Lutz Learning Center COVID-19 Update  April 14, 2020
Due to the uncertainty, we are reaching out to each and every family via email to determine how many of our families would like to return to campus following the expiration of the stay at home order (currently April 20th).

At this time, we are planning to re-open to our families for the last two weeks of April, during the hours of 7:30 AM-5 PM to allow our staff to maintain the high level of cleaning our facility requires under current circumstances. We expect reopen all our programs: Preschool, VPK, and Full Day Programs for Elementary Age Children BUT we need to hear from each and every family. Please be on the lookout for an email from our administration.

Additionally we are opening a Google classroom for our preschool and prek students who will continue to work remotely from home. To access these classrooms your child will need a specific login issued by our administration and can be requested by responding to the previously mentioned email.

Be safe! We miss everyone and can't wait to return!!!

Lutz Learning Center COVID-19 Update  April 6, 2020
We have worked very hard to remain open for parents who have needed our services so it is with a heavy heart we have made the difficult decision to close the center for the next 2 weeks. Effective immediately, Tuesday, April 7th,  we will be following the national guidelines to stay at home for the safety of our staff and children.  We hope preschool and preK students will continue to access  www.lutzlearning.com/remotelearning for videos and learning materials.  Administration will be available from 8 a.m.-12 pm.  Please make an appointment via text or email if you need to stop in to pick up books or assignments.  Stay safe and stay well.  We hope to see you on April 20th.

Lutz Learning Center COVID-19 Update  March 30, 2020

     Our small business has been deemed an essential business by the State of Florida. To meet the needs of our families we will remain open for as long as we are able. As of Monday March 30th we have not been mandated to close by the Department of Children and Families.  We are adhering to the following the  guidelines: group sizes of 10 students or less, restricting all access to our building outside of necessary staff and enrolled students and mandatory removal of any child with any symptoms of illness.

     Fourth quarter enrichments have been postponed until at least mid April and possibly later.  There will not be an awards ceremony on April 3rd.  
     During this time the center’s hours will be temporarily changed to 7:30 a.m. -5:00p.m.  The center is also operating with reduced staff. Please let us know when your family will be returning to the center so we can adequately staff.  
      We appreciate your patience and understanding during this pandemic as we navigate new areas for us!  
     Stay well!




Lutz Learning Center COVID-19 Update: March 18th:
As of Thursday, March 18th we have not been mandated to close by the Department of Children and Families which oversees our licensing for the center.  
Please know we are doing our due diligence in staying informed of the latest updates from DCF.  Your child(ren) are our top priority. We understand that while many of our parents have the ability to quarantine their family, many do not. We are committed to supporting our families and our community relying on us each and every day.

• We have hired a full time staff member whose primary focus is to clean and disinfect our building throughout the day.  
• We will remove any child with even the most minor of symptoms from the classroom to wait in the office with an administrator until pick up. Parents must arrive within the hour and students may not return until they are 100% symptom free.  
• Beginning Monday, March 23rd,  families enrolled in our one of our 8:30-2:15 programs, will be asked to use our “Drop and Drive” program. Arrive no earlier than 8:20 AM using the lane closest to the building to park your vehicle and assist your child in exiting the car. We will have staff on hand to receive your child and escort them to class. Our goal is to reduce the exposure in our building by limiting the amount of people passing through it. 
• More information on how we intend to handle drop off and pick up for families attending outside of the 8:30-2:15 window will be made available soon.
• Due to our small elementary classroom ratios, we plan to conduct learning as usual with measures taken to reduce risk. Families who prefer to remain absent will be supported with  academics remotely. 
• Please use the Google Form to the right of this webpage to streamline reporting your attendance preferences and academic support needs with us. Please refrain from overwhelming our teachers and administration who are working to create and execute a plan during uncertain times. 
• Due to the current level of uncertainty, fourth quarter enrichments may be postponed.
• Upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences will take place via phone call only. A schedule will be released in the next week.
• At this time we have not finalized how we intend to support our families whose children attend public school.  We will release more information following administrative meetings today.

