If your state is still under a shelter-in-place order but you've been called back to work (or have never left work), you may be wondering about your childcare options. Is it safe to send your child to daycare even before this pandemic has abated? Learn more about the CDC-recommended precautions many facilities are putting into place and what you can do to ensure your child's safety.
What Recommendations Has the CDC Made?
The CDC has issued guidelines to assist daycare facilities in keeping their staff and children healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. These include advice on:
- Social distancing strategies
- Changes in hours to accommodate more extensive cleaning and disinfection procedures
- Changes to drop-off and pick-up procedures
- Screening procedures to ensure that children aren't ill when they arrive
- Adequate staffing ratios
- Face coverings or masks for those who can tolerate them
These precautions are intended to limit the spread of the virus. All businesses, if open, are asked to refuse admission to anyone who is showing symptoms of COVID-19 and sanitize daily to ensure that no one is carrying any potential pathogens with them at the end of the day.
Most parents will only notice a difference in drop-off procedures. Instead of walking one's child inside the building, parents or grandparents will drop the child off at the door (where the child's temperature is quickly taken), then a staff member will bring the child inside. Many facilities are also requesting that, to the extent possible, the same person drops off the child every day to avoid inadvertently exposing the staff member who meets the child at the door.
Is it Safe to Send Your Child to Daycare?
Many parents struggle with the decision of whether to send their child to daycare until the coronavirus pandemic has abated. While these precautions can go a long way toward slowing the spread of illness, they're not foolproof, and in areas with high rates of COVID-19 infections, even this limited exposure may seem too risky.
However, if you're facing a choice between losing your job (and health insurance) or sending your child to daycare, the right choice can be a no-brainer. And even if your situation isn't quite so dire (unless your child has a pre-existing condition that can make them vulnerable to lung problems), you shouldn't feel guilty for using daycare facilities that have been made available to you; though some children have contracted COVID-19, this disease seems to be less severe among children than the elderly or even healthy young adults.
Of course, it's wise to follow state guidelines on the issue. Contact local daycare services to learn how they are following CDC guidelines and when they'll be open or available.
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