Schools, Child Care, and COVID-19

Screening

• Use the school and child care screening tool to help decide if your child should go to school/child care today.

• If you have questions, please call the Provincial Testing and Isolation Information Line at 1-888-777-0730 (available from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. seven days a week).

Children and Self-Isolation

• Mental health advice for quarantine and isolation - Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
• Coping with separation from family and friends during COVID-19 - SickKids

Parenting and COVID-19

• COVID-19 Parenting Resources
• Parenting During COVID-19
• COVID-19 and Your Child

Mental Health and Wellbeing

• How to Support a Mentally Healthy Back to School for Your Child - SMHO
• School Mental Health Backpack - CMHO
• COVID-19: Resources to Build our Children’s Resilience - Psychology Foundation of Canada
• Talking to Your Anxious Child About COVID -19 - Children’s Mental Health Ontario
• Mental Health Services

Preventing the Spread

You can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your child's school/child care community by teaching your child these simple routine practices:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

• Sneeze and cough into your upper sleeve. If a child sneezes or coughs into their hand, hand hygiene should be performed. 

• Wear a properly fitted face covering when required.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

Transportation

• For specific back-to-school transportation information and guidelines, visit www.npssts.ca  and your child’s school board website.

• When possible, choose walking and cycling to school. Finding an active way to school can give your child many benefits such as increased readiness to learn, decreased levels of stress and increased levels of happiness on the journey to school.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Visit the COVID-19 Vaccine: Information for Parents/Guardians webpage.

Top 5 Tools for COVID-Safer Schools and Child Care Centres 2022-2023

Here is a one-pager with our top resources to support a safe and healthy 2022/2023 school year!

• Top 5 Tools for COVID-Safer Schools and Child Care Centres

Screening

• The School and Child Care Screening Tool should be used to determine if students/children can attend school/child care.
• For additional support with screening:
• School/Childcare Screening Support Tool

• If you have questions, please call the Provincial Testing and Isolation Information Line at 1-888-777-0730 (available from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. seven days a week).

Screening tip: Choose any or all symptoms that are new, worsening and not related to other known causes or conditions

Guidance Documents

• Management of Cases and Contacts of COVID-19 in Ontario Guidance Document

Posters

• Elementary – COVID Rules Refresher Series
• Secondary – COVID Rules Refresher Series
• How to Wear a Face Covering
• How to Wash Your Hands
• How to Use Hand Sanitizer
• COVID-19 Vaccine for Children and Youth
• ‘I still wear a mask because…’ (CONSOLIDATED POSTER) 
• ‘I still wear a mask because…’ (INDIVIDUAL POSTERS) 

Social Media 

Facebook/Twitter posts (Audience: Parents/Guardians)

• COVID Rules Refresher Series

Instagram posts (Audience: Students)

• COVID Rules Refresher Series 
• COVID Spread
• Mental Health

Presentations

• Preventing COVID-19: Refresher Presentations for Schools and Childcare Settings (Public Health Ontario)

 Videos

Ways to Stay Healthy and Safe at School

• COVID-19 Combined Precautions (WHO)

Masks and Face Coverings

• Elementary – How to properly wear a mask or face covering (PHSD)
• How Do I Properly Wear a Cloth Mask (OPH)  

Hand-Washing

• Elementary – Hand-Washing Heroes (Health Canada)
• How to Hand Wash (PHO)

Teaching Tools

• Health Unit - Hand Hygiene Resource Manual (ages: 4-14) - This resource provides lesson plans, activities, and materials for teachers to use to educate students about germs, how they are spread, and how to prevent the spread of germs through proper hand hygiene.
• School and Classroom Supports – Find resources to support classroom learning and a healthy school environment on various health topics (mental health, physical activity, healthy eating, substance use, vaping, and more).
• Science North - Give Vaccines a Shot - Find videos, events, school programs, podcast episodes, and other fun online activities with accurate educational content.

Mental Health Resources 

• School Mental Health Ontario - Student Mental Health Action Kit
• 5 Ways to Wellbeing
• Mental Health at School

Physical Activity Resources

“Recess is a necessary break in the day for optimizing a child’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. Recess should not be withheld for punitive or academic reasons.”

OPHEA – COVID-19 Considerations for Physical Activity

Includes considerations for:

• Physical education
• Intramurals
• Interschool sports

CIRA Ontario

• COVID-19 Games to Keep You Going
• Fair & Square
• Bare Naked Games

Playworks: Safe Return to Play Guide 

Asphalt Green: Rep It Out! Games for Social Distancing 

PHE Canada: Physical Education Activities 

Health Unit – Physical Activity at School

Healthy Eating Resources

• Health Unit - Healthy Eating at School
• Bright Bites
• Foodland Ontario: Kids Corner
• Fruit and Vegetable Fact Sheets
• Recipes