Early Childhood Classrooms

Developmentally Appropriate Practice

Henry Barnard's goal is to continue providing developmentally appropriate practice for preschool and kindergartners while keeping students and faculty as safe as possible. In part, this means the development of new routines for both adults and children. This year, we will be teaching children a number of new routines, such as:

  • Greeting people by waving and smiling, but not shaking hands.

  • Saying goodbye to parents at the car.

  • Avoiding touching our face, eyes, nose, and mouth.

  • Sharing items only after they have been cleaned and disinfected.

  • Cleaning up after ourselves to avoid passing germs.

  • Beginning to learn to pack and unpack their personal belongings.

  • Covering your nose and mouth with your elbow when you cough, or sneeze covering your mouth and nose with a tissue and throw the tissue in the trash. Then wash your hands.

Children will also notice their teachers developing new routines, such as:

  • Creating independent buckets or bins for students' sensory play and and hands on play.

  • Participating in new cleaning routines, although the school-wide cleaning protocols on the Health and Safety page and Reopening Operations page will include the preschool, as well.

While there are many new regulations to follow, the sustaining of developmentally appropriate practice in the classroom will not change. Henry Barnard teachers will continue to facilitate learning, social emotional growth and best practice teaching.

Physical Distance


  • The number of teachers working directly with the children will be kept at a minimum.

  • Physical distancing will be enforced during center time, group time, arrival, and dismissal.

  • The classroom will be arranged to meet these physical distancing requirements. Proper table/desk spacing, lunch arrangement and circle spots will be outlined prior to opening.

  • For preschool nap time, cots will be staggered 6 feet apart instead of 3 feet.

Masks & Screenings

  • Faculty, staff, and students will wear masks.

  • Health screenings will take place as outlined in the Health and Safety page.

  • Students will enter and exit the building through the classroom door linked to the courtyard.

Parent-Teacher Communication

  • Conversation between the teacher and parent is always encouraged, but during these times, our focus must be on limiting classroom exposure.

  • Parents are asked to email or call the teacher or call with questions about their child’s day.

  • Before the start of the school year, teachers will reach out to communicate how this conversation can best be facilitated.

Snack and Lunch

  • Students will eat snack and lunch in their classroom.

  • Like the rest of the school, preschoolers and kindergartners have the option of ordering school lunch prepared by Donovan Dining (see "Lunch" on the Reopening Operations page for more) to be delivered to the classroom.

  • Snack times will be staggered to limit the amount of cross contamination.

  • Hand-washing will be required before and after eating.

Cleaning Toys

  • For cleaning and disinfection in general, please reference the Health and Safety page and Reopening Operations pages.

  • There will be a limited amount of shared toys in the classroom. Shared toys will be disinfected each day, removed from circulation for 3-days after use, or divided into individual bins.

  • Sensory items will only be used on an individual bases and not in a shared space. (For example, water in the water table will not be used. Instead, water will be used in individual buckets for the children and cleaned properly before use by another child.)

Handwashing

  • Handwashing will be a critical focus this year, for both children and adults.

  • Children are required to wash their hands upon arrival, before eating, after using the toilet, after blowing their nose/coughing/sneezing, and before and after recess.

  • We will spend time practicing and reinforcing important steps that make handwashing effective.

Rest Time

  • Rest time is an important part of preschooler's day.

  • Individual rest items will be assigned to students and many items will be stored in large Ziplock bags, labeled with the child's name.

  • For the safety of the children there will be no spare pillows and stuffed animals for the children to use during rest time. Please be sure to provide these for your child.

  • Bedding needs to be cleaned often with warm water.

  • Cots will be spaced 6 feet apart in a separate napping room only used by preschoolers.