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A critical question for parents during the pandemic has been identifying the appropriate time to reintroduce young children to daycare. For the economy to recover and for individuals to resume work, addressing childcare concerns in a manner that prevents the spread of COVID-19 is essential.
“As individuals return to their workplaces, accessible childcare solutions are imperative,” states Jill Weatherhead, an infectious disease expert at Baylor College of Medicine.
What measures are necessary to ensure daycare centers can reopen safely? Parents know all too well that children struggle with maintaining physical distance, and toddlers often explore the world by putting objects in their mouths. How can these facilities operate safely, and what protocols will they need to implement?
As with many pandemic-related issues, definitive answers remain scarce. However, certain preventive measures must be implemented to ensure the safe return of children to daycare facilities.
CDC Recommendations for Daycare Facilities
Some daycare centers have stayed operational even during lockdowns, albeit with limited capacity and numerous safety protocols, to accommodate the children of essential workers. As these facilities continue to function, the CDC has provided detailed guidelines outlining essential preventive measures.
“These rigorous measures are vital for curbing the spread of the virus,” emphasizes Weatherhead.
The CDC’s guidelines recommend assigning one teacher per classroom, prohibiting interaction between children from different classrooms, enforcing regular hand-washing and sanitization, conducting temperature screenings at entry points, and restricting parent access to the facility by having them drop off and pick up children at the door.
Over the past few months, these measures have been implemented at certain facilities. The specifics for each daycare will differ based on their unique situations, but maintaining preventive measures will be essential going forward.
Daycare centers must also develop strategies to address potential staffing shortages and manage scenarios where a staff member or child contracts COVID-19.
“Frequent testing and comprehensive contact tracing are essential,” states Michael Chang, a pediatric infectious disease expert at UTHealth’s McGovern Medical School. Widespread testing and contact tracing are vital for minimizing transmission, particularly in daycare settings.
“Daycares must maintain open communication with both staff and parents regarding ongoing developments,” Weatherhead emphasizes. “This transparency will be crucial.”
Ensuring safety demands the collective effort of the entire community.
As Weatherhead emphasizes, ensuring safety is a collective responsibility that includes parents. Daycare centers must enforce strict protocols, while families should actively monitor their health to ensure no one exhibits symptoms. If any household member shows signs of illness, children must stay home.
Likewise, if symptoms appear within the daycare community, parents must be promptly informed, and additional safety measures, such as temporary closures, should be implemented.
“This is a situation where the entire community must work together,” Weatherhead explains.
While there has been significant discussion about antibody testing and its implications for immunity, much remains unknown regarding the accuracy of these tests and the duration of any potential immunity. Chang warns that antibody testing may not provide the clarity many are anticipating.
“The presence of antibodies does not guarantee immunity against reinfection,” Chang notes.
Children appear to spread COVID-19 less frequently
As many parents can attest, children often bring home a variety of illnesses. Kids in daycare typically experience 6-8 upper respiratory infections and 1-2 instances of vomiting or diarrhea annually. (On the bright side, children who attend daycare tend to get sick less often once they start kindergarten compared to their peers who didn’t attend daycare; it’s more about when your child will get sick rather than if they will.) Consequently, parents often catch whatever illnesses their children bring home.
Interestingly, COVID-19 appears to behave differently. Children are not only less affected by the virus but also seem to play a smaller role in its transmission.
“It appears that adults are more likely to infect children rather than the other way around,” Chang explains.
If this trend continues—though it’s not guaranteed, given our evolving understanding of the virus—it might be reasonable to prioritize reopening some schools and daycare centers sooner rather than later.
“If you’re considering reopening various sectors based on current data, you could reasonably argue that children should return to school,” Chang states.
A strategy is essential for reopening without relying on a vaccine
Additionally, schools and daycare centers may need to reopen before a vaccine becomes available. While the projected timeline for vaccine development is 12 to 18 months, there is no certainty it will be ready within that period, if ever. This doesn’t even account for the challenges of distributing the vaccine to everyone.
“A vaccine would be ideal, but planning to reopen without one is likely necessary,” Chang explains. Without a vaccine, we would depend heavily on measures like CDC daycare guidelines, extensive testing, and contact tracing.
As with all pandemic-related matters, the only certainty is the lack of clear answers. The hope is that, over time, we can control the spread sufficiently—and implement enough safety measures—to allow daycare centers to operate safely.
