During today's press conference with Governor Mike DeWine, Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, and Director Amy Acton, the Governor announced the following new measures to prevent the rapid spread of the coronavirus:
Beginning on Thursday, March 26, 2020, all operating child care centers in Ohio must do so under a temporary pandemic child care license. An official order on this has not yet been released so the full details of this plan will be shared in the coming days. The following measures are expected to be included in that order:
There should be no more than six children in a class.
Ratios must be kept at one teacher to no more than six children.
Children whose parents are employed by the same entity should be kept together whenever possible.
The same teachers and children in each room should be maintained whenever possible.
There should be limited use of shared space or mixing of groups.
If shared space is used, a rigorous cleaning schedule must be in place.
Parent interaction should be limited at drop off and pick up.
This program will operate until April 30th and may be extended beyond that period of time.
On Sunday, March 22th, under the direction of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton, M.D., MPH issued a director’s order to require all Ohioans to stay in their homes to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 beginning at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, March 23, 2020 until 11:59 p.m. on April 6, 2020. This order prohibits holding gatherings of any size and closes all nonessential businesses. It does NOT prohibit essential activities like going to the grocery store, receiving medical care, or taking your pet for a walk. Residents can return home from out of state and can leave the state. Read the full order here.
We know many of you, especially our hardworking family child care providers, still have many questions about how this will impact your program and families. We are continuing to advocate on your behalf as the department works out the final details of the order and will share more information as we receive it.
Additional Resources
For the most up-to-date information on Ohio's response to the coronavirus and how you can best support children, parents, and providers, be sure to check out the resources below.
Resources for Providers
ODJFS Pandemic Child Care Page for providers includes all updated rules, regulations, forms, and Q&As that have been published by the department for providers.
Groundwork Ohio's COVID-19 Provider Resource page includes links to grant and resource opportunities, small business supports (unemployment, SBA loans, etc.), additional information on COVID-19, and FAQs.
Resources for Parents
ODJFS Pandemic Child Care Page for parents includes the current list of temporary pandemic child care licensed providers and relevant forms.
Groundwork Ohio's COVID-19 Parent Resource page includes information on how to access some utility and food supports, activities for young children, and more information on the coronavirus.
Coming this week...
Join us for an upcoming webinar designed to support the mental health of early educators across the state during this chaotic time.
Monday, March 23 at 6:30 PM, you will hear from Nefertiti Bruce Poyner, M.Ed. Nefertiti is an author, public speaker and provider of professional learning for the Devereux Center for Resilient Children. During the webinar, you can expect to learn more about how to support your own mental health during this pandemic. Register for the webinar here.
We will be scheduling additional webinars in the coming days and weeks as we have more information and resources to share.
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