"So theoretically, you could have a young child who has a family filled with positive family members - including their own parents. Still, the abrupt shift left some child care providers feeling less protected. The state says the changes were made to be more consistent with the guidelines for K-12 schools, after-school and camp programs.
The guidelines said those children should continue attending child care programs, and that while testing is recommended for those kids, it's not required. On May 25, EOHHS announced that, effective immediately, children were no longer required to quarantine if they've been exposed to someone who has COVID-19. The state's email on Friday said Neighborhood Villages will continue to offer a phone hotline through the end of August, "to support the implementation of recently updated guidance and other COVID-19 related inquiries."ĭay care providers were already feeling uneasy with new quarantine guidance issued by the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services about two weeks ago.
"I think that testing is one of the very few methods we have to protect these under-fives," Dietrick said, noting kids that age are terrible at social distancing and still unvaccinated. The program serves about 220 children and is run by Ellen Dietrick, who told GBH News she's worried the state will end PCR testing. One of the centers that's been participating in the PCR testing program is Temple Beth Shalom in Needham. State officials have not yet said whether they'll continue offering a "surveillance" program of weekly PCR tests that several hundred child care providers have been using. The state is also closing drive-through testing sites in Braintree and Tewksbury that were exclusively serving child care staff and families with kids in those programs. Low pay for day care workers leads to a worker shortage and long waitlists Push to expand daycare access continues in wake of failed federal expansion
State-run program to provide COVID tests to daycares could expire this summer