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Dear Family Child Care and Center-Based Child Care Providers:
We’ve been hearing from many of you regarding the COVID-19 vaccine opportunities. We welcome your feedback on this and other child care related issues. To help support your work, we're sharing some important updates and reminders
COVID-19 Vaccine Program for Child Care and Educators --- Week 5
The state is continuing to implement a strategy for vaccinating educators, school staff and child care leaders, utilizing feedback from all of you and learnings from the state pilot sites. Below are updates for the week of Feb. 15, 2021.
The state site in Minneapolis will continue serve educators and school staff in the metro area. Those invited will receive invitations beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 16, via email or text message from Vault Health (hello@updates.vaulthealth.com). Those invited will be pulled from the waitlist generated in prior weeks and contact information for those who completed the Minnesota COVID-19 Vaccine – Education and Child Care survey. Appointments will not be guaranteed.
Child care providers, school districts and charter schools in Greater Minnesota will be served by their local public health agency, who have received specific doses allocated by the Governor and state to serve educators and child care. Child care providers should hear from their local public health agencies as the state has provided them with specific licensing data, waitlists and survey data. If child care providers and staff do not hear directly from their local public health agency, they should Find and contact their local health department or community health board.
If you are interested in learning more about the COVID-19 vaccine in MN, please visit: https://mn.gov/vaccine/.
CDC Interim Post-Vaccine Guidance
The CDC released updated public health recommendations for vaccinated persons and MDH is working to create accompanying specific guidance updates to support you. In summary, the updated guidance tracks with recommended practices for those who have been sick with COVID-19. A fully vaccinated person is not required to quarantine if exposed to COVID-19 if the following is true:
- They are at least 14 days past their final COVID-19 vaccine dose (the second dose for the two currently authorized vaccines);
- They had their final dose within the past 90 days
- They are asymptomatic. If symptoms develop follow decision tree.
Persons who do not meet this criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance after exposure to COVID-19. Those who have had no close contact but have COVID symptoms, should continue to follow the decision tree.
Regularly Review the Public Health Guidance
This has been a marathon and COVID-19 remains in our communities. Over the last few weeks, we have seen a few more outbreaks in child care settings. Now is the time to review and recommit to your planned mitigation strategies. Find links to public health guidance and other important information on the state’s COVID-19 website for child care providers: https://mn.gov/mmb/childcare/providers/.
Reminder: The REDCap reporting link for child care to report positive cases of COVID-19 has been updated as of 1/20/2021. Here is the new link. Please save/bookmark it in your web browser: https://redcap.health.state.mn.us/redcap/surveys/?s=KKWLDH3ARC
You can also find this link in the guidance What to Do When Notified of a Lab-Confirmed Case of COVID-19 in Child Care Settings or Youth Programs (https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/schools/casenotify.pdf)
COVID-19 Testing: Onsite Screening Testing Program Registration Open!
The State of Minnesota is continuing to prioritize no-barrier, free testing opportunities for child care providers. Child care providers have been on the front lines since the beginning of this pandemic — coming to work every single day and risking virus exposure to care for and educate our youngest Minnesotans and respond to community needs. Governor Walz, Lt. Governor Flanagan and state leaders want to ensure that child care providers and staff are prioritized for new testing opportunities.
Onsite screening testing program: This optional program is limited to sites with 15+ staff onsite and who agree to the program expectations, and will involve COVID-19 testing every other week for 3 to 4 testing rounds in March and April and in May and June 2 testing rounds each month.
To learn more about the Onsite Screening COVID-19 Testing Program Child Care, , please review the program description, training video, and complete a registration survey to be enrolled in the program by February 22nd, 2021 at 5PM. After reviewing the training video, please join our Q&A Session for any questions on February 18, 1PM-2PM.
Q&A Session Information: Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer or mobile app. Click here to join the meeting
Or call in (audio only) +1 651-395-7448,,580063955#
If your center is participating in this optional program, please complete the registration survey to continue participating.
Smaller child care programs, including family child care providers, may use either of the following testing options:
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Utilization of Community Testing Sites: All COVID-19 testing is free at a Minnesota Department of Health testing site. You won’t need to show identification and insurance is not required. While walk-ins are welcome, appointments are strongly recommended to limit wait times. Visit mn.gov/covid19.
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At-home COVID-19 saliva testing: Minnesota offers free, at-home COVID-19 saliva testing, and these kits can be ordered individually at any time.
Provider Business Update
The Provider Business Update ends this month and we need to hear from you!
Every three years, the State of Minnesota is required by law to conduct a provider business update survey and gather rate information from all child care programs. This is your opportunity to provide important information to families looking for child care and to inform reimbursement rates for the Child Care Assistance Program.
You can complete the provider business update by using the online Update Tool (ParentAware.org/update). If you’ve never used the Update Tool before, you will need to activate your account first using your License ID# and email address on file with Child Care Aware. If you need assistance, please email UpdateTool@ParentAware.org.
If you would like to complete your update in a different way, please email InformationServices@ChildCareAwareMN.org
Update Your Capacity
Updating your capacity through this survey helps those with young children working in health care and other critical sectors be connected to your programs. Data from the capacity survey on mn.gov/child care is being used to address immediate needs related to the pandemic, and we are sharing this map and survey with hospitals and critical sectors. Providers who receive the January and February Public Health Support Funds for Child Care are required to complete the capacity survey and the Provider Business Update (above) as a part of their attestation to receive the funds. Additionally, the Department of Education is regularly connecting with school districts that may be challenged to provide the required school age care for Tier 1 essential workers to encourage them partner with child care in their community. If you have questions about your license and availability to serve additional school-age children, call the DHS hotline at 1-888-234-1268.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, please send to childrenscabinet.mmb@state.mn.us or call us at 651-259-3636.
Thank you,
Jenny Moses, Governor’s Children’s Cabinet
On behalf of participating agency leaders and staff
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