This post was updated 5/11/2020. Please contact your Child Care Health Consultant for the latest flowchart, as guidance may vary from county to county. Visit the NC DHHS website for details about COVID-19 symptoms, and information about minimum self-isolation and quarantine recommendations. 

Now available are recorded COVID-19 webinars held by DCDEE for child care providers during the week of March 29, 2020. The webinars included discussions on Emergency Child Care Provider Application, available financial assistance information and health, safety and screening guidelines.

Learn more.

The information below includes other information topics and recent updates.

Child Care Access & Financial Assistance Available for Essential Workers

We have two resources for essential workers (as defined in Executive Order 121) who are in need of emergency child care.

1. We partnered with the NC Child Care Resource & Referral network to launch a hotline, 1-888-600-1685, to connect families with child care programs that have agreed to meet updated health, safety and operational guidelines.
2. For those essential workers who need it, financial assistance for emergency child care is available.

Learn more.

Child Care Payment Policies Released

On Friday, April 3, DCDEE released COVID-19 Child Care Payment Policies, which provides detailed information about policy changes that apply to licensed or regulated child care facilities.

Learn more.

COVID-19 Dashboard Updated

Data on  COVID-19 can be found on the Dashboard. In addition to information on number of laboratory-confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths, there is  demographic information and data about outbreaks in congregate settings.

COVID-19 Dashboard

New Video on Reducing Anxiety and Stress

Dr. Carrie Brown, NC DHHS Chief Medical Officer of Behavioral Health and IDD, has a new video on ways to manage stress and anxiety during COVID-19 social distancing, quarantine and isolation.

Video with Dr. Brown

Our latest newsletter is full of health, safety and screening information about Coronavirus, COVID-19 and how it affects childcare in North Carolina.

To assist child care facilities in keeping track of Daily Health Checks, we have created a Daily Health Check record that is now available for download.

For more information about limiting the spread of COVID-19, read about:

• Screening criteria to post at the entrance to the child care facility
• Thermometers and Temperature taking during COVID-19
• Symptoms of COVID-10 and exposure from NC DHHS

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services are offering informative webinars on the response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control has updated their guidance for cleaning and disinfecting schools, child care and other community facilities on March 26th. The new guidance covers:

• Updated guidance for cleaning and disinfection of soft (porous) surfaces
• Updated links to EPA-registered disinfectant list
• Added guidance for disinfection of electronics
• Updated core disinfection/cleaning guidance

Please visit the CDC website to read more and also see our post from March 25th for links to North Carolina specific guidance.

If you are continuing to provide child care in NC, download and post this door sign created by the NC Child Care Health and Resource Center, at the entrance of your facility:
For more information on the steps child care facilities who remain open to serve essential personnel in their communities, visit the NC Department of Health and Human Services website. Read more about checking temperatures and using thermometers during the COVID-19 outbreak here.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has issued a Stay at Home order for North Carolina, effective Monday, March 30th at 5 pm until April 29th, 2020

Read the Executive Order in full and see the Frequently Asked Questions.

Child care providers who are following the required NC DHHS procedures are considered essential businesses and permitted to remain open.

View the press briefing below:

During the current state of emergency, many early educators might be getting close to their expiration date for the ITS-SIDS training. Please be aware that DCDEE has released the following guidance allowing Flexibility in Policy and Regulatory Requirements during COVID-19:

For Training Requirements in Child Care Rule 10A NCAC 09 .1102 it is allowable to provide an additional six months for administrators and any child care provider to complete CPR, FA and ITS-SIDS training if needed. This change is allowed as long as one child care provider who has completed the CPR, FA training is present while children are in care, and as long as one child care provider in the infant room who has completed the ITS-SIDS training is present while infants are in care.

In addition, there are current sample policies available on our website that reflect the rule changes (available in English and Spanish).

According to guidance from DCDEE, only children and staff who are needed to maintain ratio should be in classrooms. In order to limit the chance of COVID-19 spread:

• Have parents drop off children outside the classroom. Staff should meet children as they are dropped off.
• Have someone posted at the entrance to talk to staff and families who are entering the building about their symptoms.
• Conduct a Daily Health Check, upon arrival, every day, for every child – and periodically throughout the day. During the COVID-19 outbreak, taking children’s temperatures during the day is another sensible precaution.

In addition, ask staff and parents of the children entering the building if they or their child is experiencing:

• Fever (temperature of 100.4 degrees F or higher)
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Sore throat
• Diarrhea

Exclude both staff and children who are experiencing  any of these symptoms or have been in close contact with anyone with any of these symptoms.

As an additional measure, some early care and education programs are using thermometers to check for fevers, in addition to interviewing staff or families about symptoms and whether or not they have taken fever reducing medication in the last 24 hours.

Which kind of thermometer

We recommend, considering Caring for Our Children standard 3.6.1.3 and after consultation with medical professionals with the Division of Public Health, that during the COVID-19 outbreak:

• Do not take oral (under the tongue) temperatures using a shared thermometer. The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is most contagious through respiratory droplets coughed, sneezed or breathed out of the mouth. Even with a disposable cover that is changed between individuals, if a droplet gets on the handle it could pass from one person to another.
• Infrared (touchless) thermometers are ideal for use during the COVID-19 outbreak, as they allow multiple temperatures to be taken without the thermometer touching individuals.
• Tympanic (ear) thermometers are an option for children four months and older. However, while a tympanic thermometer gives quick results, it needs to be placed correctly in the child’s ear to be accurate and the presence of ear wax can cause the reading to be incorrect.
• Digital axillary (under the arm) and temporal (forehead) temperatures are less accurate, but are a good option for checking for fever in child care settings.

However, thermometers are in short supply and difficult to find in some areas. If an appropriate thermometer for use during the COVID-19 outbreak is not available for purchase locally or online, you can:

• Ask the family or legal guardian to fill out and sign a form that reports their child’s temperature as taken at home (or affirming the child does not have a fever) and any symptoms.
• Contact your Local Partnership for Children or Child Care Health Consultant and let them know of essential items you are unable to obtain. They may be able to coordinate with local resources about options that might be available.

Protecting staff who are performing checks during drop-off:

To protect the person posted at the entrance to the facility, consider one or more of the following suggestions:

• Have the person posted at the entrance maintain a six-foot distance from individuals as much as possible – use tape on the floor to delineate the space.
• Use a touchless thermometer if one is available.
• Have parents, family members or legal guardians bring a thermometer from home to check their own child’s temperature at drop off
• If using the facility’s thermometer:
  • Do not take oral (under the tongue) temperatures because of the risk of spreading COVID-19 from respiratory droplets from the mouth. 
  • Let the parent or staff pick up the thermometer and take their own temporal / axillary or tympanic temperature on their child or themselves.
  • Use disposable thermometer covers that are changed between individuals.
  • Clean and sanitize the thermometer using manufacturer’s instructions often, and between uses if disposable covers are not available.
  • Wash hands or use hand sanitizer between direct contact with individuals.