NC COVID-19 Child Care Guidance Updates

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people who live in areas with high or substantial levels of transmission wear a mask when in indoor public settings--even if they are vaccinated.

The ChildCareStrongNC Public Health Toolkit (also available in Spanish) has been updated to align with this recommendation, and includes the following updates:

• The Toolkit has been updated to align with current CDC COVID-19 Guidance for Operating Early Care and Education/Child Care Programs and CDC’s updated guidance from July 27, 2021.
• Each section of the Toolkit has been organized into three categories that prioritize implementation of the strategies that have been shown to be most effective in lowering the risk of COVID-19 exposure and spread in child care settings.

1. Strategies that are required are based on existing North Carolina laws and child care rules and must be followed by all child care providers.
2. Strategies that NC DHHS recommends that child care programs require. These strategies, if not implemented, create conditions of high risk for COVID-19 exposure and spread. NCDHHS strongly advises that child care programs adopt all the strategies in these sections. 
3. Strategies that child care programs should consider adopting. These are strategies to provide additional layers of prevention and that, if implemented, will further reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure and spread.

• Streamlined content, including reduced duplication of information, throughout the Toolkit based on the latest known facts and data around COVID-19.

If you have questions about these guidance updates, please contact your child care health consultant.