CDC updates COVID-19 guidance for child care programs

U.S. health officials on Friday posted more specific COVID-19 guidance for preschools and other child care programs.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending very young children and child care workers are placed in groups that stay together throughout an entire day. It is similar guidance applied to schools with older students.

The guidance is more emphatic about wearing masks, calls on all child care workers to get vaccinated and issues more information about the importance of ventilation.

Key points from the CDC are as follow:

• Child care providers, also known as Early Childhood Education providers, can help protect children, families, and staff and slow the spread of COVID-19 by using CDC’s updated Guidance for Operating Child Care Programs during COVID-19.
• This guidance is intended for all types of child care programs, including child care centers, family child care homes, Head Start programs and other pre-kindergarten programs.
• This guidance outlines strategies that child care programs can use to maintain healthy environments and operations, lower the risk of COVID-19 spread in their programs, prepare for when someone is sick with COVID-19, and support coping and resilience.

The guidance replaces advisory documents the CDC posted last summer.

It’s meant for programs that care for children before they start kindergarten. That includes preschool programs and home-based family child care programs.