CLEVELAND, Ohio — Daycare owners and those who work in child care in the state of Ohio have spent the past several weeks not knowing when their services would be allowed to continue, putting many parents in a bind.
“On May 31, child care providers in Ohio, will be able to reopen,” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.
- The YMCA staff is working to get things in place to accommodate caring for more children once they officially reopen on May 31
- The YMCA has a number of designated pandemic child care centers that have continued to be open for essential workers
- Reopening requirements include intensified cleaning, mandatory masks for staff, daily temperature checks and fewer children per room
What You Need To Know
The YMCA of Greater Cleveland’s vice president of youth development Ana Thomas, says now that they have a date, the YMCA staff is working to get things in place to accommodate caring for more children— in the safest way possible.
“We’re so excited to be able to open our doors back up to all the young people that were in our programs before and all the families who we know need us. We've been getting phone calls from parents saying I'm desperate, I need somewhere for my kid to go.” Thomas said.
Thomas says they have already been able to practice reopening requirements— which include intensified cleaning, mandatory masks for staff, daily temperature checks and fewer children per room.
The YMCA has a number of designated pandemic child care centers that have continued to be open for essential workers, which enabled preparation to begin in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak.
“Being able to stand up these pandemic child care centers was a big lift and we knew it was worth it because we wanted to be there for those folks who are the nurses and frontline workers, the first responders that we know are working so hard to keep our community safe," said Thomas.
Thomas says the level of care staff members provide children is the same, but they have made plenty of additional health and safety-related changes.
“So, if you go into this building today, we have lots of big six-foot squares taped out on the floor and that's your square and that's where you get to play and that's where your toys can be. And then we've been really thinking through how to make sure our programs are still fun and engaging so young people are still really being able to create and sing and listen to stories outloud, all while practicing social distancing,” Thomas said.
The changes don’t come without challenges, as Thomas says many children don’t understand exactly why they can’t hug a friend or share a snack.
Governor DeWine says it will take the dedication of everyone to overcome the challenges child care facilities may face during COVID-19.
“We do not have really any great data in regard to child care and COVID-19. We want to have the safest child care system in the nation, one that nurtures the health and continued growth and the development of our young people, and one that protects the health and safety of our child care workers,” said DeWine.