
Child Care Centres
Updated on 2022-03-17
Child care centres and parents should visit this website regularly as information and resources related to COVID-19 are updated frequently.
On this page:
- COVID-19 Screening
- COVID-19 Symptoms
- COVID-19 Testing for Children and Staff
- For Children and Staff Presumed to Have COVID-19 or Having Tested Positive for COVID-19
- For Children and Staff Exposed to COVID-19
- Masking Requirement
- Infection Prevention and Control
- Guidance Documents for Child Care
- COVID-19 Management in Child Care
- Additional Resources
COVID-19 Screening
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COVID-19 School and Child Care Screening
- Daily on-site confirmation of screening is required prior to/upon arrival at the child care centre for all children and staff up to March 20, 2022. Daily on-site confirmation of screening for all children and staff will no longer be required as of March 21, 2022.
- Staff and children should self-screen every day before attending the child care setting using the COVID-19 School and Child Care Screening.
- IMPORTANT! Carefully read and follow the advice provided with the screening result.
COVID-19 Symptoms
- Refer to Poster: COVID-19 Symptoms
- Most common symptoms of COVID-19:
- Fever and/or chills; OR Cough; OR Shortness of breath; OR Decrease or loss of taste or smell.
- Less common symptoms of COVID-19:
- Runny nose/nasal congestion, Headache, Extreme fatigue Sore throat, Muscle aches/joint pain, Gastrointestinal symptoms (i.e., vomiting or diarrhea).
- If a child/staff has one of the most common symptoms of COVID-19 or two of the less common symptoms of COVID-19, assume they have the virus and may be contagious. They must self-isolate, regardless of vaccination status (confirmation tests are NOT required).
- Refer to the section For Children and Staff presumed to have COVID-19 or have tested positive on a COVID-19 test of this page.
- If a child/staff has one of the less common symptoms of COVID-19, they can return to the child care centre if it has been at least 24 hours since their symptoms started improving (48 hours for nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea) and they do not develop any additional symptoms.
- Household members do not need to self-isolate.
COVID-19 Testing for Children and Staff
- When available, RATs or PCR self-collection kits may be used when a child or staff member is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19.
- If a child/staff test positive on a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), the test result does NOT have to be confirmed with a PCR test. Parents do NOT need to report a positive RAT/PCR test to the child care centre.
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Negative RAT/PCR Results
- Symptomatic individuals who test negative on a single RAT are advised to self-isolate. A single negative rapid antigen test does not mean that they do no have COVID-19 infection.
- If two consecutive RATs, separated by 24-48 hours, are both negative, the symptomatic individual is less likely to have COVID-19 infection, and the individual is advised to self-isolate until symptoms are improving for at least 24 hours (or 48 hours if gastrointestinal symptoms are present).
- Individuals who test negative on a PCR test (processed by a lab) must stay home until their symptom(s) have been improving for 24 hours (48 hours if gastrointestinal symptoms are present).
For Children and Staff Presumed to Have COVID-19 or Having Tested Positive for COVID-19
- All individuals who are presumed to have COVID-19 based on their symptoms or have tested positive on a COVID-19 test (PCR, rapid molecular, or rapid antigen) should:
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self-isolate immediately as per the criteria in the You have symptoms and are concerned you may have COVID-19. Now what? flow chart.
- When calculating the isolation period, the first day of symptoms or positive result (whichever is earlier) count as day zero.
- After self-isolation is complete, until day 10 (or day 20 for immunocompromised individuals) after the first day of symptoms or positive result, the individual must:
- Continue to wear a well-fitted mask in all public settings (including child care). Refer to Masking Requirement section of this page for additional instructions.
- Not visit anyone who is immunocompromised or at higher risk of illness (i.e., seniors).
- Not visit or attend work in any highest risk settings.
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self-isolate immediately as per the criteria in the You have symptoms and are concerned you may have COVID-19. Now what? flow chart.
