Hello Villagers,
After a long, sleepless night, the news that the Chicago Park District is offering expanded programming for students anyway, and the report that the CDC put out stating that school closures are not going to create the impact that we want them to have, I wanted to send everyone an email letting them know that while many schools have made the decision to close, I have made the decision to remain open to support our families.
We are making scalable changes and keeping a watchful eye on this progressing issue. Phase 1 was outlined in a letter to parents. You can re-open it here.
Phase 2 is as follows: We will be moving to shortened days at Le Village on 3/16 to compensate for reduced enrollment. This will also reduce our exposure during peak hours in the city. We will be limiting hours from 9:30 - 4:30 at the space and 10:00 - 4:00 in the classroom. Class AM slots are 9:30 - 12:30 and Class PM slots are from 1:30 - 4:30. Wigglers will be closed from 12:30 - 1:00 for thorough sanitation and Explorers will be closed from 1:00 - 1:30. If you are an Explorer, nap will be promptly from 11:00-1:00. Your current reservations will be automatically updated.
We ask openly that all families that have consistent exposure to immuno-compromised or elderly individuals not utilize the space at this time. We will not be accepting drop-ins with children to limit exposure. We will be offering hours to a limited amount of our drop-in parents--Adults only. If possible, we hope families use this as their safety net. As a mom, Vivie and I will be traveling to and from the space. That is all. We encourage you to do the same.
We have always offered unlimited sick time to deter sick employees at the space and will continue to do so. Outside of that, we have requested our staff to temporarily move to a limited schedule. Offer them your love and support in any capacity possible. This has been so incredibly hard on them and on us as a brand new small business.
We are a small community. A family. And families stick together. I am here for each and every one of you if you have questions.
Stay positive! Stay healthy!