Deciding On Daycare During COVID-19: What You Should Do
Posted on: 3 August 2020
If you are a parent of a child in daycare, you may be understandably concerned about COVID-19 and the ramifications of this illness on daycare and on health in general. When things were locked down and most child care centers closed, it may have been easy to decide to keep your child home. But now that things in most places have opened up more, you may be wondering about sending your child to daycare in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Get to know some of the steps you should take when deciding whether to send your child back to daycare during COVID-19. Then, you can be sure you make the best decision for your child and family going forward.
Consult with Your Pediatrician
The first thing you should do when deciding to send your child back to daycare is to consult with your pediatrician. They will likely want to do a check-up with your child to determine how healthy they are. The pediatrician will check to ensure they are not showing signs of having COVID-19 and will check them for other health issues as well.
If your child has underlying health conditions like asthma or other issues, your pediatrician will discuss those with you and talk to you about the risks and benefits of sending your child back to daycare. This can help to reassure you as you make your decision, especially if your child gets a clean bill of health from the pediatrician.
The pediatrician will also be up to date on COVID-19 case numbers in your area and will be able to give you guidance based on that as well.
Ask the Daycare Center What Precautions They Are Taking
Sending your child back to daycare during COVID-19 means sending them back to the right daycare center that is taking the proper precautions to reduce the risk in their center. Some daycare centers have mask mandates for children over the age of 2, for example.
All daycare centers should have plans for disinfecting and cleaning throughout the day to prevent as much germ cross-contamination as possible as well. They may also have social distancing measures in place for older children, have special mealtime procedures to prevent issues, and the like.
You should also choose a daycare center that does COVID-19 screenings on children and staff every day before they enter the center. That way, you know they are doing their best to prevent the illness from entering the facility and spreading there.
In essence, daycare can be quite safe for children if you find one that takes the right precautions. Now that you know more about what you should do about daycare during COVID-19, you can get the process started right away and be sure you make the right choice for your child.
To learn more, contact a daycare near you.
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