Given the international public health emergency, declared by the World Health Organization, on January 30, 2020, as well as the pandemic classification, on March 11, 2020, the Government, through Decree-Law no. 10- A / 2020, of March 13, approved a set of exceptional and temporary measures related to the epidemiological situation of the disease COVID-19, including the suspension of teaching and non-teaching activities with children and students in schools. education and teaching, namely pre-school education.

On March 18, 2020, a state of emergency was decreed in Portugal, through the Decree of the President of the Republic no. 14 -A / 2020, of March 18, which was renewed by the Decree of the President of the Republic no. 17-A / 2020, of 2 April, and by the Decree of the President of the Republic no. 20-A / 2020, of 17 April.

The European Roadmap for the Progressive Survey of COVID-19 Containment Measures, presented by the European Commission on April 15, 2020, defined guidelines aimed at the gradual abolition of containment measures, preserving public health in a social and economic solution of balance.

Taking into account the assessment carried out by the health authorities, and maintaining as a priority the prevention of the disease, the containment of the pandemic and the guarantee of the safety of the Portuguese, together with the gradual lifting of the suspensions and interdictions enacted during the period of the state of emergency, the Government, under the Basic Law of Civil Protection, declared the situation of calamity by Resolution of the Council of Ministers no. 33-A / 2020, of April 30, meanwhile extended by Resolution of the Council of Ministers no. 38 / 2020, May 17.

Through the Resolution of the Council of Ministers no. 33-C / 2020, of April 30, the Government also approved a gradual strategy for lifting containment measures in the context of combating the disease pandemic COVID-19, pursuant to which set June 1 as the reopening date for pre-school education establishments, fifteen days after the reopening of daycare centers and the partial return to face-to-face teaching activities by students of the 11th and 12th years and 2nd and 3rd Years of dual certification courses.

It was defined that all measures are accompanied by specific operating conditions, including stocking rules, use of personal protective equipment, scheduling and physical distance, which add to the general conditions for lifting confinement measures. Thus, it is necessary to ensure procedures, through the implementation, in each organic unit, of a plan of measures that mitigates the possibility of contagion, guaranteeing the safety of the educational community.

Thus, in compliance with the guidelines of the Directorate-General for Health (DGS), guidelines are established for reorganizing the functioning of each pre-school education establishment.

Without neglecting the exceptional measures that the pandemic situation we are experiencing requires, these guidelines aim to support, from a pedagogical point of view, institutions, professionals and families, as well as ensuring the protection of all.

Despite the current recommendation of physical distance, we cannot lose sight of the importance of children's learning and development, as well as the guarantee of their well-being and the right to play. It is also essential to consider that the interactions and relationships that children establish with adults and with other children are the basis for their learning and development.

The entire educational community - kindergarten teachers, principals, coordinators and non-teaching staff - will play an essential role in ensuring the conditions necessary for children to attend pre-school education with the utmost security.

In this context, the organization of the educational environment must be rethought and planned, taking into account the situation we live in and the specificity of each context, in compliance with the Curriculum Guidelines for Pre-School Education (OCEPE) and in line with the guidelines issued by the DGS .

General Measures

 

1. All institutions must review and adapt their COVID-19 contingency plans, in accordance with DGS Guideline 006/2020, and must include:

a) Procedures to be adopted in case of a suspected case of COVID-19;

b) Definition of an isolation area, properly equipped with a telephone, chair, water, some non-perishable food and with access to a sanitary installation;

c) Definition of circuits for the suspected case to arrive and leave the isolation area;

d) Confirmation of children's emergency contacts and definition of the flow of information to guardians;

e) Management of human resources in order to provide for substitutions in the event of absenteeism due to illness or the need for

1. The educational establishment must guarantee the dissemination of this plan to all professionals (teaching and non-teaching staff) and those in charge of education.
2. A local link must be maintained with the Health Entities (School Health and Public Health Units), Municipalities, Social Security and Civil Protection, safeguarding the need for support or resources.
3. Children, as well as teaching and non-teaching staff, with signs or symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 should not be present at the pre-school education establishment. Whoever has symptoms should contact the SNS24 Line (808 242424) or other telephone lines created specifically for the purpose and proceed according to the instructions provided by health professionals.
4. All teaching and non-teaching staff, as well as those in charge of education, must be duly informed about the rules of conduct to be followed, in the current context, aimed at preventing and controlling the transmission of COVID-19. The information must be posted in visible places of the pre-school education establishment and / or be sent by computer. They must also be informed about all changes to the organization and operation of the respective.
5. All educational establishments must guarantee the necessary conditions to adopt the recommended preventive measures, namely:

