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Attendance has been a wild ride over the last 20 months and we all want to make things more manageable for our classrooms, ratios, and children’s experiences. It is time to look ahead to our new Covid protocols and policies for the coming school year. 

Paid Leave

As a starting point, I have gathered several Paid Time Off and Holiday Leave policies from other half-day programs. I have discovered so many interesting things from a survey of the director’s group. Fifteen schools answered and here is the breakdown:

Paid Time Off per School Year

• 8 Schools: No paid leave 
• 6 Schools: PTO days = days worked. Work 3 days/ week, receive 3 days of PTO, 5 days = 5 PTO, 2 days = 2 PTO.
• 1 school: 2 days after 2 years.

FUMP teachers receive 9-11 PTO days per year.

Holiday Pay per School Year

• 7 Schools: No paid holidays
• 8 Schools: Paid holidays 

FUMP Teachers receive 23 paid holidays per year. 

PTO Pay and Holiday Pay give each teacher 32-34 days of paid leave each school year – that is 6-7 weeks paid during the school year. I had no idea that FUMP was outpacing paid time off more than every half-day program! 

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Our Paid Time Off and Holiday Pay will remain the same. Staff members will receive:

• 9 days of leave – 0-4 years. Four days in the fall, five days in the spring
• 10 days of leave – 5-8 years. Five days in the fall, five days in the spring
• 11 days of leave – 9+ years. Five days in the fall, six days in the spring. 

Teachers will receive an additional 5 days of Paid Covid Leave for the school year. After Covid Leave is exhausted, Paid Time Off days will be applied. When all paid leave has been disbursed, unpaid leave will go into effect. Also, all leave must be approved by the director once all paid leave has been used, and may be denied.  Additional Paid Covid Leave will be granted on a case-by-case basis.  See below for more information.

Covid Protocols. 

Employee Covid Protocols will now match the CDC guidance for educators’ isolation/quarantine guidelines. See link below. These are the guidelines for fully vaccinated adults:

Positive test: 

• Isolate for 5 days.
• Test on Day 5.
• Return to work if negative and fever-free. 
• Masks are required through Day 10.  

Exposure, Fully Vaxxed: 

• Remain at work. 
• Test on Day 5. 
• Masks are required through Day 10. 
• Isolate if symptoms develop.

Exposure, within 90 days of last Covid: 

• Remain at work. 
• Test on Day 5. 
• Masks are required through Day 10. 
• Isolate if symptoms develop.

Teachers will receive regular pay when their classrooms are closed during Covid, and will be asked to report to work for additional school tasks/projects as per Covid protocols.

Carefully review the policy below, and especially the last two paragraphs of the PTO policy below to be fully knowledgeable about how leave will be handled in the upcoming school year. 

Please share any comments or questions on the form below, we can meet to discuss them. Thank you. SKP

Paid Time Off

Paid Time Off (PTO) is a privilege, not a right; it is a benefit designed to protect the employee from financial loss during times of illness and absence and to protect the Preschool by reducing the spread of illness to other employees and to the children. We expect staff to use good judgment and take paid leave days whenever necessary. 

It is each teachers’ responsibility to contact BOTH the Director (or designate) AND their coworker regarding any absences. A recorded message on the Preschool office voicemail system is NOT adequate notification. Unused PTO days are not paid to the employee at the time of resignation/termination. Unused PTO days do not accrue to the following school term (see Bonus Leave). PTO is granted to new employees after 90 days of employment and is prorated accordingly. 

Paid Time Off is offered to employees based on a ‘Years of Service’ schedule, as outlined below:

• Years 1-4. 9 PTO days per year: 4 days in the fall, 5 days in the spring.
• Years 5-8. 10 PTO days per year: 5 days in the fall, 5 days in the spring. 
• Years 9+. 11 PTO days per year:  5 days in the fall, 6 days in the spring.

Absences related to Covid will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

A preschool holiday that falls on a normal business day during your vacation is not counted as a paid leave day.

The employee will secure a substitute and make note of the arrangement on the calendar in the preschool office, including Before School Care and After School Care staffing. 

Work schedules, holiday pay, and Paid Time Off have been established giving consideration to the school calendar, and coverage requirements. Employees’ absences have a detrimental effect on these conditions. While absence for illness and emergency situations may happen from time to time, employees will not be granted additional time off beyond their Paid Time Off as a standard practice. For any absence beyond three days of work, an employee will need director approval. Leave requests beyond three days will be limited and exceptions are rare, such as once in a lifetime events (Close family member wedding/graduation). Examples that will not be approved are vacations, trips, events of choice, etc., as generous holiday closures and summer breaks are available to staff. 

Emergency circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will only be granted in extenuating circumstances. FUMP reserves the right to deny the request for leave beyond the allotted PTO days, as excessive absences from work can be disruptive to children, families, and FUMP operations. Taking leave time that has not been approved will be considered a voluntary termination.

LINK TO CDC ISOLATION/QUARANTINE FLOW CHART