COVID-19 surge layers new challenges for day care operators

Operators of London, Ont., child care centres say the recent surge in COVID-19 cases is adding new pressures daily that are making it increasingly difficult for them to operate without more help.

CBC London spoke with three local child care providers this week to check in about the challenges they're facing as COVID-19 case counts climb.

We spoke to: 

All said that without more support, a sector that allows thousands of parents to keep working across all economic sectors could face collapse. 

Here's what they cited as the top challenges they're dealing with: 

Whether it's because they're showing symptoms, are confirmed to have COVID-19 or have had close contact with a confirmed case, more and more child care employees are having to step away from work to self-isolate or recover. 

Adding to the absences are staffers with school-aged children who will have to be at home until at least Jan. 17 to supervise their kids' online learning.

"I have four staff members with school-aged children who are scrambling to find other care for their kids or a grandparent that's able to home-school them, so that's left me short," said Kelsey. 

Many child care centres are operating below their pre-pandemic capacity to allow for physical distancing, which means a resulting drop in revenue. Also, some parents have decided to pull their kids out of care to protect them from infection as the case counts climb. 

"This week I have six children who've not come in to daycare," said Kelsey. "That will cause a financial strain on the centre." 

Pihlak says earlier in the pandemic — when there was still testing capacity — child care providers could easily confirm or rule out any positive cases among kids and act accordingly.

The province is now limiting testing to high-risk settings although calls are growing for the Ontario government to make COVID-19 tests available to kids in child care.

Runny noes and coughs aren't exactly uncommon among toddlers, so when kids present with possible symptoms, staff are now asked to act as though it's a positive case, which adds to the staffing shortage.

"Now a confirmed case is a child just having two symptoms," said Kelsey. "But with small children, fever and a runny nose? That could mean that they're teething."