a) Sanitary facilities with the necessary conditions for the promotion of good hygiene practices, namely hand hygiene with water and soap;

b) Material for appropriate disinfection and cleaning procedures for school buildings, in accordance with DGS Guideline 014/2020 and the guidance document of the Directorate-General for School Establishments, with the guidance of DGS and the collaboration of the Armed Forces, on “Cleaning and disinfection of surfaces in a school environment, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic”, reinforcing, in this case, the frequent cleaning of teaching materials and equipment used by children, several times a day;

c) Daily waste management, without the need for special treatment;

d) Protective equipment, namely masks, for all teaching and non-teaching staff, ensuring that masks are never placed on children;

e) Alcohol-based antiseptic solution (SABA) dispenser to disinfect hands at the entrance to the school.

7. The frequent washing / disinfection of hands by teaching and non-teaching staff and children should also be reinforced, particularly when entering the educational establishment, before and after meals, before and after going to the nursing home. bath, and whenever they return from space
8. Children must be delivered to the door of the pre-school education facility by their guardian, or by a person designated by him, and received by a professional seconded for this purpose, thus avoiding the movement of outside people inside the building.
9. People outside the educational process (eg suppliers) can only exceptionally enter the educational establishment and, always, safely, with a mask, avoiding contact with children.
10. Whenever applicable, special care must be taken when changing diapers, with the cleaning of the hands of professionals and children, as well as the workbench, before and after the change of care.
11. Whenever applicable, dirty laundry should go home in a closed plastic bag.
12. If there are air conditioning or similar equipment, they must never be switched on in recirculation mode.
13. Prior to the reopening of establishments, general cleaning and disinfection of the premises must be carried out.
14. To privilege the digital route for all administrative procedures, whenever possible.

 

Space organization

1.  Whenever the educational establishment has spaces that are not being used, it can be used to expand the pre-school education establishment.
2. Children and teaching and non-teaching staff should be organized in rooms or other spaces, in order to avoid contact between people from different groups.
3. All spaces that are not necessary for the proper functioning of activities (after all the space has been organized, due to the safety and hygiene rules to be complied with) must be closed. This measure does not apply to dining rooms.
4. To privilege the activities that take place abroad (patios, public places, gardens), in rotation of groups.
5. The physical distance between children should be maximized when they are at tables, without compromising the normal functioning of pedagogical activities.
6. The use of the most spacious and airy rooms or spaces should be privileged.
7. Define internal circulation circuits, allowing a better spatial orientation of children and adults and, at the same time, a more effective cleaning of space and equipment.
8. The establishment must create “dirty” and “clean” spaces and establish different entry and exit circuits, as well as access to the rooms, whenever possible.
9. Children should change the shoes they take from home with one that is only used in the kindergarten space. These extra shoes remain in the educational establishment and must be cleaned every day after the child leaves. Professionals must comply with the same guidance.
10. Ensure the existence of individual material needed for each activity.
11. Remove, from the rooms, accessories not essential to the practice of pedagogical activities, reinforcing the cleaning and disinfection of those who remain there.
12. Ask caregivers not to let children take toys or other items they don't need from home.
13. Concentrations should be avoided when going to the bathroom.
14. Whenever possible, and that this does not compromise the safety of children (doors with safety barriers and windows that are not within reach), the windows and / or doors of the rooms should be kept open, in order to allow a better circulation of air.
15. Ensure on-site support mobilized for children accompanied by technicians and / or teachers of Early Intervention. This work must be accompanied by the multidisciplinary support team for inclusive education (EMAEI), in close articulation with the educator and with the local teams operating under the National System of Early Childhood Intervention (SNIPI).

 

Organization of timetables

 

1. The child must not remain in the educational establishment for longer than is strictly necessary.
2. In organizing the daily routine, try to offset the moments of permanence of the different groups of children in the playground. The equipment must be sanitized after using each group.
3. In a school environment, the extension of schedules, within the scope of the Activities of Animation and Support to Families (AAAF) and the Family Support Component (CAF), should follow these guidelines.

