Donation protected
Hello Green Sprout family and friends!
This year has been difficult, but we are all so lucky to have our wonderful Guides, Liz, and Candace to help us stay safe and keep it together in these trying times. Let's thank them all by continuing to ensure our school is as safe as it can possibly be!
After some research and discussion, a few of the parents on our Covid taskforce team have identified a couple of ways we can make our classrooms even safer, and give our guides a little more peace of mind as they share the space with our kiddos each day. Putting air purifiers in the classrooms has emerged as a recommendation by experts for reducing the risk of airborn viral particles, and of course providing our guides with the best PPE possible will help protect everyone.
We're raising money to buy air purifiers for the classrooms, and better masks for our guides. With just an average donation of $60 per family we can do this, and we can all sleep a little more soundly knowing that we've done everything that we can do to mitigate the spread within our community and keep our school open safely. Read on to learn more about the exact air purifiers and masks we've identified for purchase. If we exceed our goal, the extra money will buy replacement air filters to be changed out in three months, and more masks to last us through the end of January and beyond.
Thank you for donating (anything helps!), and please feel free to pass along to grandparents, aunts and uncles, and family friends - anyone who wants to help and is able to give.
Blue 211+ Air Purifiers (x4) - $1,200
The virus has been shown to be air-born, with small aerosolized viral particles contributing to the spread of Covid-19. The use of HEPA air filters can filter out these viral particles (along with dust and other allergens) to make the air that we share clean and safe. We've picked these particular air purifiers because they are highly rated, they filter and deliver clean air for large rooms (up to 500 feet) in a matter of minutes, and they filter from 360º which means they can be placed pretty much anywhere in the classroom, moved around as needed, and still be very effective. These will be placed in the larger Kinderblossom, Primary, Toddler, and Pre-Tot rooms. (If we exceed our goal by $240, we'll buy an extra air filter for each one to be switched out in three months.)
Wirecutter Best Air Purifiers
Blue 411+ Air Purifiers (x2) - $240
Similar to the above, but for smaller spaces. These will be placed in the Infant room and the room formerly known as Liz and Candace's office. (If we exceed our goal by another $50, we'll buy an extra air filter for each one to be switched out in three months.)
KN95 Masks (x1000) - $1,100
KN95 masks are just as effective as the N95s we've all heard about, and they are in abundant supply. These masks are 5-layers thick, filtering out 95% of particles as small as 0.3µm. Unlike other types of masks, the KN95 offers as much protection to the person wearing it as it does to the people around them. The difference between these and the medical N95s is that they fall under different regulations, but this specific brand is approved by the FDA. Most importantly, we brought some in for the guides to try out for a day, and almost all of them said they fit great, felt comfortable, and made them feel safer. If we meet our goal, we'll have enough to buy 9 guides enough KN95s to last them through the end of the year.
N95 vs KN95 masks
Surgical Masks (x300) - $100
For a few guides who did not like the fit/feel of the KN95 masks, we'd like to provide disposable surgical masks instead. These are three-ply, and while not as effective as the KN95s at protecting the wearer, studies have shown them to be generally more effective than cotton masks as limiting particle spray from the person wearing them. They're also extremely comfortable and easy to talk in, which means minimal shifting and adjusting throughout the day. If we meet our goal, we'll be able to buy 3 guides enough surgical masks to last them through the end of the year.
Study on mask efficiency
This year has been difficult, but we are all so lucky to have our wonderful Guides, Liz, and Candace to help us stay safe and keep it together in these trying times. Let's thank them all by continuing to ensure our school is as safe as it can possibly be!
After some research and discussion, a few of the parents on our Covid taskforce team have identified a couple of ways we can make our classrooms even safer, and give our guides a little more peace of mind as they share the space with our kiddos each day. Putting air purifiers in the classrooms has emerged as a recommendation by experts for reducing the risk of airborn viral particles, and of course providing our guides with the best PPE possible will help protect everyone.
We're raising money to buy air purifiers for the classrooms, and better masks for our guides. With just an average donation of $60 per family we can do this, and we can all sleep a little more soundly knowing that we've done everything that we can do to mitigate the spread within our community and keep our school open safely. Read on to learn more about the exact air purifiers and masks we've identified for purchase. If we exceed our goal, the extra money will buy replacement air filters to be changed out in three months, and more masks to last us through the end of January and beyond.
Thank you for donating (anything helps!), and please feel free to pass along to grandparents, aunts and uncles, and family friends - anyone who wants to help and is able to give.
Blue 211+ Air Purifiers (x4) - $1,200
The virus has been shown to be air-born, with small aerosolized viral particles contributing to the spread of Covid-19. The use of HEPA air filters can filter out these viral particles (along with dust and other allergens) to make the air that we share clean and safe. We've picked these particular air purifiers because they are highly rated, they filter and deliver clean air for large rooms (up to 500 feet) in a matter of minutes, and they filter from 360º which means they can be placed pretty much anywhere in the classroom, moved around as needed, and still be very effective. These will be placed in the larger Kinderblossom, Primary, Toddler, and Pre-Tot rooms. (If we exceed our goal by $240, we'll buy an extra air filter for each one to be switched out in three months.)
Wirecutter Best Air Purifiers
Blue 411+ Air Purifiers (x2) - $240
Similar to the above, but for smaller spaces. These will be placed in the Infant room and the room formerly known as Liz and Candace's office. (If we exceed our goal by another $50, we'll buy an extra air filter for each one to be switched out in three months.)
KN95 Masks (x1000) - $1,100
KN95 masks are just as effective as the N95s we've all heard about, and they are in abundant supply. These masks are 5-layers thick, filtering out 95% of particles as small as 0.3µm. Unlike other types of masks, the KN95 offers as much protection to the person wearing it as it does to the people around them. The difference between these and the medical N95s is that they fall under different regulations, but this specific brand is approved by the FDA. Most importantly, we brought some in for the guides to try out for a day, and almost all of them said they fit great, felt comfortable, and made them feel safer. If we meet our goal, we'll have enough to buy 9 guides enough KN95s to last them through the end of the year.
N95 vs KN95 masks
Surgical Masks (x300) - $100
For a few guides who did not like the fit/feel of the KN95 masks, we'd like to provide disposable surgical masks instead. These are three-ply, and while not as effective as the KN95s at protecting the wearer, studies have shown them to be generally more effective than cotton masks as limiting particle spray from the person wearing them. They're also extremely comfortable and easy to talk in, which means minimal shifting and adjusting throughout the day. If we meet our goal, we'll be able to buy 3 guides enough surgical masks to last them through the end of the year.
Study on mask efficiency
Organizer
Christin Roman
Organizer
Austin, TX