A "Must Hear" podcast for Child Care Centers and Family Providers

The Committee for Economic Development (CED) has released a podcast specifically for child care centers and a podcast specifically for family child care home providers. 

Both feature the following panel of early childhood financing experts: Heidi Hagel-Braid, Chief Program Officer, First Children’s Finance; Louise Stoney, Independent Consultant and Co-founder of Opportunities Exchange and Alliance for Early Childhood Finance; and moderator, Grace Reef, CED Outreach Consultant.

The podcasts are a “must hear” for anyone operating a child care program who wants to more clearly assess the implications of available federal assistance, as well as how to prioritize business expenses and support economic viability in the short- and long-term. 

These, along with other related resources, can be accessed on CED’s web site at: https://www.ced.org/coronaviruschildcare.

We hope the podcasts are of help to you at this time of pandemic and economic crisis. We are thinking of you, please contact us if you need anything.

Can WIC help your staff or families?

Do you have staff or families that have lost their job and need assistance during these troubling times? Call our WIC office for assistance.

How can WIC help?

WIC helps feed your family's future by providing nutritious food to help you save on groceries, lower health care costs, and improve your family's health during critical periods of growth and development.

WIC Office Information:

 Monday-Thursday 8am – 4:30pm

We are doing everything over the phone and by email until further notice.

Please contact us at 816-587-5998 or WICsupport@plattehealth.com

Planning to Re-Open Soon???

As your Child Care Health Consultants, we wanted to share information with you in regards to those facilities that will be re-opening soon. Remember, these are things we all know and have been practicing for years; good handwashing, covering sneezes and coughs, staying home when sick, and avoiding close contact with those who are sick. The Section for Child Care Regulation recommends that child care facilities take the following steps to help stop or slow the spread of respiratory diseases, including COVID-19.

 

Need hand sanitizer?? Email Sherrie.Kisker@plattehealth.com for instructions for pick-up.

 

Please review the information from the CDC and take the recommended steps to keep yourself and those you care for healthy:

If Your Child Care Program Remains Open

• Implement social distancing strategies
• Intensify cleaning and disinfection efforts
• Modify drop off and pick up procedures
• Implement screening procedures up arrival
• Maintain an adequate ratio of staff to children to ensure safety.
• When feasible, staff members and older children should wear face coverings within the facility. Cloth face coverings should NOT be put on babies and children under age two because of the danger of suffocation.

At all times…

1. Encourage your staff or community members to protect their personal health.
2. Post the signs and symptoms of COVID-19: fever, cough, shortness of breath.
3. Clean surfaces that are frequently touched – things such as shared desks, countertops, kitchen areas, electronics, and doorknobs. Ensure handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
4. Limit events and meetings that require close contact.
5. Stay up to date on developments in your community.
6. Create an emergency plan for possible outbreak.
7. Assess if community members are at higher risk and plan accordingly.

During an outbreak in your area

1. If you identify a case, inform people who might have been exposed.
2. Continue to safely clean and disinfect the person's area.
3. Connect with Platte County Health Department 816.587.5998
4. Cancel large meetings or events.
5. Put your infectious disease outbreak plan into action.

6.      If you make a decision to close your facility, you must notify the Section for Child Care Regulation (SCCR) by filling out this form.

Resources for Child Care Providers

Specific resources for schools and childcare programs can be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/index.html

https://health.mo.gov/safety/childcare/pdf/interim-guidance.pdf

Guidance for Childcare Programs that Remain Open

Guidance for Childcare Programs that Remain Open

Updated April 12, 2020

Summary of recent changes:

• Includes additional options for screening children upon arrival to ensure that children who have a fever or other signs of illness are not admitted to the facility.
• The additional options may be useful when personal protective equipment (PPE) is in short supply.

Please visit website for more information: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/guidance-for-childcare.html?utm_campaign=Coronavirus%202020&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=86266655&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_OkHOhXi9r3qfAnZYq1aOLLpycCRxYYTWkxu9MTLZtoqBP1jG4CGf5GOU7GMmvd_GbrkrkeM7CiSVEut65Ankt4wz3duaQJwQMiYpcU4Y3Hjb-_a8&_hsmi=86266655

COVID-19 CARES Act for Childcare Providers

Below are some links to vital information on the CARES Act for financial help for Day Care Providers.

The CARES Act includes many potential relief opportunities for the nation’s child care industry.
Click the link to see how the CARES Act may help you:
https://www.ffyf.org/small-business-administration-sba-loans-immediately-available-to-child-care-providers/


Understanding the NEW unemployment Benefits of the CARES Act:
https://www.ffyf.org/understanding-new-unemployment-benefits-included-in-the-cares-act-passed-by-congress/

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Offers Guide to Coronavirus Emergency Loans for Small Businesses
https://www.ffyf.org/u-s-chamber-of-commerce-offers-guide-to-coronavirus-emergency-loans-for-small-businesses/

Disinfecting Your Facility if Someone is Sick

Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility

Everyday Steps, Steps When Someone is Sick, and Considerations for Employers

Click Link below:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/disinfecting-building-facility.html?deliveryName=USCDC_2067-DM24835