The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a new “Considerations: Guidance for School Re-entry”. The following is the section only referencing to Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) children.
In Pre-K, the relative impact of physical distancing among children is likely small based on current evidence and certainly difficult to implement. Therefore, Pre-K should focus on more effective risk mitigation strategies for this population. These include hand hygiene, infection prevention education for staff and families, adult physical distancing from one another, adults wearing face coverings, cohorting, and spending time outdoors.
- Cohort classes to minimize crossover among children and adults within the school; the exact size of the cohort may vary, often dependent on local or state health department guidelines.
- Utilize outdoor spaces when possible.
- Limit unnecessary visitors into the building.
- Face coverings(cloth) for children in the Pre-K setting may be difficult to implement.
- Reducing classmate interactions/play in Pre-K aged children may not provide substantial COVID-19 risk reduction.
For the view of the full report and recommendations, please click on the following link: https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/clinical-guidance/covid-19-planning-considerations-return-to-in-person-education-in-schools/