Local child care centers prepare to reopen in state's yellow phase

The Citizens' Voice - 5/28/2020

May 28--WYOMING -- Some parents are nervous. Others are relieved.

Either way, those seeking day care for their children will once again have that opportunity when Luzerne County enters the yellow reopening phase on Friday following a two-month coronavirus shutdown.

Several local child care centers have announced they will reopen as early as Monday, one of them being Dare 2 Dream Daycare and Learning Center on Wyoming Avenue in Wyoming.

"Everyone has a different comfort level. Some people are anxious and some are ready to go. It's a very big expanse of feelings and we understand that," said Jacki Swetts, 34, owner of Dare 2 Dream. "I'm very ready to be back. I feel confident in our procedures and policies in place."

The state Department of Human Services is advising day care centers to open under guidelines established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which stresses cleanliness and strict social distancing.

You can read the guidlines here.

Swetts, whose 4-year-old daughter Aubri attends the center, said only one parent will be allowed to drop off or pick up a child, and that person won't be allowed past the lobby unless there's an urgent need. Staff will check temperatures of all children upon arrival with infrared thermometers.

All staff members will be required to wear a mask. Older children should wear a mask "when feasible," but children under age 2 should not wear a mask to prevent suffocation, the Department of Human Services said.

Instead of a two-foot space between sleeping children, there will now be a six-foot space, Swetts said.

"And then we'll be social distancing as much as possible, which is difficult for young ones to understand but we'll do the best we can," Swetts said. "Obviously it's uncharted territory. There's going to be a learning curve for us, our parents and our children."

Another child care center that announced it was opening Monday was Little People Daycare School in Wilkes-Barre.

"Happy to announce we will be reopening June 1st! We will contact our families next week with more information," the day care posted on Facebook on May 22.

While many day cares were deemed non-essential and forced to close in mid-March, about 40 facilities in Luzerne County obtained a waiver to remain open, according to the Department of Human Services' website.

Statewide, the administration of Gov. Tom Wolf granted waivers to 1,529 child care facilities out of the approximately 7,000 statewide to remain open to care for the children of those working in essential businesses.

The Wilkes-Barre Family YMCA will resume its child care services on Monday, but only for essential services personnel.

Essential services personnel include health care employees, emergency workers, grocery store staff and others, the YMCA announced.

The YMCA also said the Summer Scholars Program will open on June 8th for anyone who needs it and the Summer OFF Program will open for anyone who needs it on June 15, as will summer day camp at YMCA Camp Kresge.

"We are looking forward to seeing all of our children and families return to the center," said Jennifer Brennan, director of education and child care services. "We are implementing new procedures for pick-up and drop-off, wellness checks and staff PPE. Since March 30, we have done our best to stay relevant to our families and act as a support in providing educational and interactive activities they could do at home on a nightly basis. I think we all just want to get back to normal, no matter how slowly and carefully we need to do so."

Contact the writer:

bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com,

570-821-2055, @cvbobkal

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