- If a child presents with new or worsening symptoms consistent with COVID-19 at their child care centre, refer to Managing Students with COVID-19 Symptoms at School/Child Care Centres – Instructions for Staff
For Children and Staff Exposed to COVID-19
Note: Guidance below is for close contacts (high-risk contacts) who do NOT have symptom.
- Close contacts include those who had contact with the symptomatic/COVID-19 positive individual within the 48 hours prior to their symptom onset (if symptomatic) or within 48 hours prior to specimen collection date and until they started self-isolating; AND
- Were in close proximity (less than 2 meters) for at least 15 minutes or for multiple short periods of time without appropriate measures as masking, distancing and/or use of personal protective equipment.
- If the child/staff was exposed to COVID-19 ONLY while at the child care centre, generally contacts would not be considered close contacts due to the layering of health and safety measures in place.
- If the child/staff is a close contact:
- Refer to You’ve been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or someone with COVID-19 symptoms. Now what?
- If self-isolation is complete after 5 days, or if self-isolation is not required, for a total of 10 days after the last exposure to the COVID-19 case, close contacts must:
- Self-monitor for symptoms and self-isolate if they develop any symptom of COVID-19.
- Continue to wear a well-fitted mask in all public settings (including child care). Refer to Masking Requirement section of this page for additional instructions.
- Not visit anyone who is immunocompromised or at higher risk of illness (i.e., seniors).
- Not visit or attend work in any highest risk settings.
Masking Requirement
The following are situations where masks should be worn in child care settings:
- If a child becomes symptomatic while in child care:
- Child care should provide the child with a medical grade mask if tolerated, and ensure the child remains isolated until they are picked up.
- Refer to Managing Students with COVID-19 Symptoms at School – Instructions for staff for additional information
- Child care should provide the child with a medical grade mask if tolerated, and ensure the child remains isolated until they are picked up.
- When a child/staff is returning from international travel:
- Under current federal travel requirements, individuals who are not fully vaccinated must wear a mask at all times when in public spaces (including childcare) for 14 days.
- If a child/staff is presumed to have COVID-19 (or tested positive for COVID-19):
- Once self-isolation is complete, the child/staff should wear a well-fitted masks at school, until day 10 (or day 20 for immunocompromised individuals) after the first day of symptoms or positive result.
- If a child/staff is an asymptomatic close contact, they should wear a well-fitted mask at school during their self-monitoring period.
- If self-isolation is required, the self-monitoring period starts when self-isolation is complete and lasts until day 10 after the last exposure to COVID-19.
- If self-isolation is not required, the self-monitoring period starts immediately after the exposure and lasts for a total of 10 days.
NOTE: If you wear a mask at the child care setting as per the situations above:
- Wear a mask at all times, including outdoors.
- Reasonable exceptions include temporary removal for essential activities like eating (e.g., when eating in shared space at school/work while maintaining as much distancing from others as possible).
- Do not participate in activities where mask removal is necessary. E.g.:
- Playing a wind instrument.
- Participating in a high-contact and/or high-intensity activity or sport if a mask cannot be worn safely.
Infection Prevention and Control
- Poster: COVID-19 Outbreak in Child Care
- Resources to prevent COVID-19 in the workplace (including the child care sector)
- Preventing COVID-19: Refresher Presentations for Schools and Childcare Settings
- Additional Infection Prevention and Control Resources
- COVID-19 Teaching Tools for Educators
Guidance documents for Child Care
Licensed Child Care Centres:
- Operational guidance during COVID-19 outbreak: child care
- Before and after school programs kindergarten to grade 6: policies and guidelines
- Child Care Surveillance Form
- COVID-19: health and safety measures for child care
Private Child Care Services with 5 Children or Less:
The EOHU is advising that private daycares with 5 children or less can operate, provided they take the required infection control measures described in the document below:
- Operational guidance during COVID-19 outbreak: child care
- COVID-19: health and safety measures for child care
Early On Child and Family Centres
- Operational guidance during COVID-19 outbreak: EarlyON
- COVID-19: health and safety measures for child care