Background:
Effective March 26, 2020, all child care programs were closed. Only those programs issued a temporary
pandemic child care license were permitted to operate.
New Policy:
As of 11:59 PM on May 30, 2020 all temporary pandemic child care
programs must close as Ohio is transitioning to reopen child care programs.
The following rules were emergency filed with an effective date
of May 31, 2020.
Rule 5101:2-12-02.2 "Transitional
Pandemic Requirements for a Licensed Child Care Center" is being emergency
filed to define transitional pandemic requirements for a licensed child care
center. Licensed child care centers
shall follow all of the licensing requirements of the chapter in addition to
the following exceptions and additions detailed in the new rule:
- Follow all guidelines set by the Governor of
Ohio or the director of the Ohio Department of Health.
- Ratio has been updated:
Age Group
|
Ratio
|
Maximum Group Size
|
Infants
|
1:4
|
6
|
Toddlers
|
1:6
|
6
|
Preschool
|
1:9
|
9
|
School-Age
|
1:9
|
9
|
|
|
|
- Clarification of handwashing requirements,
including allowing portable sinks to be used for handwashing.
- The center shall ensure that all administrators,
employees, child care staff members and children take their temperature prior
to or as soon as they arrive each day. The
program will send home anyone with a temperature of 100 degrees or higher, and
the individual cannot return until he or she has been fever-free without
medication for at least 24 hours. If the
person has had known contact with someone confirmed or probable to have
COVID-19, prior to returning to the center he or she must complete isolation or
quarantine procedures.
- The center shall notify ODJFS in writing and the
local health department if anyone tests
- positive for COVID-19. The individual shall also complete isolation
or quarantine procedures prior to returning to the program
- There are new requirements if the center needs
to divide a room into smaller spaces to serve multiple groups of children.
Rule 5101:2-13-02.2 "Transitional
Pandemic Requirements for a Licensed Family Child Care Provider" is being
emergency filed to define transitional pandemic requirements for a licensed
family child care provider. Licensed
family child care providers shall follow all of the licensing requirements of
the chapter in addition to the following exceptions and additions detailed in
the new rule:
- Follow all guidelines set by the Governor of
Ohio or the director of the Ohio Department of Health.
- Group size for Type A homes is 1:6 (no more than
3 under 2 years of age). Capacity is up
to 12 children, as listed on the Type A Home provider's license. Type A home providers may serve multiple
groups of children if the groups are cared for in separate rooms, including
during meals and naps.
- Group size for Type B Home providers remains at
1:6 with no more than 3 under 2 years of age. Capacity is up to 6 children, as
listed on the Type B Home provider's license.
- Clarification of handwashing requirements,
including that a portable sink may be used for handwashing.
- The family child care provider shall ensure that
all employees, child care staff members and children take their temperature
prior to or as soon as they arrive each day.
The provider and residents shall also take their temperatures at the
start of the day. The program will have to send home anyone with a temperature
of 100 degrees or higher, and the individual cannot return until he or she has
been fever-free without medication for at least 24 hours. If the person has had known contact with
someone confirmed or probable to have COVID-19, prior to returning to the
program he or she must complete isolation or quarantine procedures. If the provider or a resident has a fever,
care cannot be provided.
- The FCC provider shall not provide care to sick
children pursuant to Appendix B to rule 5101:2-13-16 of the Administrative Code.
- The FCC provider shall notify ODJFS in writing
and the local health department if anyone tests positive for COVID-19. The individual shall also complete isolation
or quarantine procedures prior to returning to the program. If the provider or
a resident tests positive for COVID-19 care cannot be provided.
Rule 5101:2-14-02.2 "Transitional
Pandemic Requirements for In-Home Aide Certification" is being emergency
filed to define transitional pandemic requirements for a certified in-home
aide. Certified in-home aides (IHA)
shall follow all of the certification requirements of the chapter in addition
to the following exceptions and additions detailed in the new rule:
- Follow all guidelines set by the Governor of
Ohio or the director of the Ohio Department of Health.
- New handwashing requirements.
- The IHA shall ensure that all children in care and
all residents of the home take their temperature prior to or as the IHA arrives
each day. The IHA shall also take his or
her own temperature prior to going to the child's home. If anyone has a fever
of 100 degrees or higher, the IHA shall not provide care until the individual
has been fever free without medication for at least 24 hours. If the person has had known contact with
someone confirmed or probable to have COVID-19 he or she must complete
isolation or quarantine procedures before the IHA can provide care.
- The IHA shall notify ODJFS in writing and the
local health department if anyone tests positive for COVID-19. The individual
shall also complete isolation or quarantine procedures before the IHA can
provide care.
