In light of the province’s move to COVID-19 Alert Level 5, and after consultation with public health, the Department of Education advises that all regulated child care operators are permitted to remain open. The department recommends that operators only provide service to the children of existing clients who are required to leave their home and report to their place of work under Alert Level 5.

For the duration of Alert Level 5 restrictions, the department is taking additional steps to recognize the needs of parents and the operational realities of regulated child care services. These include:

• Parents whose children do not attend their normal regulated child care service during this period will not be required to pay for days they don’t attend and will not lose their space. Regulated child care services will be compensated for any reduction in parental fees;
• Parents of children who attend regulated child care will continue to pay regular child care fees; and
• All regulated child care services on the Operating Grant Program that remain operational will continue to receive their regular funding, regardless of attendance levels.

All child care services should continue to follow public health and infection control guidelines related to COVID-19.

Staff and children of parents who are required to leave their home for work are not permitted to attend child care if they:

• Have symptoms suggestive of COVID-19;
• Are a household contact of a confirmed case of COVID-19; and/or
• Have been advised by a public health official or through a recent media advisory that they must self-isolate.

If individuals who attend child care develop symptoms please use the COVID-19 Self-Assessment and Testing Referral tool to determine if testing for COVID-19 is needed.

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Media contact
Tina Coffey
Education
709-687-9903
tcoffey@gov.nl.ca