Hello,
As we learn more about the COVID-19 virus in upcoming days, I want to assure you that we take your health and safety, and the health and safety of the children you care for, very seriously. I appreciate the trust you place in our company and want to share what we are doing to help you in this situation and answer any questions you might have.
To ensure the accuracy of the protocols we are taking and the information we are sharing, we are utilizing the CDC website, visiting with licensed health care professionals, and taking cues from verified sources.
IS MY KIT SAFE?
We have been in touch with our suppliers since early February, and are monitoring the CDC reports carefully regarding how the virus is thought to be spread. It is widely acknowledged that it is spread through respiratory droplets and person-to-person contact.
According to the CDC
, “Current evidence suggests that novel coronavirus may remain viable for hours to days on surfaces made from a variety of materials. (However) transmission of novel coronavirus to persons from surfaces contaminated with the virus has not been documented.”
Many raw materials are not handled by people during our manufacturing process. A significant amount of time passes between the order and receipt of materials, and the items remain in our warehouse for a number of days or weeks before we begin to package them. Based on current knowledge from the CDC, we believe that by the time we begin to assemble your kit, enough time has passed to mitigate any danger.
During the kit packaging process, there are numerous steps we have taken to protect our staff, as well as our customers. Most of these are established practices:
- As many materials as possible are sorted or counted by a machine.
- FunShine Staff who exhibit ANY symptoms of a cold, cough, or flu are not allowed to be at work. This includes office staff as well as production and shipping staff. Many of our employees already work remotely, but we have increased the ability for others to do so to reduce spread of the virus through “social distancing.” If anyone tests positive for COVID-19, we will require them to be cleared by a doctor before returning to work.
- When employees are not at work, they have been told to avoid travel and also to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people (per federal guidelines). If they have traveled to a high-risk area within the past few weeks, they are not allowed at work.
- A small number of people are packaging kits. We monitor them closely to make sure they are healthy and using excellent hygienic practices. Hand-washing is frequent, hand sanitizer is at every work station, work surfaces and break areas are being disinfected daily, people are spaced good distances from each other, and lunches and breaks are being staggered. Within the next week, we move to reduced summer hours, and fewer people will be in our production facility each day.
- Finally, there are a fair number of days between when a kit is packaged and when it reaches your door. Finished kits are stored on our shelves anywhere from 1 day to 6 weeks. Once we pull them for shipping, it takes anywhere from 2-5 days to reach your doorstep. Referring back to the CDC guidelines – there is no indication that a virus could survive on the materials packed inside the box, especially for those lengths of time.
We will continue to monitor the CDC website for the most up-to-date safety recommendations, and we will adjust our practices accordingly.
I HAVE FEWER (MORE) CHILDREN IN MY CARE! HELP!!
This is a situation we help customers with on a regular basis! We can adjust the size of your kit, shipping dates, and the frequency of shipping. Please call our office or send an email and we will be happy to assist.
Please watch for email reminders about your upcoming shipping dates. Contact us before your shipping date to avoid additional charges.
If you need additional activities for extra children or school-age children, please check out the “Resources” tab at
funshineexpress.com
. We will be posting some FREE activities there within the next few days.
Check out
FunShine Digital
for extra activities and patterns that are easy to print. There are almost 15,000 activities available, and numerous themes. We offer a Free 30 Day Trial. This might be a great time to try it!
MY CHILD CARE WILL BE CLOSED. CAN I MAKE COPIES TO SEND WITH CHILDREN?
Absolutely. In this situation you are using the materials for the children and families in your care. I am happy to waive any copyright issues, and appreciate your continued business with our company. Just like you, as a small business owner, I am concerned about the impact this situation might have on us. It is important for us to retain your business, be flexible, and help you out.
As we work through this evolving situation, please stay safe. We will certainly be in touch if there is additional information you need from our office. Please call or email for any questions.
Best wishes,
Beth Ehlis
President
FunShine Express
1(800)340-8103
