REDDING, Calif. – Even as cases climb, kids are still taking part in in-person learning at many elementary schools in Shasta County.

Amber Good, a fourth-grade teacher at Mistletoe School, described having her students back in the classroom as “the second first day of school”.

“Watching how they come alive in class, it almost feels that school is a reward now,” said Good.

Kids sitting at their desks, surrounded by their classmates. Finally getting that in-person learning they've been craving for. But there are still some hurdles that teachers are still trying to overcome.

“The difficult transitions are making sure the masks are always on and available and making sure that hands are always clean,” said Good. “

It's about an extra 20 to 30 minutes out of the day.”

But the extra steps are worth it.

“They've done the staying at home and trying to learn from home,” said Good. “Nine-years-old trying to learn as college students would.”

One parent tells Action News Now it wasn’t easy sending her kids back to campus.

“It was tough to send them back or not,” said Ashlee Armstrong. “I think their emotional well-being is what I was worried about. But I think they're much happier with the other kids at school.”

But even as coronavirus cases keep climbing, Mistletoe School says it's being proactive to make sure that its students stay healthy.

“We've had our maintenance and operations department make sure we're using the proper chemicals,” said Clint Johnson, the principal of Mistletoe School.

“We're being smart, we're being proactive. We’re working very hard to keep our kids in their cohorts.”

Schools within in the Enterprise Elementary School District started in-person learning back in September. But the school district is still offering distance learning for families not yet comfortable.

The Redding School District also started in-person learning last week.

Even though Shasta County is in the red-tier, Public Health says school closures are not tied to the tier-system.