will contact the Test and Trace Corps to let close contacts know of the positive case. Families who have been in class with the individual within the 5 days will be notified immediately by Kids at Work by email and phone. If the positive person is an UNVACCINATED CHILD, KAW will close for min 24 hours following alert of a positive case for a deep clean and microsprayer application by our remediation contractor, held on retainer for this purpose. (indoor/terrace case only.) Families, staff and caregivers who have been to KAW at the same time as the infected person, within 2 days prior to the positive result OR onset of symptoms (whichever comes first) will be REQUIRED to show proof of negative test results to Kids at Work before they can return to the space. The test must be performed at least 4 days from exposure. Unvaccinated children will be required to quarantine for 10 days from the exposure. We require a full 10 day quarantine from KAW for all unvaccinated close contacts regardless of pediatrician or physician advice for a shorter quarantine. Vaccinated adults can return with a negative test taken 4 days after exposure. How this affects whether programming continues to run largely depends on how widespread the contact is. Cancellation of programming is on a case by case basis. Kids at Work never cancels programming without providing account credits to its participants.

• Outdoor classes on the Kids at Work Terrace follow the same policies as Indoor classes since participants will have to walk through the facility to get to class.
• Adult participants in outdoor classes at local parks are required to be fully masked at all times, with masks covering both mouth and nose.
• Kids at Work teaching staff will wear face shields in outdoor MUSIC classes, as masks prevent volume of their singing voices. All KAW teachers are fully vaccinated.
• See above information on "Cleanliness and Sanitization".
• All adults are asked to try to maintain 6 foot distance from other during class.
• Social distancing between children may not be possible. If you wish your child to remain socially distanced from other children you will need to monitor this on your own. Kids at Work staff will not be encouraging social distancing between children, and it is up to the attending adults to assess their own risk and monitor.
• Participants are compelled to contact Kids at Work if someone who has attended an outdoor music class becomes ill with COVID-19.
• Please see above for information on "What if Someone Who Has Been to a KAW class Tests Positive for COVID-19?"

“Close Contact” with a positive COVID-19 case - the following applies only to indoor programming:

Close contact is defined as any individual who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to positive specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated. If you have come into close contact, you will have been alerted by the affected person or the NYC COVID-19 Test and Trace Corps. Participants are required to let Kids at Work know if you are a close contact. This includes caregivers, staff, parents, and children. Anyone who is deemed a close contact will be asked to quarantine per the NYCDOH and refrain from attending KAW programming for 10 days starting from the date of exposure OR starting from the date of isolation of the COVID positive individual. Exception – those close contacts who can prove status of full vaccination only need to stay away from KAW for 4 days from exposure, and may return with proof of a negative test on the 4th day or later.

What if someone who was in class with my child, myself, or my caregiver, has been defined as a “close contact”?

Out of an abundance of caution, whenever we are notified that an UNVACCINATED CHILD is a close contact of someone else UNRELATED to Kids at Work, AND the child has been to Kids at Work within 5 days prior to being deemed a close contact, we do let families that were in class with the child know and we encourage all families to assess their risk and get tested. We keep the group abreast of the “close contact’s” testing results with permission of the affected person. We do not shut down any classes or remediate, beyond the usual measures. The exception may be the Gentle Separation program, where we might cancel the group out of an abundance of caution depending on the timing of the close contact’s exposure and testing schedule. If we cancel the Gentle Separation program, students would receive account credit for the value of one GS class. If a VACCINATED ADULT is deemed a close contact we do not let any groups know unless the person tests positive at some point. (See below "Testing Positive for COVID-19".) As per DOH guidance, any close contacts, children or adults, will need to adhere to the aforementioned guidelines above.