In one of several major announcements during Thursday’s press conference, Gov. DeWine announced that Ohio daycares and child care centers will be permitted to open on May 31.
[ When will childcare, gyms, BMVs, pools (and more) reopen in Ohio? ]
This permission only applies to those facilities that can comply with a number of regulations:
- All childcare providers wear masks
- Facility may ask that parents wear masks as well during drop-off and pickup (not a requirement from state)
- Temperatures taken each day; any child with a temperature of 100 degrees or higher must be sent home
- Classroom sizes limited to a maximum of 9 children for preschool groups, and 6 children for infant/toddler groups
- Field trips will not be permitted
- Outside time and playground play is permitted, so long as childcare provider keeps to schedule of regular sanitation
- Children and teachers must keep to schedule of frequent handwashing (after meals, after play)
- Children must wash hands immediately prior to pickup
Gov. DeWine emphasized that these regulations are subject to evolve.
"There’s no playbook for conducting childcare during a pandemic, so we will be continuing to monitor how things are going. We may make changes as we go forward.”
A large part of this monitoring will be a research project the governor also announced, to study the spread of COVID-19 within childcare centers. He hopes that by carefully studying the results of Ohio reopening daycares, the state will become a leader in pandemic response around child care.
DeWine also revealed that $60 million in government funding will be provided to those in the childcare industry, to ensure they have the ability to meet these guidelines. His goal is to leave no family without an option for child care.
"It’s certainly not our goal to have any families left out, but it’s also part of our obligation to ensure safety.”