As our community begins to open up workplaces and other establishments, families are trying to figure out the safest way to provide child-care for their kids. With the changing recommendations about COVID-19, many child-care facilities are being thoughtful about when and how to resume care. Ensuring social distancing, a clean environment, and a way to monitor for symptoms will be important to keep our children and families safe.

Since we all have different home environments and needs, each family will have to decide what is uniquely best for them. Here are some things to keep in mind and questions to ask your child-care center that can help guide that decision:

What are the risks to your child and other household members?

• Do they have any chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart conditions, or immune
  deficiency that would put them at an increased risk of significant illness?
• If your child or someone in the family developed symptoms, it could potentially mean a period of home
  quarantine for two weeks. What impact could this have on your household?

What safety measures is the facility taking?

• Are they running at full or limited capacity? How many children will be in the center at a time?
• Do staff members wear face masks at all times? How are staff members social distance in the center?
• Is there a procedure for drop-off, such as staggering drop-offs and pick-ups outside of the center?
• Is there a screening process, such as taking the temperature of each person upon arrival?
• Are parents, visitors and/or other non-staff members restricted from entering?
• Are there attempts at some degree of distancing such as maintaining small, static groups that minimally interact? Minimizing use of common areas like dining rooms or playgrounds? Will they maintain adequate distance during nap time?
• What is the frequency of environmental cleaning and hand-washing? Is there limited sharing of materials like art supplies or toys? Do they disinfect toys and shared objects between use?
• Are they monitoring children for symptoms of COVID-19, including fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath? How will they notify families if there is concern about possible exposure?