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Whether you're working from home and trying to juggle job responsibilities, taking care of young kids, and keeping the house in order or need to head back to work as the country opens back up, your thoughts may turn toward child care. As day cares reopen, many parents are wondering if it's safe to send their children back while COVID-19 cases are spiking.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continually updates its coronavirus guidelines. Designed to help businesses and individuals slow and prevent the spread of COVID-19, these guidelines can help assuage parents' fears. Social distancing strategies, expanded sanitation efforts, child drop-off and pickup protocols, and arrival screenings are just part of the safety measures in place.
Parents across America sending their children back to day care are doing so for a variety of reasons. Some are citing financial reasons: According to a Pew Research study, 71% of jobless Americans did not receive unemployment benefits in March. This loss of income is fueling the urgency of parents to get back to work, but also has them wondering if it is safe to send their kids back to day care.
For other parents, the decision to send their children to day care was about their child's well-being. Weeks of being confined at home and unable to see their teachers or friends has been challenging. Coupled with trying to navigate online learning, it was starting to take its toll on children.
Mom of two Brandi Riley sent her youngest back to day care. "His preschool has a camp and needed to get out of the house. He was acting out because, at 3 years old, kids need socialization," she told Mom.com.
"The social-emotional needs of children to connect with other children in real-time and space, whether it's for physical activity, unstructured play or structured play, this is immensely important for young children in particular," Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis — the Center for Child Health Director at Seattle Children's Hospital — said in an article for JAMA Pediatrics in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The CDC provided a set of guidelines for child care programs that remain open during the coronavirus pandemic. Day care providers adhere to both these guidelines as well as any state-level restrictions, rules, or ordinances to ensure the health and safety of children, family, and staff members.
In addition to the standard sanitation and hand-washing guidelines, before reopening, day care facilities must have protocols in place to screen children before they're able to attend. This includes taking daily temperature readings and ensuring parents recognize the importance of keeping sick children at home. Staff members, too, must agree to these terms and be able to recognize when a child is sick and should be sent home. Ramping up cleaning and sanitation of the facility, common areas, and toys are also covered in the CDC guidelines.
Brandi Riley sees the evidence first-hand of the extensive measures facilities are taking to ensure safety, as evidenced at her son's day care. "His school went above and beyond at keeping the kids safe and the program is small. Ultimately, we trust the facility and the teachers and it was best for our family," she told Mom.com.
For parents and caregivers having difficulty finding a day care provider or whose regular facility remains closed, Childcare Aware of America can help. The nonprofit program is designed to provide tools and resources for families in need of child care services. The website includes up-to-date child care facility information by state. An at-a-glance map illustrates day care stages of reopening across the country. Drilling down by state provides specific information and guidelines for child care providers.
Childcare Aware also includes day care reopening information for parents in the wake of COVID-19. It lists grants available or distributed within a particular state for COVID-19 emergency supplies and sanitation. For parents who find themselves without child care, there is a directory of child care referral service providers throughout the country.
Parents with questions as to a child care facility's reopening strategy are urged to do their due diligence. Ask as many questions as needed. Having confidence that your child's day care is doing everything it can to keep everyone safe will give you the peace of mind needed for a productive workday.
