Kentucky Childcare Closing - COVID-19

Due to the current COVID-19 situation, Governor Beshear of Kentucky has asked that all Kentucky childcare locations be closed by the end of the business day, this Friday, March 20, 2020.

[Michael]

wow, that is quite broad. Thanks for the info.

[e.j.]

I heard a reporter ask the president if day cares should be closed just as schools are being closed. His point was that while kids tend to get less serious symptoms from Covid19, they also can be carriers with no symptoms. Given how easily germs spread among groups of kids and the fact that kids are going back home at the end of the day, potentially spreading the virus to older family members, he asked if any thought was being given to closing day cares, too.

The president said it was a good question; Dr. Fauci said they'd have to discuss it. I'm guessing it won't be long before they do ask states to close day cares. Our own governor feels we are "essential workers" because medical personnel need child care in order to be able to work. We probably won't be told to shut down unless the federal government recommends it.

[Blackcat31]

I feel like parents WITH providers should be allowed to make that call. We are private businesses. No one is going to cover our income loss.

ALL my children have been together for over 10 months.

Other than my 10 month old I’ve had no new kids for over a year.

These kids are an immunity wall..lol!
They're used to each other.

[e.j.]

Originally Posted by Blackcat31

No one is going to cover our income loss.

This is my biggest concern. Measures have been put in place to help providers protect their income if they take subsidized families but I haven't seen anything to indicate help will be available to those of us who only take private clients. I guess I'm not essential enough to warrant any kind of income protection.

[Blackcat31]

Originally Posted by e.j.

This is my biggest concern. Measures have been put in place to help providers protect their income if they take subsidized families but I haven't seen anything to indicate help will be available to those of us who only take private clients. I guess I'm not essential enough to warrant any kind of income protection.

Yet the emails of praise for all we do and recognizing how vital we are pour in from every agency etc

[storybookending]

They are waiving some child care rules in my state

https://waow.com/2020/03/16/departme...ld-care-rules/

[e.j.]

Originally Posted by Blackcat31

Yet the emails of praise for all we do and recognizing how vital we are pour in from every agency etc

All I've been seeing are emails updating guidelines and procedures and asking if anyone is interested in increasing their license capacity. I think emails of praise at this point would probably just piss me off.

[Blackcat31]

Originally Posted by e.j.

All I've been seeing are emails updating guidelines and procedures and asking if anyone is interested in increasing their license capacity. I think emails of praise at this point would probably just piss me off.

Thank you......glad I’m not alone in feeling I have a right to be offended.

[e.j.]

Back at you! I thought it was just me!

[nanglgrl]

Our state is thinking of loosening regulations, upping capacities, allowing childcare to be provided in unlicensed locations etc.

They will also pay CCA clients based on enrollment instead of attendance. Which will be great for some providers.

Funding may be provided to help with sanitation and once hand sanitizer becomes available we will be some of the first on the list to get it.

Sounds great except many clients are leaving care. Many providers in a local group are losing clients since school closed. Clients are leaving with no notice and no payment. Loosening regulations will only mean more clients leave for cheaper, unregulated care that will pop up with so many parents at home and hurt providers who are trying to stay afloat. Funding for sanitation and hand sanitizer only helps if the provider has clients.

I had a parent give notice today. She decided not to pay to hold the spot since we don’t know how long this will go on for. She’s normally wonderful. She has a child under 18 months and it’s going to be hard to find care once this is all said and done but she’s more worried about the here and now and doesn’t trust she will get paid. I made it very clear that I will not accept a child back in to care if they don’t pay to hold the spot. Additionally, I was only going to charge whatever percentage of tuition they get from unemployment/paid leave.

Another client has been hinting about leaving after this week and asking how much it will cost to hold a spot, another is a student who was leaving in March anyway so will probably notify me in the next week, another is a teacher who is off work and another recently had surgery and will be off work.


I think the coronavirus relief package assumes that parents will want to keep their care and use money to keep paying for daycare but so many are not thinking about what happens when their provider shutters his/her doors for good because of a mass exodus, they’re worried about keeping the lights on as they find themselves temporarily unemployed.

