Pima County has a checklist to help working parents determine the safety of child care providers amid COVID-19.
The Child Care Checklist, developed through efforts led by the Pima County Health Department, has the tips you need to know to feel secure your child is safe while you’re at work.
Among the key questions to ask your child care provider:
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What are your arrival and pick-up procedures?
- Do groups of children stay together in small groups each day with the same teacher to help minimize contact?
- How do you handle physical distancing? During meals, nap time, in the classroom, and on the playground?
- How do you limit the use of shared toys and materials?
- What happens if someone tests positive for COVID-19 at the site?
The checklist takes the guesswork out the process and takes a deeper dive into procedures and best practices for parents to look for from their child care provider as they consider the safety of their children. The information was developed in partnership with Arizona Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R), a group of parents, child care providers and agencies.
“We recognize that child care is as important as roads and other physical infrastructure when it comes to ensuring that employees with children can get to work on a daily basis,” said Nicole Fyffe, assistant to County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry.
Parents who are seeking child care are encouraged to contact CCR&R via its
website or at 520-325-5778. CCR&R is Arizona’s statewide child care consumer education program designed to assist anyone searching for child care with information, tools, resources and support to help make an informed choice.
More information and materials for parents, caregivers, schools and administrators on how to stay safe amid COVID-19 is available at
pima.gov/BackToSchool.
Meanwhile, the County, in an effort to assist child care providers that had to close or operate at significantly reduced enrollment rates because of COVID-19, offered a $2 million small business assistance grant program to reimburse child care providers for costs associated with reopening and operating safely during the pandemic. Applications closed on Sept. 4.