With COVID-19, how was I going to safely open and run my summer camp that allowed children to play, supported parents, and cared for my staff, and myself, all while being nurturing? How This was the driving force that kept me up at night and busy seven days a week. Here is a small sample of what I did.
Pivoting in response to parent behavior
Our plan for drop-off was for families to pull up to the curb, sign in, and drive away without getting out of the car.
However, instead, parents arrived 15 minutes early, parked, got out of their car and brought their children up to the school. Realizing almost immediately that it was turning into a chaotic situation, I adjusted quickly.
I immediately moved my safety/sign-in cart from where we wanted the parents to drop off the students to down the walkway to where parents and their students were entering the campus. We put down new tape and moved the cones to direct the families in a way that created social distancing. While these adjustments changed what we originally planned, it still allowed us to accomplish what we wanted—a calm and orderly drop-off like we have always had— and did so in a way that was nurturing to parents.
Dealing with personal items
Our policy is now to limit the personal items that children bring into school from home. However, some children need something to hold after letting go of a parent’s hand. My solution was to place a small container of cars and finger puppets on my check-in cart. For those children who brought an item from home, I could easily make a trade, their home item for a school item.
It worked so well that I found myself, each morning before camp started, adding more items to the cart than they day before. Students who did not need to bring a comfort item, started to bring something anyway just so they could take part in a trade.
Bagels Aren’t Going To Do It Anymore
Before COVID, those delicious, round, and doughy morning treats worked to demonstrate my appreciation, and brought joy to my staff. With the extra work, stress, and anxiety caused by COVID-19, I needed to do something more substantial. Something that said, “I see you working hard”, and “How can I help you?” I decided to give each teacher a new smock to go with their already provided PPE. It was my way of saying thank you for providing safe, clean, enriching, nurturing classrooms for our children. Of course, I still provided bagels.
Nurturing myself with compassion
I permitted myself to make changes when needed. I stayed honest with myself about this being new territory and that no one, including myself, have been here before. It allowed me to know that any decision I made was just a starting point and not the answer. This mindset was critical. It was the driving force in helping me create:
- a safe preschool where children play, learn, and grow
- a place where parents feel secure to leave their children
- a workplace where teachers feel supported
Cathy Goldberg
Director of Early Childhood Education
Congregation Beth Israel, San Diego, CA
July 2020