We keep hearing about all of the other essential employees that will need care since schools closed but so far that doesn’t seem to be the case. Chances are the my have another parent at home, friends or family to care for them. Additionally, if regulations are loosened many will just choose the cheapest option. Truthfully, even if they started calling around it would be hard to find care. Who wants schoolagers who have never been enrolled with you, whose parents are at high risk in their homes?

[Second Home]

RI has closed it's centers and home based child care.

[sahm1225]

Originally Posted by nanglgrl

Our state is thinking of loosening regulations, upping capacities, allowing childcare to be provided in unlicensed locations etc.

They will also pay CCA clients based on enrollment instead of attendance. Which will be great for some providers.

Funding may be provided to help with sanitation and once hand sanitizer becomes available we will be some of the first on the list to get it.

Sounds great except many clients are leaving care. Many providers in a local group are losing clients since school closed. Clients are leaving with no notice and no payment. Loosening regulations will only mean more clients leave for cheaper, unregulated care that will pop up with so many parents at home and hurt providers who are trying to stay afloat. Funding for sanitation and hand sanitizer only helps if the provider has clients.

I had a parent give notice today. She decided not to pay to hold the spot since we don’t know how long this will go on for. She’s normally wonderful. She has a child under 18 months and it’s going to be hard to find care once this is all said and done but she’s more worried about the here and now and doesn’t trust she will get paid. I made it very clear that I will not accept a child back in to care if they don’t pay to hold the spot. Additionally, I was only going to charge whatever percentage of tuition they get from unemployment/paid leave.

Another client has been hinting about leaving after this week and asking how much it will cost to hold a spot, another is a student who was leaving in March anyway so will probably notify me in the next week, another is a teacher who is off work and another recently had surgery and will be off work.


I think the coronavirus relief package assumes that parents will want to keep their care and use money to keep paying for daycare but so many are not thinking about what happens when their provider shutters his/her doors for good because of a mass exodus, they’re worried about keeping the lights on as they find themselves temporarily unemployed.

We keep hearing about all of the other essential employees that will need care since schools closed but so far that doesn’t seem to be the case. Chances are the my have another parent at home, friends or family to care for them. Additionally, if regulations are loosened many will just choose the cheapest option. Truthfully, even if they started calling around it would be hard to find care. Who wants schoolagers who have never been enrolled with you, whose parents are at high risk in their homes?

This is why we need clear guidance. In Illinois, daycares are given the option to close. Those who close risk losing families, those who stay open risk getting sick or others getting sick.
Some providers are staying open and still losing clients. That means WE are still losing. If a provider stays open and then gets covid-19, what makes us thinks the parents will pay in the event Of hospitalization?

Not having a clear direction and giving us the option to close puts us in a bad spot, a spot where regardless of what we choose, we lose.

At this point, I’m not sure what the solution is because I understand there are SOME families that are essential employees and need daycare. But the ones I’ve seen giving the most pushback and being darn right rude about paying for daycare if it’s closed are the ones that are not essential and still are getting paid.

[rosieteddy]

As hard as it is ,they have to close daycares. Those children can get the virus and spread it without symptoms. The 6 ,10 or more children you care for may have siblings ,elderly grandparents and or neighbors .Mom or Dad stop for groceries on the way home .the child can pick up the virus and spread it to others. Maybe they get food on the way to your house. The child passes it on to her friends .Friends go home and pass it along.If we do not slow this virus down many people will die. It is hard on providers our clients pay weekly mostly and this has never happened before.I think some people will not recover their business for quite awhile .I feel for the situation .

[Blackcat31]

Originally Posted by Second Home

RI has closed it's centers and home based child care.

We are being asked to consider extending our hours to serve those in the health care field that need child care.

We are also asked to consider taking in other children of health care workers IF we have the capacity to do so.

They are telling us that if we stay open and any of our staff (or ourselves) have symptoms the state will offer testing in an expedited manner for us.

Other than that, they aren't mandating we close (although we still retain the right to do so) but are suggesting we limit our group sizes.

