NJ State Guidance for Child Care Centers (like us)
Dear Montessori House Families:
First, thanks for the feedback many of you provided me regarding our decision to keep The Montessori House open, even as Bergen County public schools close and move on-line. Let me say again: parents are best positioned to decide what’s best for their children, and with the Covid-19 situation constantly evolving, we understand the need to re-evaluate every day.
Today we participated in a webinar hosted by the NJ Dept of Children and Families — Office of Licensing (OOL), and the NJ Department of Health (DoH). There appeared to be over 500 participants from childcare centers (CCC) across the state. (CCCs include any facility that provides care for children up through Kindergarten, from in-home daycare to schools like The Montessori House, and we are licensed by the OOL.)
Here were our key “take-aways” from the call, most of which came in the Questions & Answer portion of the webinar:
| Question | Answer | Montessori House Action |
| Must a CCC close if local public schools close? | No, a CCC is not required to close when public schools decide to close. | The Montessori House will remain open for families that need care for their children. |
| May a CC provide care for school-age children whose school has closed? | Yes, a CCC may provide for school-age children up to its licensed capacity. | The Montessori House will not provide care for school-age children while their schools are closed. Nor will we accept pre-school students on a temporary basis if their usual CCC has closed. |
| Will the OOL relax some its requirements for CCCs (such as student:teacher ratios)? | Yes, during this emergency, OOL will consider waivers or exceptions to its standard requirements, provided it does not adversely impact safety. Guidance will be forthcoming. | The Montessori House will not seek any such exceptions or waivers, and will continue to adhere to (or exceed) the OOL’s standard requirements. |
| If a CCC accepts state subsidies or vouchers, how would these payments be affected if the CCC closed (by decree or by choice)? | The officials on the call did not have an answer, as these programs are administered by another state agency. | The Montessori House does not rely on state subsidies or vouchers. |
| If the CCC closes, will its staff be eligible for unemployment benefits? | The officials on the call did not have an answer, as these programs are administered by another state agency. | The Montessori House expects to stay open and keep its full staff employed. |
On the call, DoH Commissioner Persichilli informed us that (as of March 12) there were 29 presumptive cases of Covid-19 in New Jersey and, sadly, one death. Also that Governor Murphy has recommended canceling any public event of 250 people or more. The Commissioner emphasized the need for contingency planning and vigilance regarding staff and students who exhibit symptoms of respiratory infection, and the need to practice good hygiene (hand-washing and cleaning).
From both the call and the written guidance provided by OOL on March 12, it is clear that no official authority (not Federal, not State, not Local) is requiring, or even recommending, that childcare centers close. (And, given the threshold of 250 to cancel public events, we note that the size of most public schools is in the hundreds or thousands, whereas most CCCs most often have many fewer than 100 students, including The Montessori House. The risk profile and the trade-offs are different for CCCs vs K-12 schools.) To date, local health officials have not provided particular guidance for CCCs in our area, and no communication about closing CCCs.
In fact the guidance from OOL, both for their contracted providers and for licensed centers (like The Montessori House), indicates that they’ll take actions to help CCCs keep their doors open. Specifically:
D. Licensing and Regulatory Guidelines
During the State of Emergency related to the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus, DCF acknowledges that flexibility around regular licensing and regulatory guidelines may be warranted and necessary, so long as such flexibility does not jeopardize the safety or wellness of children being served by the program.
In the interest of preserving operations at licensed and contracted programs that may be experiencing hardship due to meeting staffing levels, remediation timelines and other challenges exasperated by a public health emergency, issues will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine if a licensing or regulatory waiver may be appropriate.
All the centers on the call want to do the right thing. But all are challenged with balancing the needs of families for childcare with the risks to students, staff, and families posed by Covid-19, and further challenged with the changing circumstance every day. (DoH Commissioner Persichilli said that the situation is changing by the hour!).
As Director, I face these challenges deciding the best path forward for The Montessori House, and the impact on all the families who rely on us — families of both students and staff. Right now, you can expect us to have our doors open on Monday, and to receive an update if the situation changes.
Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay happy!
— Ms. Maria Morningstar, Director, The Montessori House School