Child care centers may be notorious for the spread of germs, but Discovery Village Child Care Center (DVCC) in Waltham, MA succeeded in preventing the spread of Covid-19 from two infected students who unknowingly were at DVCC for days before tests confirmed their condition. Despite extended periods of exposure in the enclosed indoor space of DVCC, no other students or staff contracted the virus. Children in child care centers, the majority of whom are too young for vaccination, are in close proximity to each other for hours, engaged in the fun and educational activities that generate high concentrations of potentially viral aerosols: talking, eating, singing, exercising, or yelling. Keeping schools open and safe through the waves of Covid-19 is the ultimate goal among all educators. So, how did DVCC do it?
To protect her students, Laura Harrington, owner and director of the DVCC, incorporated a multi-layered virus mitigation strategy that included highly effective and safe air cleaning. Along with well-known approaches of masking, hand washing, and surface sanitization, DVCC installed Bluezone® UV-C air cleaners throughout the school to continuously kill airborne viral aerosols and lower the viral load in the air. Many studies have shown, and the CDC has clearly stated, that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is transmitted through airborne viral aerosols. Too often overlooked, air cleaning is a direct way to reduce airborne viral load and mitigate the risk of transmission. Cleaning the air in each room with properly designed and sized air cleaners offers risk reduction with no loss of comfort, no additional limitations of behavior, and no personal effort whatsoever.
Laura explained:
“The health and safety of my children is the most important aspect of running a successful child care center. I owe it to my children and their parents to do everything I can to keep them safe. Since I installed Bluezone air cleaners throughout my facility, we haven’t seen an outbreak here. It transfers the burden of safety from my children protecting themselves to me protecting my children, which I prefer.”
Bluezone’s Director of Operations, Michael Carbone, was pleased but not surprised to hear of DVCC’s success in preventing an outbreak of the coronavirus. “Cleaning the air with Bluezone UV-C air purifiers is tried and true. Laura’s success story is a real-world example of how daycares, classrooms and other high occupancy, indoor spaces can operate safely during this unpredictable pandemic”, he said.
About Discovery Village Child Care Center
Discovery Village is a place to learn, grow and be loved. We believe that children bloom and flourish in a setting that is educational, nurturing, safe and positively challenging. Our curriculum combines structure with encouragement that fosters each child’s awareness of his/her individual control and choices – a practice which enhances a child’s self-image and self-esteem. Parents are their child’s first and best teacher.
We value and believe in maintaining an ongoing relationship with parents that is open and free. The communication between parents and staff is an essential aspect of a growth-providing environment for children. Discovery Village welcomes parental involvement at all program levels: administration, educational, and recreational.
About Bluezone Products, Inc.
Bluezone Products, Inc. is dedicated Covid-19 prevention and helping people safely get back to work, school and recreation during the pandemic. We proudly create scientifically tested air purifiers that offer safety and fresh preservation solutions to our customers. Bluezone Products Inc. is reinventing the science of fresh air. The Bluezone Model 450 uses germicidal UV-C to kill airborne viruses, keeping the viral load low and mitigating transmission from person-to-person. Bluezone technology was initially developed in Woburn, MA for the US military. The Model 450 is also certified by the Israeli Ministry of Health (a world leader in COVID mitigation) as 1 of 4 air cleaners to be both highly effective and safe against SARS-CoV-2. Independent testing demonstrated that the Bluezone Model 450 reduced airborne virus by 99.9995% in large chamber testing. Bluezone air cleaners are used in K-12 schools, higher education, medical offices, business offices, daycare facilities and restaurant dining areas.
