While child care is primarily regulated at the state level, counties play a significant role in administering child care assistance to low income residents and providing local funding to help build the supply of child care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, counties are expanding child care services by repurposing public facilities such as community and recreational centers and providing child care services to first responders and essential workers. To support child care businesses, counties are extending COVID-19 relief and increasing local funding in the form of grants and loans to pay for rental costs and other operational expenses. For child care facilities remaining open, counties are reducing classroom sizes and heightening public health and sanitation standards to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
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Suffolk County, N.Y.
Suffolk County launched the Suffolk Childcare Consortium, which offers free child care for first responders, medical professionals, transit workers and other essential workers. The program is open Monday through Friday, from 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and children must be between the grades of pre-K and sixth grade and in good health.
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Hennepin County, Minn.
While child care licensing mostly falls at the state level, Hennepin County is responsible for licensing family child care homes. The county provides online orientation training, conducts investigations and supports providers in meeting the health and safety needs of children in their care. During COVID-19, the county has been supporting child care providers with promoting public health guidelines and sanitation practices in child care facilities that remain open.
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San Diego County, Calif.
During COVID-19, San Diego child care facilities are still open, but only for children of parents working in essential sectors. Child care workers must follow heightened cleaning and social distancing standards required by the county and state and encouraged by the federal government. For those providers remaining open, the county also established child care licensing requirements to limit group sizes of no more than ten children in a classroom.
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The health and safety of residents are paramount for counties. County human services staff are on the frontlines providing essential medical, nutrition and financial assistance and economic supports to children, families and older adults at a critical time in our country and helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
