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Results of Yale Study on Coronavirus and Child Care Released
Earlier this year, the Growing Futures Registry was pleased to be able to assist in a large epidemiology study of childcare undertaken by Yale University. The Registry was able to send requests for study participation directly to individual members of the Early Childhood workforce in North Dakota. This is a unique feature of registries like ours - we are a connecting point for individuals who work in childcare rather than just for the licensed programs where they are employed. As a result, childcare practitioners in North Dakota were involved in the Yale study, which included 57,000 childcare providers across the country.
The results of the Yale study have now been made public and will be published in the journal Pediatrics later this year. In a nutshell, the study found that during the early months of the U.S. coronavirus pandemic, childcare provider were not more likely to contract COVID-19 based on whether their workplace closed or stayed open.
The study found that the childcare programs that did remain open adhered to strong infection control measures including frequent handwashing and increased frequency of surface disinfection. Additionally, these programs took significant infection control measures, such as symptom checks, exclusion of children and adults with symptoms, physical distancing, and cohorts that did not mix.
Childcare providers did not avoid COVID-19 completely, and the study confirmed that Black, Latino, and Native American childcare providers were more likely to test positive and be hospitalized for COVID-19. The study focused only on adult childcare providers and did not examine the effect of COVID-19 on children.
The study underscores that continuing support for the childcare workforce is paramount to their ability to continue to provide care, including: PPE, cleaning and disinfection supplies, access to mental health support, and regulations that support social distancing.
A public discussion of the study results and implications for childcare will be hosted on 10-16-20 by Yale and Child Care Aware of America. Register here to attend.
As more information is released, the Growing Futures Registry and its national organization the National Registry Alliance will provide updates via email and on our website at www.ndgrowingfutures.org.
The Growing Futures Registry was please to be able to assist in this very important work. Please feel free to contact us at any time for information related to the Early Childhood workforce in North Dakota or visit our website data page to learn more.