Eden Prairie Community Members,

Governor Walz issued Executive Order 20-56 related to Safely Opening Minnesota's Economy and Ensuring Safe Non-Work Activities during the COVID-19 Peacetime Emergency. We expect to receive additional guidance specific to Community Education programs in the state over the course of the next week or two. However, our staff have continued to plan for summer programming based on the information that we have at this point. This will include some cancellations of programming, but we are working hard to offer modifications in all areas of programming where possible.

As we continue to plan, modifications being made to our summer programs are based on state health guidelines and direction from The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Office of Governor Walz.

We will continue to provide high quality enriching programs, and although we know that the modifications being made to some programs will not meet the needs of all families, we are focused on providing services to our community that meet the state guidelines. Our focus is on creating safe and healthy environments for all participants. Over the next few weeks we will continue to be adaptive and responsive to the guidelines in an effort to provide quality services that are safe and fun for all involved. For more information on the most current updates, please see the program updates below. Unless the program is listed below, there are no changes to the updates sent last week.
EARLY CHILDHOOD FAMILY EDUCATION (ECFE)
Early Childhood & Family Education
Updates on the status of Summer ECFE classes will be out next Friday, May 22 nd

Early Childhood Screening
Due to the on-going situation involving COVID-19, there are no appointments being scheduled for May and June at this time. As we continue to monitor the situation, you will be able to find additional appointment availability beyond June here.
LITTLE EAGLES PRESCHOOL
Picking-up Children's Belongings
As a reminder, we are asking that families pick up their child's belongings. Please contact Laurie Ambrose at LAmbrose@edenpr.org to schedule a time to pick up any items that your child currently has in the building.

Preschool Parent Live Video Chat Series
Join our Preschool Parent Live Video Chat scheduled for this upcoming  Monday, May 18th from 1:30-2:30 PM. Parenting During a Pandemic   will be facilitated by Parent Educators, Kathy Matthews and Stephanie Hendrickson.

Join our preschool parent educators and other parents to share your challenges and successes parenting young children during the current circumstances. You’ll get information about what children need to feel safe and secure, as well as how you can continue to support their learning at home. The early childhood School Nurse will join towards the end of the hour to answer any health related questions you might have. Click on the link above (topic/title) to join the live chat.

Looking for resources and information?
Check our our  Early Childhood Health & Wellness   site for a resources to support you and your family.

Looking for learning activities and resources?
Weekly updates will be made to page two of the  Early Childhood Enrichment Activities & Parent Resources .

Connect on Facebook  
Follow the   Eden Prairie Schools Early Childhood Programs ,  Parent Educators continue to update this page.

Need individual support? 
Contact parent educators, early childhood health and wellness staff, and family resources  here .

Little Eagles Summer Camp Update
This week, we received  Guidelines for Social Distancing in Youth and Student Programs .  Our plan is to provide preschool in the safest way possible, the following changes have been made to the Preschool Summer Camp program. This is an overview of changes, with more details to come in the weekly update on May 22nd. 

  • Little Eagles Summer Preschool Camp will require a minimum of 4 days per week, and a minimum commitment of 5 weeks. There will also be a site capacity limit.
  • More detailed information will be sent to families who are currently enrolled in Little Eagles Summer Camp between now and Friday, May 22nd. For families who have already enrolled in preschool camp this summer and have already paid a registration fee, that payment will be carried over to a new contract.
  • New families who are not currently enrolled in summer camp will receive an update on the new registration process in the weekly update on May 22nd.
  • Registration will open on Monday, May 25th at 8:00 AM. A link to the registration page will be shared in follow-up communication. Submitting a contract does not guarantee enrollment. Your contract must be reviewed and approved prior to confirmation of enrollment. All contracts will be reviewed with a determination within five business days. Determinations will be based on staffing and site capacity.
  • The guidance of a 9:1 ratio, rather than the typical 10:1 ratio results in slightly higher staffing expenses and the hours we are open will change slightly. Specific hours will be shared with families next week.
  • We will not schedule any field trips or have outside vendors entering the building throughout the duration of the summer.
EAGLE ZONE SCHOOL AGE CARE
Spring & Eagle Zone Alternative Childcare
Eagle Zone will be closed through the remainder of the school year, with the exception of Alternative Childcare for health care and emergency workers.

Summer Eagle Zone Program Updates
As we continue to evaluate the current situation, we have been working on modifying our summer child care program based on state health guidelines and direction from The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Office of Governor Walz. This week, we received Guidelines for Social Distancing in Youth and Student Programs . These guidelines have already been implemented in the alternative care that is being provided by Eagle Zone and provide an opportunity to develop plans to further expand our childcare services to more families.

With our plan to provide childcare in the safest way possible, we must follow the guidelines of creating a predictable environment and avoid the mixing of groups . We will be creating consistent groups of students who will be assigned a classroom for the summer. We will also be limiting the capacity at each site. In addition, the following changes have been made to the Eagle Zone summer program, with more details to come in the weekly update on May 22nd.

