Archive of COVID-19 Resources

On June 7, 2021, ELD paused accepting applications to operate an Emergency Child Care (ECC) facility. No new ECC facility applications will be accepted as ELD prepares to return to the agency’s standard licensing process, as required by Oregon law. However, ECC facilities, including Temporary Unlicensed ECC, may continue operating beyond June 28, 2021 while considering potential next steps.

This will affect operations for licensed, recorded, and temporary unlicensed ECC facilities in different ways. Please see details below:

Licensed child care including Certified Center, Certified Family, and Registered Family Child Care:

• In the coming days, the ELD will be publishing advisory guidance for health and safety practices moving forward. This guidance will be recommended, not required, and will not be subject to oversight by the Office of Child Care (OCC). Existing COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines will no longer be in effect when this new advisory guidance is issued.
• The ELD will be working with the Early Learning Council on June 24, 2021 to approve temporary rules for licensed programs that would allow continued use of hand sanitizer in certain circumstances, expanded use of Aide 2 staff, as well as allowing a transition time for online CPR training to meet licensing requirements.
• The requirement for a licensed program to be approved as an ECC facility will end shortly after June 28, 2021.
• As of June 29, 2021, any licensed program with an active license, that was not previously approved to operate as an ECC facility, will be permitted to operate.

Temporary Unlicensed ECC:

• Temporary Unlicensed ECC facilities should expect to end operations as of August 31, 2021.
• On June 7, 2021, ELD paused accepting Temporary Unlicensed ECC applications. No new Temporary Unlicensed ECC applications will be accepted as we prepare to resume licensing processes on June 29, 2021.
• The ELD will publish advisory guidance for health and safety practices moving forward. This guidance is recommended, not required, and will not be subject to OCC oversight.
• Programs must continue to operate within the health and safety standards outlined in the Temporary Unlicensed Emergency Child Care checklist.
• The chart included in the June 22 letter below provides specific guidance on how to prepare for this transition.

Recorded Programs approved as ECC and operating in their recorded program capacity:

• The requirement to be approved as an ECC facility will end on June 28, 2021.
• The ELD will publish advisory guidance for health and safety practices moving forward. This guidance is recommended and not subject to OCC oversight.

The ELD will contact existing ECC facilities regarding potential next steps and considerations moving forward. If you have any questions regarding applications, please email OCC.CustomerService@ode.oregon.gov.

Emergency Child Care Toolkit: For Currently Licensed Providers

Emergency Child Care Toolkit: For Recorded Programs

During the State of Emergency all recorded programs are required to apply to be an Emergency Child Care (ECC) Facility. Recorded school-age programs are not allowed to operate during distance learning hours. This means that in order to provide distance learning support, a recorded program would either need to be licensed or an approved Temporary Unlicensed ECC facility.

All staff must pass the Emergency Background Check or be enrolled in the Office of Child Care’s Central Background Registry. Recorded programs must sign and submit a Self-Attestation Form, which puts the responsibility on the recorded program to adhere to the Health & Safety Guidelines For Child Care And Early Learning Education Operating During COVID-19. Please send any questions to OCC.RecordedPrograms@ode.oregon.gov.

Emergency Child Care Toolkit: For Temporary Unlicensed Emergency Child Care Facilities

The Early Learning Division is not currently accepting applications for Temporary Unlicensed Emergency Child Care Facilities unless there is a demonstrated community need. If you have questions please email Dawn.Taylor@ode.oregon.gov.

*Temporary Child Care Facilities are new Emergency Child Care facilities established by experienced child care operators. The “Emergency Child Care Guide for Temporary Child Care Facilities” is not for currently licensed facilities operating in their existing space and converting to Emergency Child Care.

General Resources

COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan Template

A COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan template is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, and Chinese for programs to complete. Click below to download.

Word documents: English Template | Spanish Template | Russian Template | Vietnamese Template | Chinese Template

Printable PDFs: English Template | Spanish Template | Russian Template | Vietnamese Template | Chinese Template

If you choose not to use ELD’s template, your plan must include all of the required elements that are identified in ELD’s template.

The plan must be provided to families in a manner they can understand. You do not need to send the plan to ELD unless requested.

Guide for Maternal/Child Home Visitation During the COVID-19 Pandemic:

https://sharedsystems.dhsoha.state.or.us/DHSForms/Served/le3246.pdf

ELD and ODHS Conversation with Family, Friends, and Neighbor Providers
English Recording, Tuesday, March 2: https://youtu.be/BYGjbdEjPwg
Spanish Recording, Wednesday, March 3: https://youtu.be/1yiUqZxD_pM

Health and Safety Guidance for Family, Friend, and Neighbor License Exempt ODHS Approved Providers, January 19, 2021
English
Spanish
Russian
Vietnamese
Chinese

COVID-19 Two-Minute Tips

The Oregon Early Learning Division worked with Cultivate Learning at the University of Washington to develop resources related to the “Health and Safety Guidelines for Child Care and Early Education Operating During COVID-19.” Resources include “Two-Minute Tips,” a brief summary of recommendations for implementing the “Health and Safety Guidelines.”

Click below to download “Two-Minute Tips” and gain the following:

• Activities and suggestions to make implementing the guidelines easier and more enjoyable. For example, in the “Two-Minute Tips for Group Size and Stable Groups,” consider the following ideas to encourage pride and excitement about each stable group:
  • Assign fun group names.
  • Do a feature on a group member each week (e.g., “Get to know me more,” “Super Friend Award.”)
  • Use identifiers such as necklaces, bracelets, nametags, and t-shirt or uniform colors to differentiate groups.
  • Create a group chant or song.
• Tools and templates to support successful communication and operations during COVID-19. For example, the “Two-Minute Tips for PPE for Children and Adults” shares a chart that shows the effectiveness of different types of face coverings and a visual of do’s and don’ts about face coverings to post and share with program staff and families.
• “Tips in Action” or short videos to engage child care staff and promote professional development. For example, the “Two-Minute Tips for Daily Activities” shares a video with examples for how to engage children in individualized activities while facilitating high-quality language modeling.

If you have any questions about the “Two-Minute Tips” or the “Health and Safety Guidelines,” please contact your local Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agency.

Thank you for all your continued efforts and commitment to caring for our children. The work that you do is valued and appreciated.

The below resource is designed to offer Oregon child care providers an overview of information about COVID-19 vaccines. For more information on vaccines, go to covidvaccine.oregon.gov, text ORCOVID to 898211 to get text/SMS updates (English and Spanish only) or email ORCOVID@211info.org.