SWEETWATER COUNTY — The Sweetwater County Child Development Center is adjusting to the COVID-19 orders established by local, state and federal guideline and are preparing for virtual preschool learning in the coming weeks.

SCCDC Director Dr. Cristy Pelham released the following statement to parents about the center’s process for providing continued education to preschool-aged children:

The administration at the SCCDC has been working with the Department of Health, seeking information from other CDC regions around the state, and monitoring the work being done by the two school districts for the past few weeks. With all of the information we have gathered and the growing concerns for social distancing we have made the decision to remain closed for preschool and toddler services, for outreach services and daycare, and for all home-visits.

We will monitor this, at least weekly, and communicate any changes to our families and the community. In an effort to help families work on previously learned skills and to ensure the safety of all our staff and families the following services will take place:

At this time Wyoming will be waiving our make up days for actual preschool services. The Wyoming Department of Health is not requiring CDCs to provide services at this time due to the health and safety of all our families and the SCCDC staff.

Our centers will remain closed for preschool, daycare, and therapies until further notice. Starting on or before Friday, April 10 we will continue providing learning opportunities with videos covering circle time, storytime, exercise time, skill review, activities, social skills, and other services to the extent possible given our circumstances. We will also be putting together learning packets for preschool students and toddlers.

Staff will use April 6-9 to reach out to families about what to expect in the coming weeks and to gather vital information to ensure the success of this virtual learning. Teachers and Therapists will begin planning and creating these lessons as early as April 1.

The SCCDC is unsure, at this point, the duration of this shift in delivery style but must prepare for the possibility of a virtual format for the rest of the school year. The SCCDC’s overall goal is to focus on essential learning and early childhood standards and doing our best to minimize gaps in learning caused by disruption between March 16 and the end of the school year.

We also want to share that communication on registration, tuition, screenings, office hours, and summer plans will be communicated in the days to come. To ensure the safety of all our students, their families and our staff we have been using this week to deep clean our buildings and all of our buses.

Please look for additional information from administration, teachers, and therapists in the upcoming days.