  • Eagle Zone will require a new registration process for this upcoming summer, with a minimum of 4 days per week, and a minimum commitment of 5 weeks.
  • Registration will open on Monday, May 25th at 8:00 AM. A link to the registration page will be shared in follow-up communication. Submitting a contract does not guarantee enrollment. Your contract must be reviewed and approved prior to confirmation of enrollment. All contracts will be reviewed with a determination within five business days. Determinations will be based on staffing, site capacity and the information below:
  • Families who are already enrolled in Eagle Zone for the summer will be given priority to register through May 29th. More detailed information will be sent to families who are currently enrolled in Summer Eagle Zone between now and Friday, May 22nd. For families who are already enrolled in Eagle Zone this summer and paid a registration fee, that payment will be carried over to a new contract if approved. If not approved, the registration fee will be refunded.
  • Tier 1, 2 & 3 families (already registered) will be given priority over families that have already registered who do not fall into Tier 1, 2 or 3 based on the following state guidelines.
  • After May 29th, if there is still space available, new families will be accepted based on the order that the contract was submitted.
  • The daily rate for Summer Eagle Zone will remain unchanged at $49/day.
  • The guidance of a 9:1 ratio, rather than the typical 15:1 ratio results in higher staffing expenses. Rather than increasing the daily rate, the hours we are open will change slightly. Specific hours will be shared with families next week.

We will have policies in place based on social distancing guidelines for all students who are attending the program. There are activities that can be done while physical distancing, and we will work hard to offer new and creative activities that allow student engagement while physical distancing. As explained in the guidelines shared in the link above , there will be changes to how our program operates on a daily basis.

  • We will be following a child to staff ratio of 9:1, unless our ratio needs to be adjusted to align with future updates from MDE, MDH, CDC or the Governor's Office.
  • We will be utilizing classrooms as they allow for a more predictable environment than the cafeteria, gymnasium or larger activity spaces. There will still be breakout programming happening in the gyms and larger spaces, but with a smaller number of children, typically no more than 5 in a breakout space at one time.
  • We will be providing Targeted Services support in classrooms for students who are enrolled in distance learning Targeted Services courses.
  • We will not schedule any field trips or have outside vendors entering the building throughout the duration of the summer.
  • A new drop-off and pick-up procedure will be required for parents as we will only allow three parents at a time to drop off and pick-up their child.

As we enter this summer, we do so with the understanding that the information and guidance can change rather quickly. If any state or federal guidance requires us to adapt, modify or cancel programming, we will do so. If we need to cancel programming, there will be no charges billed for the days that Eagle Zone is closed.

We appreciate your partnership as we enter this summer. We are excited to welcome more children back into our program, while continuing to prioritize safety for all children and staff. Your patience and flexibility in working with us is greatly appreciated by our staff. The support from our community plays a key role in the functioning and success of the program. We thank you for that support and hope that you are staying healthy and remaining safe during these times.

We look forward to sharing more details with families next week!
EPIC YOUTH PROGRAMS
EPIC & Targeted Services Summer Program Updates
Summer registration remains open, and those who are currently registered do not need to modify any of their course registrations at this time. We are developing plans to modify our program - including through distance-learning and a blended hybrid model for a limited number of fee based courses.

Due to the ever changing nature of the situation, we will be sharing more information next week about the various options for EPIC and Targeted Services.

Introducing Half Day OUTDOOR Summer Camps!
EPIC will be following the Guidelines for Social Distancing in Youth and Student Programs to offer half-day outdoor summer camps at some of our elementary school locations. These camps will involve activities that can be offered through physical distancing and allow students the opportunity to enjoy their summer outdoors.

2020/2021 Fall EPIC Program
We are planning to resume after-school classes during the 2020-2021 school year. Our fall session will run from September 21 - December 17, and registration will open in August. For more information, visit www.edenpr.org/EPIC.
ADULT LEARNING & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Adult Enrichment
Summer 2020:  In response to your feedback and to keep our customers, any children in our buildings, and staff safe during this time, we’ve made the difficult decision that all Summer 2020 Adult Learning courses will now take place virtually. If a class cannot be moved online, it will be postponed until fall or cancelled. If you are registered for a class in our Summer 2020 catalog, we will reach out to you individually with your full list of options once we have finalized details with the instructor. Please make sure your contact information is updated in our  online registration system . The only exception is for CPR/AED and First Aid certification courses, which still require an in-person skills evaluation. We hope to have our complete list of new summer 2020 offerings ready by May 22. 

Fall 2020 : We are currently accepting proposals for the Fall 2020 season through May 25 and are planning to continue to offer virtual courses, regardless of whether or not we will be able to meet in person. More details and the proposal can be found at  www.edenpr.org/adult .

Somali Liaison Support
The Early Childhood and Community Education Somali Cultural Liaison is available through June 30 to support our Somali speaking families for their educational needs and to provide them culturally and linguistically appropriate services. Please reach out to Yussuf Issa at 952-975-7254 or Yussuf_Issa@edenpr.k12.mn.us for support or questions.

Adeegaha Soomaalida ee Waxbarashada Hore ee Caruurta ee Arimaha Dhaqanka iyo Afka Qaabilsan waa kuu diyaar inuu kaa caawiyo adeegyada waxbarashada ilaa iyo bisha lixaad 30-keeda, kuuguna adeego afkaaga iyo si xushmo ku ah dhaqankaaga. Fadlan ka la hadal Yussuf Issa 952-975-7254 ama kala xidhiidh Yussuf_Issa@edenpr.k12.mn.us wixii macluumaad dheeraad ah ama caawimo ah.
These weekly emails are temporary updates to keep participants informed about the status of our programs as we continue the planning process.

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