[Gemma]

I don't understand the logic in closing centers and then overcrowd home daycare.

[DaveA]

One of my concerns is if they make us close I have 2 DCPs that are healthcare workers. Not just hospital employees, but lab/ diagnostic people. If I close they’re SOL. That will not help the situation at the hospital.

[sahm1225]

Originally Posted by DaveA

One of my concerns is if they make us close I have 2 DCPs that are healthcare workers. Not just hospital employees, but lab/ diagnostic people. If I close they’re SOL. That will not help the situation at the hospital.

Maybe offer to stay open just for them?
It’s an unfair position to put us in. Why should we risk everything and still lose in the end (we either lose families, pay, or health).

[MyAngels]

So far I've not been affected by this, but it will happen. I have 8 kids but only 4 families right now. 3 of the families are "working from home" and were very concerned that I would close. The other is a teacher and the schools are closed. They just paid for the upcoming month, but who knows when next month rolls around?

When the companies start laying off these workers because they can't reopen their offices is when I'll be affected. I see this turning bad for so many Americans.

I suppose they can technically mandate the closure of home daycares, but I'm not sure how they could enforce it as long as there are families that need care. I'm not talking about fines and such, I know they can do that, but with everyone being put on lock down they won't have the staff to find providers that are defying the order.

Originally Posted by e.j.

This is my biggest concern. Measures have been put in place to help providers protect their income if they take subsidized families but I haven't seen anything to indicate help will be available to those of us who only take private clients. I guess I'm not essential enough to warrant any kind of income protection.

Mine too and I can't help feeling extremely offended in all this! With the schools closed were expected and I'm sure most of us would brave it out anyway. There's talk of ccap being propped up to pay providers if parents can't work. I guess that's nice but the ccap rates are not livable so most private providers don't participate and won't be helped there. Ive heard emergency responders may receive ccap child care assistance. That's nice for emergency workers, they need that right now. But for providers that translates getting paid a non-working wage through CCAP. And correct me if I'm wrong but from my understanding private in home providers are not considered child care "workers" so they will not be given paid sick leave. And if this gets worse unemployment is not an option for us even though as private business we pay unemployment taxes every year. If we have to close we are offered the choice of going into debt with low interest rate loans....and that....is not nice at all! No financial supports and it really feels like were expected to pick up the slack financially and take a bigger risk for exposure than most. How can we not notice for a job that everyone says is so essential with the plea's to stay open its not showing.

[Meeko]

At the moment, Utah is not closing daycares down as first responders need care for their children. We have also been told that if we end up over ratio due to school kids being with us all day, that we won't be cited for it as it's an emergency situation.
We personally have put "social distance" in place as much as we possibly can. Even though the kids may carry the virus, we don't need to add to that by 16 sets of parents chatting in the entry. So we are requiring lightening speed drop off and pick ups. Parents are texting me from the driveway. I then open the door and they send the child to me. Reverse at pick up. We have suspended sign in/out as they don't all need to handle the sign in sheet etc.

[AmyKidsCo]

Wow! In WI they're doing the opposite. We're considered "vital infrastructure" and most regulations have been suspended so we can take more children for more hours. I understand that first responders and healthcare workers need care, and feel halfway proud to be that important, but halfway worried about the health of my family. If we could afford it I'd close and stay home for the duration.

[Cat Herder]

Originally Posted by AmyKidsCo

Wow! In WI they're doing the opposite. We're considered "vital infrastructure" and most regulations have been suspended so we can take more children for more hours. I understand that first responders and healthcare workers need care, and feel halfway proud to be that important, but halfway worried about the health of my family. If we could afford it I'd close and stay home for the duration.

We are only vital until we need help. Then we are expendable.

[flying_babyb]

Originally Posted by Cat Herder

We are only vital until we need help. Then we are expendable.

I agree! Wisconsin here, we just agreed to take on another 10 to 16 kids

[e.j.]

Originally Posted by Cat Herder

We are only vital until we need help. Then we are expendable.

Exactly!