Considerations for Infants and Toddlers in Emergency Child Care for Essential Workers

Policymakers face a fundamental tension between the fact that essential workers must have child care in order to continue to provide the services our communities rely on and the reality that any group care setting increases the risk of COVID-19 transmission. As states across the nation settle into this unprecedented time, leaders are facing difficult decisions about how to address the child care needs of essential workers while ensuring that the health and safety of children, families, and providers is prioritized. ZERO TO THREE recognizes that policymakers and state agencies are working hard to effectively respond to this crisis while navigating resource constraints, technical difficulties, and rapidly changing information. If a state makes the decision to implement emergency child care for essential workers, it is critical to consider the unique needs of infants and toddlers during this crisis.

Download the document below to read a set of recommended considerations as policymakers and advocates design systems to deliver care for infants and toddlers of essential workers. In designing these crisis systems, states must navigate the complex balance of ensuring that all possible measures are taken to ensure the health and safety of children, families, and providers, that available care is of the highest quality possible, and that there is an adequate supply of affordable infant-toddler care available to families who need it. The considerations have been divided into three categories: those directly relating to babies, parents and families, and early childhood educators/caregivers.