It’s been a
month since I last checked in. Some of you have stayed open since the beginning
of this pandemic, some recently reopened, and still others are preparing to
reopen. I understand your feelings of uncertainty and concern for safety. I am
impressed with your courage, resilience, and flexibility to ensure the
wellbeing of the children you serve as well as your own staff. I recently
finished teaching two sessions of the Maine Roads to Quality Foundations in
Health, Wellness, and Safety course, which provided an excellent forum for
child care providers to share their expertise and wealth of knowledge,
including how they are managing the pandemic challenges. It’s also a great way
for me to connect those providers to evidence-based resources to support their
efforts. I’m hoping that this blog might provide a similar forum for you all to
share newly developed or modified practices and guidelines to maintain a safe
environment.
As a
reminder, the CDC provides excellent guidance for schools and child care
centers (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/guidance-for-schools.html),
interim guidance for centers that stayed open (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/guidance-for-childcare.html),
and guidance for reopening and scaling up child care (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/childcare-programs.html).
I rely on these resources to help draft new and modified guidelines that meet
your unique circumstances. Please share your experience and what is working for
you.
Stay safe
and be well!
Deb
