Child Care

Child care safety guidance for parents, operators and staff.

Last updated: September 13, 2023

The Public Health Guidance for Communicable Disease Management in Child Care Settings is intended to reduce the impact of communicable diseases, such as COVID-19 and influenza, on their operations.

Supporting Child Wellness: Public Health Guidance for Communicable Disease Management in Child Care Settings - Updated September 13, 2023

The guidance is summarized below.

Child care programs operating in First Nation communities should follow the requirements and processes set out by their First Nation leadership.

Attending child care safely

Get vaccinated

Vaccines are important tools to protect against many serious communicable diseases, including COVID-19. Staff and families are also encouraged to ensure they are up to date on all recommended vaccines.

Learn more

Health awareness

Help make sure people are aware that they should not come to child care if they are sick and unable to participate fully in routine activities.

A health check means checking yourself or your child regularly checking to ensure they are not experiencing symptoms of illness.

Parents/caregivers should be aware their child should not go to child care if their child is sick. Parents/caregivers can also encourage their child(ren) to share when they are not feeling well.
Child care operators should regularly remind staff and parents/caregivers about the importance of not coming to child care if they are not able to participate fully in activities to help prevent the spread of illness to others within child care settings.

Stay home when sick

Staff and children who are sick and unable to participate fully in routine activities should stay home.
Staff and children can return when you feel well enough to participate in regular activities or when a healthcare provider advises you can return.
Those experiencing certain illnesses, such as gastrointestinal illness caused by norovirus, may be advised to stay home for longer.

Staff, children and parents/caregivers can also call 8-1-1 or consult their health-care provider for guidance.

Practice personal measures

Adults should

Clean hands often. Wash your hands with plain soap and water or use hand sanitizer.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid sharing food, drinks, or unwashed utensils with others.
Stay home when sick.

Children can be supported to practice personal health and safety measures

Help children practice hand hygiene often, especially before and after using the bathroom and using commonly touched surfaces (e.g. the playground,.).
Help children practice respiratory etiquette, including reminding them to sneeze/cough into the elbow and throwing out used tissues right away.
Encourage children to tell staff if they’re not feeling well and keep them home when sick.

Masks

All adults and children over two years old may wear a mask or face covering based on personal or family choice. Some children may choose to wear a mask or face covering all day or for certain activities. Child care staff should supervise and support children to ensure safe and proper use of masks if a child or their family chooses to wear a mask.

The choice of staff, families, or children to choose whether they practice additional personal prevention measures should be supported and treated with respect.

Infants under 2 years of age should not wear a mask.

Staff and those providing services to children with medical complexity, immune suppression, receiving delegated care, or with disabilities and diverse abilities that require them to be in close proximity to a child should follow routine infection control practices needed for general communicable disease prevention.

See the Masks page for more information on how to use a mask properly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Public Health Guidance for Child Care Settings apply to child care settings in personal homes?

The Public Health Guidance for Communicable Disease Management in Child Care Settings outlines the health and safety measures that should be in place to reduce the impact of communicable diseases, such as COVID-19 and influenza, on their operations. These guidelines apply to all child care settings, including those in personal homes.

Safety measures

What child care programs are doing

Several health and safety measures are in place to limit the spread of communicable diseases in child care settings. These include:

Ensuring ventilation systems are working properly
Regular cleaning and disinfection
Providing regular opportunities for hand cleaning
Communicating the importance of health awareness and staying home if sick
Having procedures for those who become sick while at child care
Following public health orders and recommendations as applicable.

The Province of B.C. also provides information on child care health and safety.

Frequently Asked Questions

What public health guidance do child care settings in schools follow?

Child care settings run by a school and/or school district may be required to follow their school's health and safety plans that meet the requirements set by the Ministry of Education. Operators should work with the school administrator to determine what health and safety measures are best suited for their unique circumstance, based on the Public Health Communicable Disease Guidance for K-12 Schools and the Public Health Guidance for Communicable Disease Management in Child Care Settings. The health and safety measures that are best suited may vary depending on the age of children in care and the types of activities that children typically do in that setting.

Learn about the health and safety measures in place in K-12 schools

Child care settings that are not run by the school (independent operators) should follow the Public Health Guidance for Communicable Disease Management in Child Care Settings.

When someone at child care is sick

If a staff member, child, or other person gets sick at home:

They should stay home until they feel well enough to participate in regular activities.

The When to get tested for COVID-19 resource or the BC COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool provides information on whether you should get a COVID-19 test.

Anyone with health-related questions can call 8-1-1.

Returning after sickness

If staff or children has symptoms of COVID-19, they should stay home until they feel well enough to return to regular activities. They can return to child care once they are feeling better and no longer have a fever.

If they test positive for COVID-19, follow the guidance on If You Have COVID-19

If someone who attended child care tests positive for COVID-19

Other staff or children in the child care may continue to attend the facility, regardless of vaccination status, unless they develop symptoms and/or test positive for COVID-19. They should self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms.

If someone who attends child care lives with someone who is sick

Staff and children can attend child care if someone in their household is sick, as long as they don’t have any symptoms of illness themselves.

Learn about living with someone with COVID-19 on the BCCDC Self-Isolation page

Frequently Asked Questions

My child has symptoms of COVID-19 or respiratory illness. What should we do?

If your child has symptoms of COVID-19 or respiratory illness, they should stay home until they feel well enough to return to regular activities. They can return to child care once they are feeling better and no longer have a fever or symptoms.

Use the When to Get Tested for COVID-19 resource or the B.C. COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool to find out whether a test is recommended. Most children do not need a COVID-19 test. If a COVID-19 test is not recommended, they should stay home until they feel well enough to participate in activities.

If they test positive for COVID-19, follow the guidance on If You Have COVID-19.

How will parents know if there is a COVID-19 case in their child’s day care or child care facility?

Parents should let their child care facility if their child is absent due to illness; they do not need to disclose if their absence is due to COVID 19.

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