The following is an update of our policies:
 Parents are responsible to pay for the agreed schedule regardless if their child attends, including the holidays school is closed and understand this is factored into the tuition. No credits or discounts will be given for time that a child is not in attendance. If you would like to modify your programming options, you must notify us by 25th for the upcoming month and is contingent based on availability.  For families choosing to withdraw, a re enrollment fee will be necessary.

Please refer to the Parent Manual for more details.

Thank you for your partnership in this matter.  


 
Update: March 13th As our community prepares for the worst, we wanted to update our families on what our school is doing to help keep our students and families safe.
 Our current position regarding the COVID-19 virus is a fluid policy due to the nature of this virus. We will make  adjustments dictated by a change in status. We will adhere to any requests by the Health Department to close and will give you as much notice as possible. Fortunately, children haven’t been severely targeted by this virus. If we all work together we can hope to keep our program virus free.
Like other coronaviruses, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, which causes COVID-19, is thought to spread most commonly through invisible respiratory droplets sent into the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Those droplets can then be inhaled by nearby people or land on surfaces that others then touch, who can then get infected when they touch their eyes, nose, or mouth.
 
Here is our plan of defense:

1. Isolate individuals with symptoms of illness: Students exhibiting signs of illness will be removed from the classroom and remain in the office until a parent or guardian can pick up. Children sent home must be symptom free for 24 hours before being readmitted to school. If your child suffers from seasonal allergies (which can mimic symptoms of illness) please speak with Ms. Alice in administration directly.
2. Wash, wash, wash our hands: As discussed at our last staff meeting, all students will be monitored closely during hand washing. As a whole, our students take many, many trips to the sink, specifically after blowing their nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom, before and after eating, and upon coming inside from the playground. Please see your child’s teacher to learn the specific song used to encourage the full 20 second timeframe of washing fronts and backs of hands. We would appreciate this lesson to be encouraged and practiced at home. :) 
3. Clean all “high-touch” surfaces everyday: Our school has a new team member we are excited to introduce. Last week Ms. Norma joined our school with the specific intention of keeping our building and equipment sparkling clean and now, more important than ever, sanitized. Norma is on campus full time every day, and has dedicated herself to the enormous routine of keeping a school environment in tip top shape.
4. Get rest, eat well, take our vitamins: Ok so we can’t exactly do this part for you, BUT we will be auditing attendance timeframes and serving your children well balanced meals made with whole foods. Our school policy prevents students from attending more than 10 hours per day specifically because 10 hours in our environment is a very, very long day. Exhaustion is a child’s ticket to the breakdown of their immune system and right now every child needs the best fighting chance to stay well. Additionally, effective immediately we are enforcing our “no sugar” party policy. If your child has a birthday coming up, please see Ms Alice in administration to coordinate any type of celebration. Cupcakes and/or other sugary/frosting loaded treats will not be allowed.

What we need from you:

• Be vigilant about monitoring your family’s symptoms & keeping your child home if anyone in your family is showing signs of cold or flu
• Pick your child up within one hour of notification if your child shows signs of being contagious. A doctor’s note stating the child is not contagious will be required to return. Until this virus threat is over, we will be very strict about this policy.
• Limit your family’s unnecessary exposure and let us know immediately of any potential exposure.
• Reinforce good hygiene procedures at home (hand washing thoroughly, hands off face & in mouth, covering sneezes, how to handle a runny nose)

Withdrawal policy:
Facing the unknown, many families are likely considering withdrawing from care at this time. Here's how that currently applies: Families must give notice by the 25th of the month (in the case, March 25th) and their deposit on account will be applied to the following month (in this case April). To withdraw, notice must be given here:  http://www.lutzlearning.com/withdraw.html

What about Summer?
For preschoolers, the same policy above applies. 
For elementary age summer campers, the following applies: Written notice of cancellation must be received more than SIX WEEKS prior to the session, 100% of the camp fee will be returned. If written notice of cancellation is received between FOUR (4) TO SIX (6) WEEKS prior to the session, 50% of the camp fee will be returned. If written notice of cancellation is received FOUR (4) WEEKS OR LESS prior to camp, the entire camp fee will be forfeited. Rebooking into an open session within the same calendar year is an option. If a participant leaves camp early, or is dismissed, no refund will be given. For families who prepaid summer to receive the discount, no refund is scheduled at this time. Final decision will be made public prior to April 25th.