How Do Child Care Facilities Reopen? Or Do They? Webinars and Resources

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) covers so many different groups of people being fed nutritious meals. Those in emergency shelters, adult care day programs, at-risk/afterschool programs and even some school districts. There are many parts of CACFP that are intrinsically connected to child care and all parts of the child care program. CACFP supports the providers not only in feeding nutritious meals but by being a trusted resource for a variety of information related to the child care program.

As states reopen and child care programs look to do the same there are many unknowns. Some of those unknowns are related to appropriate food service, social distancing, doing the right thing when children enter the program and so on and so forth. Other unknowns are whether or not child care programs can reopen at all. So, we want to share some webinars and resources that can help providers navigate some of these unknowns and give advocates the needed information to protect children's access to quality care and nutritious meals in that care.

Child Care Reopening Webinars

• CDC Foundation - Tools to Evolve Your COVID-19 Child Care Strategy: June 2, 2020 - 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM Est

• National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness, Ask the Expert - Social Distancing in Early Care and Education: Feasible or Impossible?: June 2, 2020 - 12:00 - 1:00 Pm Est

• COVID-19 and CACFP Town Hall #2 - Discussions of Reopening Safely by California Department of Health and Human Services and USCF Child Care Health Program - Recorded Webinar

• Early Childhood Investigations - COVID-19 and Child Care Webinars Recorded and Upcoming which include Beyond COVID-19: Preparing to Support Preschool Children to Reinegrate to the Classroom, Rebuild Your ECE Program for the New Normal and more.

Child Care Reopening Resources

• CDC: Child Care Decision Tool

• CDC: Guidance for Schools and Child Care

• CDC: Supplemental Guidance for Child Care Providers

• UCSF California Childcare Health Program: COVID-19 & CACFP Town Hall

• ChildCare.Gov

Child Care is Essential - Advocacy Information and Tools

• First Five Years Fund breaks down the Child Care Stabilization Fund, National Businesses Call for Increased Federal Child Care Relief and more, May 29, 2020.

• NAEYC and ChildCareRelief.org - Center for American Progress - The Workforce Behind the Workforce: Child Care Providers in the Coronavirus Pandemic, May 28, 2020. Hear directly from providers about how Coronovirus is impacting them.

• CLASP - Child Care Is In Peril: How COVID-19 is Pushing this Essential Sector to the Brink of Collapse Testimony of Hannah Matthews to the U.S.House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee's Member Briefing, May 26, 2020

• Center for American Progress, April 24, 2020 - Coronavirus Pandemic Could Lead to Permanent Loss of Nearly 4.5 Million Child Care Slots

• Resources from NAEYC

• NAEYC - A State by State Look at the Ongoing Effects of the Pandemic on Child Care

• Child Care Relief: Interactive Map and Convenient break down of the state of the each state

• Early Edge California has a myriad of resources for teachers, parents, advocates and more

News Articles

How To Build a Better Child Care System? New York Times

America's Fragile Child Care System Reported at Risk of Collapse in COVID-19 Crisis Washington Post

How COVID-19 Has Created a Childcare Catch 22 for Working Families TIME

Should the Child Care Industry Get a Bailout? New York Times