Lighthouse and COVID-19: An Open Letter From Our CEO By: Jeremy Shaki March 13, 2020 Updated May 15, 2020 Estimated reading time: 2 minutes. [May 15, 2020] Applications for the Canada Emergency Student Benefit opened on May 15. You can learn more about eligibility and how to apply at the Government of Canada website. [March 13, 2020] Now in the most unprecedented of times, we want to update everyone in an effort to maintain transparency and clarity for the Lighthouse Labs community. The entire team here is committed to doing our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Our priority has always been and will remain the health of our students, our teachers, and our staff, along with delivering a premium education experience and top-end industry results. We continue to closely monitor the status of the outbreak and will continue to adapt our practices to follow recommendations from the World Health Organization, Government of Canada, provincial governments, and health authorities in each of the regions in which we operate. Lighthouse Labs will continue to run an already in-use hybrid option where locations permit, allowing students to choose whether to come in or remain at home while maintaining their education pace and experience. We are well-equipped to continue supporting and delivering our same education to students should the outbreak worsen. Here’s what we are doing to ensure Lighthouse Labs remains a safe learning environment: Cleaning: We have increased daily cleaning and sanitization routines throughout our facilities and have installed sanitizing stations at all entries. Supplies are well-stocked to ensure that handwashing policies are maintained. We are conducting deep cleans of the space on a weekly basis. Illness: We have implemented an illness policy, asking that students or staff who feel ill or display symptoms (including fever, cough, or sore throat) do not enter the facility. We also ask that any student or staff who have recently travelled to high-risk locations or otherwise come into contact with those displaying symptoms similar to COVID-19 to disclose this to the school immediately so that proper testing and precautions can take place. Travel Policy: We ask that any student or staff member that has recently visited any location outside of Canada to disclose their travel to our team and monitor their symptoms closely. Any student or staff member who chooses to travel to high-risk locations (as determined by the Canadian Government) are asked to disclose their travel to our team, Public Health Canada, and to adhere to a 14-day period of self-quarantine upon their return to Canada. We have eliminated all work-related travel for our staff. Remote and Hybrid Working Preparation: Lighthouse Labs has been successfully delivering hybrid courses, allowing students and mentors to choose to stay home or being in class while maintaining the pace and quality of experience expected of our courses. We have chosen to maintain this approach where locations permit as a result of smaller overall student bodies in the building in contrast to traditional universities and colleges, and in consultation with our students, mentors, and government bodies. In the instance that the situation worsens in any of our locations, we are committed and prepared to ensure a consistently great student experience completely remotely for any length of time necessary. We will continue to provide updates on the status of hybrid and fully remote working strategies as updates of the overall Canadian situation progress. Additional Communications Support: We are monitoring updates on COVID-19 daily and will continue to update all students, teachers, and staff ongoing as needed. Please contact us at hello@lighthouselabs.ca with any questions or concerns. During times of uncertainty, we remain proud and positive in knowing that Lighthouse Labs' progressive and adaptable approach has equipped us with the abilities not only to cope with change but to serve as a beacon and resource for education. You can count on us for continuous updates, commitment to the student experience, and maintenance of a safe learning environment. Keep an eye on our blog for any subsequent updates, and please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any concerns. Sincerely, Jeremy Shaki CEO and Co-Founder