PORTSMOUTH, Va (WAVY) — Local parents are scrambling to find childcare options as many day cares have closed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
And state leaders are making some changes for child care facilities that remain open.
The issue is two-fold: There are parents who need child care, but also teachers and providers who want to keep children safe, as well as stay safe themselves.
On Wednesday, Gov. Ralph Northam and state leaders addressed the day care issue, which is increasingly concerning for people in Hampton Roads.
“We want to make sure our children are safe, while also ensuring essential personnel like medical professionals are able to go to work to know their children are being cared for,” Northam said.
Department of Social Services Commissioner Duke Storen said there are new guidelines.
“That guidance will talk about keeping the number of children per classroom to 10, inclusive of the staff and the children,” he said. “We also ask that they feed children in their individual classes, they stagger recess and play outside to one classroom at a time … We’ll be releasing programs that can be done to keep children six feet apart.”
Many are hoping these changes relieve some of the stress.
“We don’t know family outsiders who they’ve been in contact with, and having the kids here in and out. We wear our gloves. We are cleaning constantly, but we don’t know what outside is bringing in and it’s a pretty tough situation,” said a woman who asked to stay anonymous but works at a child care facility in Portsmouth.
Parents are still bringing in children and teachers are still working. On Wednesday, this woman said the facility she works at is still caring for more than 50 children.
“As an advocate of the children, it’s best to keep the children’s safety first,” she said.
“We ask all the parents of the commonwealth that if you are not … essential personnel that you stay home with your children like we’re doing with schools to make available capacity for child care centers to provide the necessary care to essential personnel,” said Storen.
“The unknown is scary, I never thought we would be here, but as of right now, we do have a lot of people who don’t feel comfortable,” said the daycare worker.
We reached out to corporate daycare organizations for comment, but haven’t heard a response.