Jago Times "English Edition" Best Online Newspaper
Amid the surge in the omicron variant of coronavirus, North Texas day-care operators say that on top of the challenges that come with simply trying to keep their facilities virus-free are new difficulties of retaining staff and clientele.
According to data from the Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation from Jan. 11, the number of pediatric COVID-19 cases tripled after children returned to school from the holidays. It also showed a week-over-week increase of 277% among younger unvaccinated children.
Day-care centers follow the advice from the Texas Department of Health and Human Services on how to prevent spread and what to do if someone gets sick. They also use the “Guidance for operating early care and education/child care programs” published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
State recommendations include opening windows or doors to improve air circulation, intensifying cleaning practices, changing child drop-off and pick-up protocols, and ensuring that sick children stay home.
Near Bachman Lake, Creative Steps Academy has not reported recent COVID-19 cases among their staff or children. Karen Nichols, owner and director of the day care, said they staff work to keep their guard up and follow prevention measures.
Even before the arrival of the omicron variant, children who attended the center would always wear a mask, Nichols said. She added that children older than 2 are already used to wearing masks in the daycare center.
Children wear masks in the center, Nichols said, and parents are not allowed beyond the lobby. Before the pandemic, parents could come inside to have breakfast with their children and read them a book before leaving for work.
“Our parents are more concerned about the health of the children, and we have not had any pushback with that,” Nichols said about the restricted access.
The children are in smaller groups, and the day-care frequently reviews CDC updates to stay updated on following guidelines, Nichols said.
The story is different for El Kinder Bilingual Academy in South Dallas and Cradle to Crayons in Irving.
One employee is currently out sick with COVID-19 at El Kinder Bilingual Academy. But owner and executive director Irma Martínez said that person contracted the virus while the center was closed for the holidays and hadn’t returned to work.
“Only one person may enter to pick up your child! No outside children are allowed. No exceptions!” reads a new sign displayed at the front door of the day care.
To further prevent the spread of germs, Martínez and some children wear slippers inside. The day care also has reduced the number of children per caregiver. Previously there were 15 children in the 3-year-olds group; now there are seven.
But before the omicron variant, the day care had already taken a hit because of the pandemic. At the start of the pandemic, it closed for several months. Martínez contracted COVID-19 during the closure, requiring intensive care. To not burden her daughter with the responsibility of operating two facilities, she decided to close one.
El Kinder cared for about 75 children before the pandemic. Today, it cares for about 40.
“And we are the same number of teachers,” Martinez said. “Imagine what we go through to pay them the same as before.” “We barely get by with such a small number of children we take care of, to buy the food to feed them and to pay rent of the building we use.”
Martínez said a grant from the Texas Workforce Commission has enabled her to remain in business and pay employees.
In Irving, a new day care, Cradle to Crayons, has had trouble enrolling children. Tyesha Mobley opened the business in August 2020, after years of providing her services from her home in Denton. She opened a day care outside her home to avoid exposing her family to COVID-19.
Before the start of the pandemic, Mobley cared for eight children from her at-home day care. But as several of her clients began working from home, that number dropped to two.
After searching for spaces that fit her budget, Mobley found the perfect location in Irving. Opening Cradle to Crayons came with challenges, as the first child was not enrolled until September. Today, the business has 22 children enrolled.
The business hasn’t had any COVID-19 cases among staff or children so far, Mobley said. The business currently doesn’t provide tours but offers information sessions in one of the building’s rooms.
Mobley said that while she would like to hire more people, building trust with new employees can be difficult.
“I’m basically trying to keep the same staff, you know, because at some point we all trust each other not to get each other sick”, she said.