COVID-19 Resources
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An updated executive order issued by Governor Cuomo on May 1 has directed that schools will remain closed for the rest of the academic year. The order further states that at that time the Governor will evaluate the school closure situation once again.
Although TST BOCES business operations are functioning remotely, we ask that our public call first if they need to visit our campus as we want to ensure that the office or individual you would like to meet with can be made available. Our primary contact number is 607-257-1551. From there, we will direct your call. We will ask everyone to follow this procedure until further notice.
We will continue our weekly food delivery procedures through this school closure. If you have questions about this process, please call or text 607-220-4521.
Be well and please stay healthy.
Documents
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Child Care Inspection Checklist
ocfs-group-child-care-inspection-checklist-3-13-2020-1.docx 50.02 KB (Last Modified on April 8, 2020) -
Emergency Child Care Reservation Form
ocfs-6050-emergency-child-care-reservation-form-completed-by-parent-3-19-2020.docx 30.89 KB (Last Modified on April 8, 2020) -
Emergency Employment Attestation
ocfs-6051-emergency-child-care-employment-form-completed-by-adult-candidate-3-19-2020.dotx 22.99 KB (Last Modified on April 8, 2020) -
Handwashing Recommendations
handwashing-recommendations-alcohol-based-hand-sanitizer-use-in-schools.pdf 126.33 KB (Last Modified on April 3, 2020) -
Interim Guidance for Child Care Programs
Covid19 CDC Interim Guilde for K-12 Schools Aprill 27 2020.pdf 269.45 KB (Last Modified on April 30, 2020) -
School Guidance: COVID-19
From: New York State Department of Health and the New York State Education Department
Statements Regarding Coronavirus
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Parent Update from Shannon Tahoe, NYSED Interim Commissioner of Education
I know the response to the Novel Coronavirus has impacted all of us in unprecedented ways over the last few weeks. The Board of Regents and the New York State Education Department (NYSED), are particularly concerned about students during this time. Among the drastic changes that have taken place, school closures have brought many uncertainties and concerns. Among these concerns are emergency childcare, distribution and availability of meals, continuity of learning, mental health, and many others.NYSED recognizes these concerns and has issued three comprehensive guidance documents and several additional memos that contain important information related to school closures, meals, childcare, continuity of learning, mental health, accountability, special education, and test administration. All of our resources and guidance related to the Novel Coronavirus can be found on NYSED's dedicated coronavirus web page.The Board of Regents and NYSED will continue to work with our partners at the state, local, and federal levels as this situation continues to evolve, and we will update and disseminate additional guidance and information as necessary.Schools across the state are working hard to develop and implement continuity of learning plans for students during the extended statewide school closure. To help with this effort, we have launched a website featuring continuity of learning resources (technology- or non-technology-based) to provide districts and teachers with increased options. If you're looking for resources to use at home with your kids, you can check out the new Continuity of Learning web page here.In addition, New York's nine public television stations are providing expanded educational resources and "Learn-at-Home" programming for all of New York's students in response to school closings across the state. Find more information about the "Learn-at-Home" programming here.We have also launched a new #NYLearnsRemotely campaign on social media to provide remote learning ideas for kids. As part of the campaign, we are sharing high-quality resources, guidance, tips, and activities that can all be used at home. Follow us on social media ( Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn) for daily ideas.In addition to ensuring your children have access to the resources they need to continue learning while at home, it is also important to prioritize their mental health needs. As adults, it's critical that we take care of our own mental and physical health, which will help us to better support our children. Use these resources for self-care and strategies for talking about COVID-19 honestly and effectively with your kids.I will continue to provide important information to you in this biweekly update. As the situation is rapidly changing, I encourage you to check our dedicated coronavirus web page, our news page, and our social media channels frequently for the latest updates.I hope you and your families are staying safe and healthy during this uncertain time.Sincerely,Shannon TahoeInterim Commissioner -
Letter from Child Development Council for Essential Personnel
Click here to download this letter
March 19, 2020
Dear Health Care Provider and Emergency Services Organization:
In response to the State of Emergency issued by Tompkins County and the directives of the Tompkins County Health Department, child care centers have been closed. We know that this is a concern for many in our community, but especially those who provide direct health care and emergency services. The Child Development Council, with support from the child care community, schools, county emergency planning and others have developed a plan to supply child care for essential health care providers and first responders. The Child Development Council, as Tompkins County's designated Child Care Resource and Referral agency, will serve as a centralized resource to connect those in need with open spots. We have and will continue to add in new and creative solutions. Initially, we will be offering the following types of child care options.
- Two licensed child care centers will re-open to serve only the children of essential personnel; they will reduce their class sizes by half.
- We have surveyed registered family child care and licensed group family child care for openings and willingness to enroll additional children.
- We are collecting the names and interest of individual teachers who have been laid off from their child care or school age child care program who are willing to enter into independent contracting or “nanny” relationships in their home or in the children’s home. These teachers have had background checks as a result of their prior employment. The Child Development Council will refer essential personnel to these individuals.
You are receiving this letter because your organization was identified as an essential provider of services to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Child care referrals will be prioritized to those employees of which you (as the employer) deem “essential” to this response.
We are asking that you work with your employees to determine who classifies as “essential” and provide a written note/voucher or some form of identification so we know to provide care for them. We will not be able to refer to care to any family without notice from the employer directly.
We are doing everything in our power to provide quality child care to working parents during this time and we appreciate your cooperation in navigating the uncertainty.
Any employee seeking enrollment due to the COVID-19 pandemic can contact the Child Development Council at (607) 273-0259 or via email at info@childdevelopmentcouncil.org. Tuition rates will vary and are to be agreed upon between the essential personnel and the child care provider.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Sue Dale-Hall and staff at the Child Development Council, info@childdevelopmentcouncil.org
New York State Education Department (NYSED) Links:
- Additional Guidance on Child Care Plans
- Additional Guidance on Statewide School Closures Due to Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak in New York State
- FERPA and Coronavirus
- Impact of COVID-19 on Assessments and Accountability under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
- Information and Guidance for Schools
- Managing Emergency Health Care and Communicable Diseases In the School Setting
- New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) Guidance and Resources for Emergency Child Care
- Notification Regarding Closure of a School Building
- NYSED and New York’s Public Television Stations Announce Expanded Remote Learning During Statewide School Closure
- NYSED Request for Waiver of Assessments, Accountability and School Identification, and Reporting Requirements Public Comment Period
- Operating Child Nutrition Programs when Schools are Closed due to COVID-19
- Questions and Answers on Providing Services To Children With Disabilities
- Resources for Mental Health and Talking to Young People About COVID-19
- School (PreK-12) Guidance
- School Emergency Child Care Guidance
- Statement Regarding Elementary- and Intermediate-Level State Assessments
- Statewide COVID-19 Non-Essential Employee Guidance
- Suspension of the Spring 2020 Grades 3–8 English Language Arts Test Shipments and Computer-based Test Window Opening
- Updated Guidance on Driver and Traffic Safety Education in Response to COVID-19