Reopened day care centers shut down again in several states. Here’s why

Amy Zavala, her husband and her son are all considered essential workers in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, so taking care of her 6-year-old grandson has been a team effort since his school closed down, the Texas Tribune reported.

But while he goes to a local child care center, Zavala worries the owner isn’t taking the pandemic seriously enough, according to the Tribune.

“[The owner] didn’t do anything extra because she didn’t believe there was a big problem,” Zavala told the Tribune.

Parents again have the option to take their kids to day care as centers begin reopening across the country, but concerns remain about how safe they are as case numbers continue to climb in numerous states, several outlets have reported. Some facilities are closing back down just weeks after being reopened amid concerns over costs and health, according to reports.

South and North Carolina

As of Friday, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control confirmed 57 cases of coronavirus in child care centers around the state, WYFF News reported. That number includes both employees and kids, according to WYFF.

Positive coronavirus cases in staff at two Myrtle Beach day cares prompted the centers to close this week, WMBF reported. Risen Christ Christian Academy reached out to state agencies for guidance and ultimately decided to close on their own, according to WMBF.

“We take this very seriously, the health and well-being of our kids and staff,” Sean O’Connor, principal of Risen Christ, told WMBF. “We have no idea how prevalent this virus is, not only in our community but around the world.”

A day care in New Hanover County, North Carolina closed indefinitely this week after health officials found a cluster of COVID-19 cases among staff and children at the facility, according to the county’s website. The first case was found in an employee and five other cases were found in the following days, the county reported.

“We can expect to see more outbreaks and clusters with increased activity across our community coupled with individuals not following the three W’s – Wear, Wait, Wash,” Carla Turner, the county’s public health assistant director, said. “If we follow protective measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, we protect those around us and prevent further spread into settings like child care, nursing homes or congregate living facilities.”

Arizona

A child care facility in Tucson temporarily closed this week after a staff member tested positive for coronavirus, KVOA reported. The facility says the employee had direct contact with four kids and now the center is testing all of its employees while it’s closed for the next two days, according to KVOA.

“While they did not have prolonged contact with the positive caregiver, this is being done to ensure everyone is safe, because the health and welfare of our Airmen and their families remains our top priority,” The Finley Child Development Center at Davis-Monthan said in a statement to KVOA.

Massachusetts

Emergency child care centers in Massachusetts have also closed after at least 64 cases of COVID-19 were reported to the state, the Boston Globe reported. Half of those infected were employees while kids and their family members made up the other half, according to the Globe.

The Massachusetts Department of Early Education did not say how many centers would be temporarily shut down, the Globe reported. But at least nine centers had more than one positive case, according to the Globe.

“We’ve had multiple situations in center-based providers when someone who went from classroom to classroom has been exposed and the entire center had to be quarantined, including families,” Samantha L. Aigner-Treworgy, commissioner of the state’s Early Education department, said, according to the Globe.

Childcare providers in the state have to face fewer parents bringing in their kids and new state regulations that limit the number of children in a classroom to 10, Boston.com reported.

“I have a preschool classroom of 16. We need to basically find different ways to cut kids out of day care,” Andrea Tavares, owner and administrative director of Pleasant Time Learning Center, told Boston.com. “But if [families] pay for this obviously they need it. I’m trying to cut those full-timers down to part-time, hoping to be able to at least do something for some of the families — give them a few days here and there.”

Daycares United, a group for Massachusetts child care centers, found that 155 licensed centers reported they would lose almost $50,000 in income per month because of the new regulations, which could result in bankruptcy or indefinite closures, Boston.com reported.

Texas

As child care centers around the state reopen, the number of caregivers and young children reportedly testing positive for COVID-19 has increased, the Tribune reported. At least 17 kids and workers at nine day care centers in Dallas County alone have tested positive for the virus recently, according to CBSDFW.

As of June 16, 167 child care center employees and 75 kids from 203 businesses tested positive for the virus around the state, the Tribune reported. Those numbers rose two days later to 226 staff members and 113 kids in 270 day care facilities, according to the Tribune.

However, there are no reports that child care centers in Texas are choosing to close their doors following the outbreaks.

The Texas Department of Health and Human Services lifted some regulations just days before the spike, CBSDFW reported. Child care operators are now free to decide whether they will check their staff’s temperatures, have parents drop their kids off outside or serve meals individually rather than in a large group, according to the Tribune.

“It seems like if we want more kids safe and parents to go back to work, both goals we can all agree on, that higher safety standards plus some public funding to support child care programs could help Texas meet those goals,” Stephanie Rubin, CEO of Texans Care for Children, told the Tribune.

Alaska

Many day care centers in Alaska are on the edge of closing as fewer kids attend, leaving facilities with less money to pay for increased operating costs, Alaska Public Media reported. Few operators have been able to get any help from local or state agencies in terms of funding, according to Alaska Public Media.

“We just basically drained our bank accounts to keep the business open,” Maria Heredia, administrator of Little Hands Bilingual Montessori Daycare, told Alaska Public Media. “We just became very disappointed with all of the programs and all of these systems because we’re one of those small businesses that fall through the cracks and didn’t qualify for a lot of that stuff.”

Guidelines are also constantly changing as regulators struggle to craft practical policies for the child care industry, Alaska Public Media reported. Debra Rodriguez, the executive director of Bright Beginnings Early Learning Center, says at first, guidelines suggested facilities use cleaning products that are unsafe for kids or suggested employees keep toddlers 6 feet apart, which have been revised, according to Alaska Public Media.

“The child care industry has really struggled to even gain recognition as a legitimate industry,” Rodriguez told Alaska Public Media. “A lot of people have this view of us just being babysitters. And it’s so opposite of the truth.”

This story was originally published June 19, 2020 at 3:18 PM with the headline "Reopened day care centers shut down again in several states. Here’s why."