Reopening New Jersey: What Childcare Will Now Look Like
The Department of Children and Families has released guidelines on what childcare will look like as the state continues to balance reopening businesses while it battles COVID-19.
Gov. Phil Murphy signed Executive Order No. 149 which will reopen childcare centers across the state on June 15th.
In a press release, NJDCF Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer said, "We know that this has been a hardship on many of them, as they have had to curtail business operations unless certified as an emergency childcare center." She went on to say, "A lot is being asked of them now, but we really couldn't ask for a community of providers better suited to rise up and meet these challenges head on."
Among the new guidelines:
- Childcare centers will be required to screen children and staff every day before they enter. Anyone exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms or with a fever over 100.4F cannot enter.
- Class and group sizes will be limited and groups must be spaced out throughout the center.
- Staff members will not be able to move between groups.
- Staff members will be required to wear cloth masks and children over the age of 2 will be encouraged to wear masks. Masks for children under the age of 2 or during naps will be prohibited.
- Childcare centers will be required to engage in enhanced cleaning and sanitation practices.
In addition to childcare centers reopening, Gov. Murphy has also announced that outdoor dining and limited indoor retail shopping, with stores at 50 percent of their normal capacity, can also restart on June 15th. Salons and barbershops are slated to reopen one week later on June 22nd.