Kathryn Czaplinski
/ Categories: NEWS, 2024

SVMC’s Learning Tree Childcare Center earns 5 Stars from the State of Vermont

 

BENNINGTON, VT—December 19, 2024—The Learning Tree Childcare Center at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a member of Dartmouth Health, has earned 5 stars from Vermont’s Step Ahead Recognition System (STARS). 

STARS is Vermont’s Quality Recognition and Improvement System (QRIS) for child care, preschool, and afterschool programs.

“The health and development of every child we serve at The Learning Tree is the top priority of our educators,” said Nancy Noel, the center’s director. “This STARS achievement is a reflection of that commitment to our kids and their families.”

According to the Child Development Division of Vermont, participation in STARS means that a program is striving beyond licensing regulations to meet higher quality standards, uphold professional practices, and commit to continuous quality improvement.

Currently, The Learning Tree has 59 enrolled students who range in age from six weeks to 5 years old. The center’s 19 staff utilize the Northern Lights Career Ladder at the Community College of Vermont, which offers six different levels of learning and professional development. Staff are mentored by Learning Tree leadership through their educational journey, which can range from recent high school grads to college students and those who have already earned degrees.  Recently, one of the Learning Tree’s teachers, Haley Harrington, was named 2024 Vermont Early Childhood Education Student of the Year from the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VTAEYC).

“While it is no surprise to me that the Learning Tree staff has achieved another 5-five star designation, this is no small feat,” said Ronald Zimmerman, Vice President of Support Services, who oversees The Learning Tree. “This process takes a lot of time and effort and we’re beyond fortunate to have a team that goes the extra mile for local children and families.”

The Learning Tree Childcare Center has been participating in the program since 2010 and has held 5 stars for the past several years.  

Learn more about The Learning Tree at the link.

About SVMC:

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a member of Dartmouth Health, is a comprehensive, preeminent, health care system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVMC includes the Dartmouth Cancer Center at SVMC, the SVHC Foundation, as well as 25 primary and specialty care practices. Southwestern Vermont Medical Center is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It is the recipient of the American Hospital Association’s 2020 Rural Hospital Leadership Award. In addition, SVMC is a five-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. SVMC provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.

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Cautious Entertaining

After almost 3 months of staying home and with the weather getting nicer, many of us are itching to invite friends over and catch up. While this is a natural inclination, it should be approached with significant caution. COVID-19 is still circulating. If you are planning to host, follow these helpful tips for a safe gathering at your home.

Keep the numbers small. Invite as few people as possible. One-on-one meetings are safer than group gatherings. The recommendations from Vermont Governor Phil Scott recommend 25 or fewer. I would still aim for fewer than 10, especially depending on the size of your entertaining space.

Choose invitees carefully. You should know almost everything about the socializing habits of the people you are inviting. Your guests should be as careful in their social interactions as you are in yours. You should also trust that your guests would be cancel if they were feeling ill, as should you if you are suddenly symptomatic. Those at high risk, due to age or a medical condition, should be very careful about hosting or accepting invitations.

Stay outside. Outdoor air movement disperses aerosolized particles more readily than indoor environments. And plenty of space outside allows guests to stay distanced. UV light, like the rays found in sunshine, may also provide some small benefit. It has been shown to decrease the viability of the virus on objects, but it is not yet clear how intense the light must be and for how long the object needs to be exposed in order to kill the virus.

Keep it short. Duration of exposure to others has been identified as a key risk factor. The longer you are near someone shedding the virus, even if they don't have symptoms, the greater your likelihood of catching it yourself. While it is awkward to say that you are inviting people over for a 10-minute chat in the driveway, this is certainly among the lowest-risk types of socializing.

Clean beforehand. If you expect guests to touch anything, the arms of patio chairs, for instance, wipe them down in advance. Ask everyone to sanitize or wash their hands as they arrive, if they touch their face, and about every hour or so.

Stay distanced and masked. People standing tend to drift. Place chairs 6 feet apart so that people will be more likely to stay apart. Unless you are eating, keep your masks on. Share this expectation in advance, so your guests bring their masks with them.

Limit contact points. If you are preparing food, be sure to wash well before cooking and ensure everyone has a portion of his or her own. Forget about platters of vegetables or bowls of chips everyone shares and even buffets, where people share spoons and tongs.

Clean after. Wipe down anything your guests may have touched after they leave.

Keep track. Be sure to take note of who was there, the date of the social event, and each guest's contact details. If any one of the attendees becomes ill with COVID-19 or learns that they may have been exposed at the time of the event, they will be able to reach out directly to the others and to share information readily with contact tracers.

With these tips, you can host a relatively safe get-together and relieve some of the social isolation of the past several weeks. Do know, however, that no party—regardless of how careful—is risk free. Weigh the risks, decrease those you can, and then, try to have fun.

Donna Barron, RN, is the infection preventionist at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

 

 

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