Temp checks, face masks among things reopening day cares face during pandemic
Share this post:
Temperature checks at the door as well as masks, gloves and gowns to protect people from exposure to the coronavirus are some of the things parents can expect at day care centers as they reopen in the region.
Kids shouldn’t bring their favorite stuffed animal, blanket or toy to the center, according to state Department of Human Services Office of Child Development and Early Learning.
“This is not a return to normal life,” Pennsylvania Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller said in a Monday call with reporters. “The dangers of this pandemic are still very real.”
As Allegheny, Westmoreland and surrounding counties move to the state’s yellow phase of reopening May 15, day care centers are among the businesses allowed to open. They’re being encouraged to follow guidance issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as they do so.
Following those guidelines will be voluntary unless it becomes mandated by the state, Miller said.
Doing so is going to be a “major struggle,” said Merritt Bailey, director of Bright Light Academy in Shadyside. “I would not be surprised if many centers close.”
Bailey questioned whether the state is moving too quickly to reopen but said the financial stresses of remaining closed are forcing day cares to open if they’re allowed to.
“We’re all scared,” Bailey said. “It’s like there’s a gun being held to our head: Open or die. I’m very distressed, and I worry.”
RELATED: Day care operators confused over state directives
The Department of Human Services is using webinars to educate providers about how to implement the guidelines if they choose to reopen.
The guidelines encourage children over 2 to wear face masks “when feasible,” Miller said.
Otherwise, DHS is encouraging providers to keep children and staff members grouped together to limit cross-exposures through a center.
“We’re going to do the best we can with the CDC guidelines,” said Charlene Frock, owner of Frock Child Care Center in Mt. Pleasant.
She plans to reopen June 1 and is in the process of training staff and talking to parents about the new procedures.
Cheryl Rometo-Gartley, owner of All Kids Are Special Childcare and Learning Center in New Kensington, is following a similar plan.
She has surveyed parents about their needs and concerns and is working to get the protective equipment that’s needed and setting up training sessions with staff for a June 1 reopening.
“I have not found any masks yet,” Rometo-Gartley said.
There will be more outdoor activities, weather permitting, she said.
“It’s going to be very difficult to social distance,” Rometo-Gartley said.
At Bright Light Academy class sizes will be reduced, and playgrounds and toys will be disinfected regularly, Bailey said.
“It’s making a lot more work,” Bailey said.
Parents will provide meals and snacks, a change made as another sanitary precaution, she said.
“I feel like that’s one area of cross contamination that can be eliminated,” she said.
The health of the kids and staff is the top priority.
“If something were to happen to someone, I would feel horrible. I want to do everything I can to mitigate that,” Bailey said.
The children also will need to cooperate.
“Trying to get a 3-year-old to wear a mask all day is going to be a struggle,” Bailey said.
The department is also working with Wolf’s office and state lawmakers to decided how to allocate $100 million in federal stimulus money that’s earmarked to help child care centers in the state.
DHS officials would not detail how those talks are going or how they are recommending the money be distributed.
Many of the centers are going to need a financial boost to remain afloat, according to Lindsey Ramsey, regional public policy coordinator for Trying Together, a statewide group that advocates for child care in Pennsylvania.
Day care is a business that doesn’t operate with a large profit margin, Ramsey said, and many centers found it tough to remain afloat even before the covid-19 pandemic.
“Staffing is going to be hard to find” as they reopen, she said, as people decide either to continue to stay-at-home or find other options.
“The unknown of it all is scary,” Ramsey said.
Parents are justifiably concerned, as are providers, she said.
Day care centers already need to follow many regulations, Ramsey said, and the new CDC guidelines, while voluntary, are going to be “10 times more.” It’s also going to be tough for centers to afford the required protective equipment and cleaning supplies.
A large part of child care in any setting is interaction, she said, and doing so while trying to encourage social distancing and wearing face masks is going to be tough.
“What if a child falls and needs a hug?” Ramsey said.