Coronavirus in Pa.: When will child care centers reopen? Resources for essential workers

The coronavirus pandemic upended her life as a single mom. 

As a tax preparer, Melissa Carney, 37, had an 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. shift in York and was able to afford child care through Child Care Consultants.

When her child care center shutdown after Gov. Tom Wolf's order, she made arrangements with her boss to work from 6 p.m. to midnight, leaving her 17-year-old to look after her younger sister. 

But, she's not always getting the hours she needs to stay afloat. The work is there, but Carney doesn't want to put too much of a strain on her daughter who's juggling a job and school as she prepares for her senior year of high school. 

"It's been a struggle," Carney said.

She can't apply for unemployment because she wasn't laid off and she voluntarily took the cut in hours because her oldest daughter is the only family she can depend on. And, Carney hasn't been successful in navigating available resources for childcare as an essential worker.

But, even though many places seem completely shutdown in the counties that are still in the red phase, resources are still up and running. 

Where to find child care, daycare near me? 

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) is responsible for licensing child care facilities and they are business partners with Early Learning Resource Centers. 

As of February, there were a little over 7,000 licensed childcare facilities in Pennsylvania, but only about 1,500 remained open after Gov. Tom Wolf's order. 

Deputy Secretary of the Office of Child Development and Early Learning Tracey Campanini said,"The Early Learning Resource Centers continue to do business virtually or through phone consultation with families."

Early Learning Resource Centers can provide information to families about what childcare centers are currently open in their region and if they have enrollment availability. They also manage Child Care Works subsidy programs for low-income working families.

According to the Department of Human Services, " As OCDEL is responding to wavier requests for child care providers to remain open, [the department] is referring their names to the appropriate ELRC. The ELRC is making follow-up calls to determine if approved providers have space to refer essential service employees for enrollment during the duration of the crisis." 

Before the pandemic, the primary resource for locating licensed child care centers in Pennsylvania was by using the Compass tool online. In light of the current circumstances, people can find child care centers that are open here or by heading over to the Department of Human Services website.

Here's a list of Early Learning Resource Centers in central Pennsylvania: 

195 Drive-In Lane

Everett, PA 15537-6368

Main office: 814-623-9129

or 1-800-323-9997

Phone: 814-323-9129

Toll-Free: 1-800-623-9997

Fax: 814-623-1444

Preferred communication is phone calls.

Region 9: Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon, and Perry Counties

701 Bosler Avenue, Suite C

Lemoyne, PA 17043-1819

Phone: 717-210-3334

Toll Free: 1-800-864-4925

Fax: 717-210-3373

E-mail: info@childcareconsultants.org

Preferred communication is e-mail: info@childcareconsultants.org

29 N. Duke Street

York, PA 17401-1204

Phone: 717- 854-2273

Toll Free: 1-800-864-4925

Fax: 717- 843-4158

E-mail: info@childcareconsultants.org

Preferred communication is e-mail: info@childcareconsultants.org

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When will childcare, day care centers reopen in Pa.?

In an effort to aid essential workers, not every childcare center closed after Gov. Tom Wolf's order in mid-March. And, if your county is currently in the "yellow" phase of Wolf's color-coded plan, child care centers are able to reopen. 

More:Coronavirus updates: Gov. Wolf reveals which Pa. counties will move to 'yellow' phase May 8

Reopening is under the discretion of the childcare center, so you'll want to contact them individually to make sure they're up and running. 

CDC guidelines 

Child care programs that decided to stay open are instructed to abide by the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including staff and older children wearing masks when feasible. 

The CDC also recommends programs to consider the following:

• Implement social distancing strategies
• Intensify cleaning and disinfection efforts
• Modify drop off and pick up procedures
• Implement screening procedures up arrival
• Maintain an adequate ratio of staff to children to ensure safety.
• Plan ahead and recruit those with child care experience to ensure you have a roster of substitute caregivers who can fill in if your staff members are sick or stay home to care for sick family members.

You can find more outlined information about CDC guidelines at cdc.gov. 

Jasmine Vaughn-Hall is a trends reporter in central Pennsylvania. She's dishing out most-talked about topics, features, and taco fandom. Contact her at jvaughnhal@ydr.com, 717-495-1789 and follow her on Twitter @jvaughn411. 

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