 

Pedagogical practices

1.  Consider that the situation we live in and the specificity of each context necessarily imply flexibility and adequacy in the organization of routines, spaces, materials and activities.
2. Create a new pedagogical routine, taking into account the guidelines of the DGS, in conjunction with the foundations and principles of pedagogy for children defined in the OCEPE.
3. Despite the current rules of physical distance, it is important not to lose sight of the importance of children's learning and development and the guarantee of their right to play.
4. Pay attention to the children's well-being and respond to their emotional, physical and cognitive needs, since development and learning are inseparable.
5. It is also essential to consider that the interactions and relationships that children establish with adults and with other children are the basis for their learning and development.
6. Introduce children to the new rules of social coexistence, leading them to understand the importance of new forms of interaction between peers and adults. It is important to pay attention to their doubts and anxieties, reassuring them and helping them to understand the importance of complying with these new rules, for the safety and well-being of all.
7. Talk to children about changes in their routines and listen to their opinions and suggestions.
8. Register the new safety rules and, with the children, create posters, pamphlets, etc., displaying them in a visible place in the kindergarten and / or your room.
9. Plan activities and projects, listening to children about how they can develop them, taking into account the current context.
10. To favor the use of technologies in a diversified way with different functions, such as information collection, registration, communication, etc., using the projection, for example, of virtual visits to museums, parks, palaces, listening to music concerts, viewing of theater plays and documentaries on subjects
11. Develop activities, preferably in small groups or individually, when possible.
12. Whenever possible, prioritize activities in open spaces (patios, backyards, gardens).
13. Promote activities such as reading stories in a wide circle
14. To favor activities that use materials that are more easily sanitized, avoiding those that, due to their characteristics, present a higher risk of contamination.
15. Whenever possible, ensure that objects shared between children are properly disinfected between uses.
16. If a child is attested in a risk group, individualized support must be ensured, involving EMAEI in monitoring the child in close articulation with the teacher and the family.
17. Prioritize, whenever possible, contact with families at the entrance of the institution, maintaining the recommended physical distance, allowing the articulation to be conveyed or complemented, regularly, by telephone or by digital means, so that, in adapting to this new reality, there is articulation and continuity between the kindergarten and the family.
18. At this stage, parties and meetings of in-person guardians should be canceled.

Management of teaching and non-teaching staff

1.  Ensure the presence of human resources (teaching staff and non-teaching staff) strictly necessary for the operation of classroom activities.
2. If there is a teacher who, evidently, belongs to a risk group, the educational establishment can adopt the following strategies:

a) Substitute him for another kindergarten teacher who has no assigned group;

b) Maintain the activities of this teacher in a remote system, with the monitoring of children in the classroom being ensured, with the possibility of resorting, if necessary, to the substitution mechanisms provided for and regulated in Decree-Law No. 132/2012, in the wording given by Decree-Law no. 28/2017, when it is necessary to safeguard the health of teachers subject to a special duty of protection, invoking the aforementioned legal provision on the platform

3. Establishments can adopt other strategies that they consider to be more appropriate, namely regarding the replacement of teachers and places of activities, ensuring greater effectiveness of measures to contain the coronavirus.

 

Meals

 

1. During the meal period, the following distance and hygiene measures must be respected:

a) The trip to the dining room, if applicable, must be delayed to avoid the crossing of children, or, when this is not possible, meals in the activity room should be considered;

b) Before and after meals, children should wash their hands together, so that they do it correctly;

c) The places must be marked, in order to ensure the maximum possible physical distance between children;

d) Adequate cleaning and disinfection of surfaces must be carried out between shift changes

3. No equipment or food should be shared.
4. The child's equipment and utensils to be returned to guardians should be placed in a disposable bag, when applicable.
5. The team's breaks for lunch must take place in order to guarantee the physical distance between professionals.
6. Also in the dining rooms, all employees must wear a mask while accompanying the children.

Acting on a suspicious case

 

1. Teaching and non-teaching staff must be informed about the internal Contingency Plan and the procedures for identifying a suspected case of COVID-19.
2. In view of the identification of a suspicious case (if detected in the educational establishment), it must be directed or sent to the isolation area, through the circuits defined in the Contingency Plan. Whenever it is a child, the responsible person must remain with the child in the isolation room, complying with the basic precautions for infection control, namely regarding hand hygiene.
3. The SNS24 Line (808 242424) or other telephone lines created specifically for this purpose should be contacted and proceed according to the instructions provided.
4. Local Health Authorities should be immediately informed of the suspected case and the group's contacts, in order to facilitate the application of Public Health measures to high-risk contacts. For this purpose, the establishments must keep updated the contact details of the health authorities that are territorially competent.
5. If the suspected case is a child, the parent or guardian should be contacted immediately.
6. The cleaning and disinfection of the surfaces most used by the suspected case should be reinforced, as well as the isolation area, in accordance with DGS Guideline 14/2020.
7. The residues produced by the suspected case must be packed in two resistant plastic bags, with two tight knots, preferably with an adhesive / tie and must be placed in collective waste containers after 24 hours of their production (never in ecopoints).