Future Scholars is certified to remain open as an emergency childcare center under New Jersey's Executive Order 110.  We will continue to provide families with quality childcare during this time of uncertainty.  Under these new regulations, we will ONLY be permitted to care for children whose parent(s) work for an essential business at this time.  The approved list is included below for your reference.  We will be following much stricter guidelines in order to comply with social distancing and health and safety standards.  Please notify us if you will be needing childcare at this time.  As part of the COVID-19 emergency, the state is launching an Emergency Child Care Assistance Program (ECCAP) to help support child care costs when a parent or guardian is an essential employee, regardless of your income.  This could make a huge impact in the lives of many of you still working and trying to juggle finances and child care. All children MUST be registered through the state's ECCAP program in order to attend.

Who is considered an “essential person” under the Executive Order?
The list includes, but is not limited to:
• Health care workers, including staff working in health care facilities and in community-based services including home health and behavioral health;
• Law enforcement personnel, fire and emergency services personnel, and staff at correctional facilities;
• Individuals employed at operating child care centers as of April 1, 2020;
• Staff working for entities that provide essential social services, including, but not limited to, group home and shelter staff;
• Essential government employees who are unable to work from home, including child protection services workers, child welfare workers, foster care workers, unemployment compensation processing staff, and public health employees; and
• Essential retail business employees

• Grocery stores
• Farmers markets and farms that sell directly to customers
• Other food stores, including retailers that offer a varied assortment of foods comparable to what exists at a grocery store
• Pharmacies
• Medical marijuana dispensaries
• Medical supply stores
• Gas stations
• Convenience stores
• Ancillary stores within healthcare facilities
• Hardware and home improvement stores
• Banks and other financial institutions
• Laundromats and dry-cleaning services
• Stores that principally sell supplies for children under five years
• Pet stores
• Liquor stores
• Car dealerships, but only for auto maintenance and repair, and auto mechanics
• Printing and office supply shops
• Mail and delivery stores
• Restaurants, though only takeout and delivery.
• Mobile phone retail and repair shops
• Bicycle shops, but only to provide service and repair
• Livestock feed stores
• Nurseries and garden centers
• Farming equipment stores

The Commissioner of Children and Families, in consultation with the State Director of Emergency Management, shall have the discretion to make changes to this list based on the demonstrated need and capacity of child care centers.

Dear Parents,
The current outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has raised some serious questions and concerns.  We are working closely with local health officials and have not planned to close our center at this time. We will follow guidance from the NJ Department of Health and Center for Disease Control when making decisions on any dismissals or closures.
The NJDOH recommends that schools and childcare settings increase education on respiratory hygiene. Staff and children (as developmentally appropriate) will be asked to follow these steps that prevent the transmission of respiratory infections:  
• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or into your sleeve, not your hands.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. 
• Wash hands often for at least 20 seconds, especially after coughing or sneezing.
• Use alcohol based hand sanitizer only if soap and water are not available.
• Stay home if you’re sick, especially with a fever.
• Avoid people who are sick.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects.
Additional preventive measures include:
• Continue to monitor students and staff who my exhibit respiratory symptoms.
• Adhere to exclusion recommendations from public health. For acute respiratory illness; fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication. Doctors notes for return do not supersede public health recommendations.
• Separate sick students and staff from others until they can be picked up to go home.
• Encourage routine surface cleaning through education, policy, and the provision of supplies.
 Please trust that we do not take our responsibility as your childcare provider lightly and plan to continue to practice good hygiene and disinfecting procedures.  We will continue to monitor this outbreak and will notify all parents if we receive notification that we must close for any period of time.  This is not our plan, but if we are given instruction to do so, we will follow those orders.  Additional information can be found on the below websites.  Please feel free to contact us with any additional questions.

NJ Department of Health: ​https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/ncov.shtml
Center for Disease Control: ​https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html