Dear ACM Families,

Like you, we are keeping up with the latest news regarding the spread of COVID-19 and trying to decide how best to prepare and plan for the inevitable arrival of the virus in WNC. There is enough known information to expect that our community will be severely impacted but not enough information to know when and for how long. So, like you, we are playing a guessing game and, at this time, are continuing our regular schedule while knowing that we might have to shut down temporarily in the near future.

We apologize for not getting information out sooner as we’re sure it has been on everyone’s mind. We jumped into action as we watched cases pick up in the U.S. over the past week and have been using every spare minute to put new policies into place and plan for the next few weeks. This is what we are doing to minimize the chance that transmission of COVID-19 will occur in our facility:

All students must wash hands before entering the gym for classes and we encourage them to wash hands before leaving our facility
We are not using stamps as a reward at the end of class (we are trying to find an alternative as we know the kids love the stamps)
Staff must wash hands upon entering the facility and between each class they teach
Disinfecting of door knobs, tables, benches, light switches, counters, bathrooms etc is completed several times a day
Mats and other gym equipment are sanitized daily in addition to regular cleaning
Ball pit, tunnel, and foam pit are now off limits
Staff who are not well will not work and will be allowed sick time
We are implementing a very liberal and flexible makeup policy. We will allow as many makeups as classes missed and makeups can be extended into the summer or will be scheduled in classes with extra space. If needed, we will create make up opportunities at the weekends later in the Spring. This will make it easier for parents to feel comfortable keeping kids home when they are sick.

What you can do to support:

Don’t bring your child to class or practice if they are not feeling well or if anyone in your family has COVID-19 symptoms.
If your child has been sick, they need to have been fever free for 48 hours before returning to class. If you have any reason to believe your child’s symptoms were due to COVID-19, please follow the two week quarantine. Remember that symptoms are mild in children.
Send your child with a water bottle – the water fountain should not be used
Make sure your child’s hands and face are clean before they come to class
Please drop off your child instead of waiting in the lobby during your child’s class unless they are preschool or kindergarten and you feel they need you to be there. This will reduce the chance that adults are spreading or contracting the virus. (we will implement a drop off and pickup system to eliminate the need for parents to come into the lobby)
Encourage your children to not touch their nose and face and to refrain from touching others (this is a hard one as I think we have the most loving group of kids in Asheville!)
Make sure your children know to wash their hands using the CDC method. They need to wash for at least 20 seconds and thoroughly dry their hands.
Carry hand sanitizer (if you have it) in your car and have your child use it before entering and after exiting. Hand washing is better, but this might help limit the spread of the virus on and from our front door.
Remind your children to catch all coughs and sneezes in their elbows.

As we all go through this together, we will try our best to communicate in a timely manner and respond to your questions and emails. Please have patience with us as we navigate these uncharted waters. Our concern is for our community and we want to do what is best for our ACM families and staff. We know how important it is for children to have consistency in their lives and the opportunity to exercise and expend their energy. We hope to continue to provide that opportunity but will also need to follow CDC and governmental regulations that will decrease community risk. We will notify you immediately if we make changes to our current schedule. Please continue to check your email frequently and follow us on Facebook to get faster updates.

Thank you for your continued support of ACM. We appreciate all of our families and hope you all stay well.

Sincerely,

Angie and Becca and your ACM staff