Covid-19: One Year Later

Covid-19 brought on many new things to people worldwide. Schools transitioned to purely online and relied heavily on zoom. Workplaces shut down, and mask mandates were put into place. This was certainly a global event no one saw coming. Now that we are a year into a global pandemic, let’s look back and observe how far we’ve come and the changes we adapted to.

Covid Changes Eva Carlston

When extensive restrictions and shut-downs were happening across the country last March, one of the things that were at the forefront of our minds was our girls’ access to their parents. Travel bans and unsafe conditions made it difficult, and in some cases impossible, for parents and girls to visit. While some parents living in hot zones were grateful their child was not at home, they were still anxious over the separation from their child during such uncertain times.

There was concern over the safety of students and employees as well. Eva Carlston is a community-oriented program and having access to activities and resources off-campus came to an abrupt halt. At-risk and non-essential employees began working from home, and only the most essential caregivers on staff were working with the girls.

Within a week Eva Carlston had established a Pandemic Response team to stay apprised of the most current recommendations, regulations, and precautionary measures that were put in place by our local health department and the licensing authority. This response team ultimately made it possible for us to establish the correct safety protocols for employees to continue their work as essential health care workers, implement strict quarantine and rapid testing procedures, and ensure that employees were first in line to receive vaccinations. What a whirlwind!

We were able to proceed with extended virtual visits between students and their parents. We shifted our off-campus activities to exclusively private engagements or taking advantage of the amazing outdoor activities located so closely to SLC. The homes having been outfitted with Covid-fighting air filters. Employees have embraced mask-wearing, sanitation logs, and oh so much hand washing. And like the rest of the world, we have endured and become accustomed to virtual meetings.

Eva Carlston Today

There’s no doubt that the pandemic affected us in ways we never imagined, but we are endlessly thankful for the opportunities we have had to further teach our girls and present them with the same connections to their community.

Today 94% of all employees are fully vaccinated for the coronavirus. After a brief period of remote teaching last spring, we have been able to maintain in-person instruction in our academic classrooms since last May. We still attended the Sundance film festival like we do every year, but instead participated from our living room. Travel has been reinstated since last fall and girls have been able to safely get home and back regularly.

Every weekend we are renting out theaters so the girls can see movies. Many of our community partners have been able to offer us access to art galleries, guest speaker lecture series, and safe volunteer opportunities. Eva Carlston even avoided the great toilet paper shortage by aligning with commercial suppliers who were no longer supplying restaurants or other closed businesses.

Covid-19 has been an event that will be talked about for years to come. At Eva Carlston Academy, our number one priority has always been to support our girls and their families. This year certainly tested our ingenuity and flexibility. Throughout it all we are confident in the quality of care we were able to provide and as the country continues to evolve we look forward to the many additional opportunities that will come from it.