Information for Daycare Providers

The Child Care Council of Dutchess and Putnam, Inc. surveyed local daycare providers about the aggressive precautions they are taking protect the children and families they serve as well as their staff.

We urge all providers to:

• Mandate social distancing by keeping children in small groups (no more than 10 children clustered in an activity) and suspending large group activities;
• Instruct staff to monitor for symptoms, and stay home if they are sick;
• Mandate frequent hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing one’s nose. Teachers should help young children do the same. If hands are visibly dirty, use soap and water to clean hands;
• Provide children with soap and water to wash hands and have children routinely wash hands every hour;
• Advise persons to avoid touching their face (especially eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands);
• Increase the program’s cleaning and disinfection routine to multiple times per day, while being careful with children in the near vicinity, and emphasizing cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces;
• Remove and sanitize mouthed toys immediately;
• Regularly launder soft items such as washable plush toys, bedding, and clothing;
• Cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue, then throwing the tissue in the trash and cleaning hands with soap and water;
• Provide adequate supplies for good hygiene, including clean and functional handwashing stations, soap, paper towels, and alcohol‐based hand sanitizer;
• Restrict outside visitors and volunteers; and
• Take any other precautions they deem necessary to protect the health and wellbeing of those in their care and their staff

Additional information is available on the New York State Office of Children and Family Services' Coronavirus website. Or read Frequently Asked Questions for Child Care Programs from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (.pdf).