Rule 5101:2-16-10 "Payment Rates
and Procedures for Providers of Publicly Funded Child Care Services" is
being emergency filed to allow pandemic days to be used if the local health
department or Ohio Department of Health requires the program to close in
response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Up to
twenty-one pandemic days may be used each fiscal year. The emergency rule also keeps absent days at twenty
days every six months.
Rule 5101:2-18-03.1 "Transitional
Pandemic Requirements for Approved Child Day Camps" is being emergency
filed to define transitional pandemic requirements for an approved child day
camp. Approved day camps shall follow
all of the approval requirements of the chapter in addition to the following
exceptions and additions detailed in the new rule:
- Follow all guidelines set by the Governor of
Ohio or the director of the Ohio Department of Health.
- Ratio has been updated to 1:9 for school-age
children with only 1 group of children in each room.
- There are new requirements if the child day camp
needs to divide a room into smaller spaces to serve multiple groups of
children.
- New handwashing requirements including the use
of portable sinks for handwashing.
- The child day camp shall ensure that all
administrators, employees, child day camp staff members and children take their
temperature prior to or as soon as they arrive each day. The program will send home anyone with a
temperature of 100 degrees or higher, and the individual cannot return until he
or she has been fever-free without medication for at least 24 hours. If the person has had known contact with
someone confirmed or probable to have COVID-19, prior to returning to the program
he or she must complete isolation or quarantine procedures.
- The child day camp shall notify ODJFS in writing
and the local health department if anyone tests positive for COVID-19. The individual shall also complete isolation
or quarantine procedures prior to returning to the program.
Implementation
Temporary Pandemic Child Care Licenses
Effective May 31, 2020, programs issued a regular child care
license, approval or certification shall operate under the normal regulations,
with the exceptions noted in these new rules. Those with an agreement to
provide publicly funded child care (PFCC) will also return to receiving payment
for those services. Pandemic payments
shall be paid through May 30, 2020 for all temporary pandemic programs with a
regular child care license, approval or certification.
Temporary pandemic child care centers without a regular child
care license or who are not issued a regular child care license before June 9,
2020 must cease providing care on June 9, 2020. Pandemic payments for these programs shall continue
through June 9, 2020.
Publicly Funded Child Care Closure Payments
The final week of closure payments will be for the week of May 24,
2020.
Notification of Reopening
By June 7, 2020, licensed centers, licensed family child care
homes, certified IHAs and approved day camps must notify ODJFS and the county agency
in OCLQS of their intent to reopen and their anticipated reopening date. Any program that has
not updated OCLQS by June 7, 2020 will put into temporarily closure status by
ODJFS.
Compliance
Because child care has been closed, ODJFS and the county
agencies will give additional time for compliance for some of the time-specific
requirements as applicable.
- Compliance not assessed until November 29, 2020:
- Child medicals on file within 30 days of the
child's attendance and updated every thirteen months.
- Staff medicals on file by first day of
employment.
- Expired credentials including the Child
Development Associate and the school-age endorsement.
- Expired annual fire inspections.
- Expired JFS 01217 "Request for
Administration of Medication for Child Care"
- Administrator rules training taken within six
months of hire.
- Expired food service licenses
- Expired annual vehicle inspections
- Health training updates
Compliance not assessed until July 1, 2021:
- Professional development.
Submission of Attendance for Payment
Effective May 31, 2020, all providers of publicly funded child
care shall use the Ohio Time, Attendance and Payment (TAP) system to record
attendance and submit for payment.
Submission of
Pandemic Days for Payment
If a child care program
is required by the local health department or Ohio Department of Health to
close in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program will need to send an
email to child_care_adjustment@jfs.ohio.gov with “Program COVID-19 Closure” in the
subject. This email should tell ODJFS that the program has been closed by
the local health department or the Ohio Department of Health and the intended
closure period (if known). The email must also include the written
documentation from the local health department or the Ohio Department of Health
requiring the program to close. ODJFS will then contact the program to
provide instructions on how to claim the pandemic days in KinderConnect.
Guidance and Recommendations
ODJFS recommends that
child care providers implement the following suggestions from the Center for
Disease Control. Additional guidance can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/guidance-for-childcare.html.
- Increase sanitization, including communal spaces
after each use.
- Wear masks for anyone over the age of 2,
including parents at pick-up and drop-off.
- Wear gloves during feedings (including bottles).
- Limit parent access inside the building.
- Limit mixing of classes and keep children of the
same employer together.
A best practice training is available for providers at https://jfs.ohio.gov/cdc/index.stm.
Questions:
Please contact the Child Care Policy Helpdesk at 1-877-302-2347,
option 4, if you have any questions about the new policy.