Early Care & Education

• The LAC DPH Guidance for Early Childcare Education Providers summarizes the requirements and best practices for early care and education (ECE) providers to enhance safety and lower the risk of COVID-19 transmission within their ECE settings.
• In addition to following the Guidance for ECE Providers listed above, licensed and license-exempt child care providers should continue to follow the COVID-19 requirements and recommendations in the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Guidance for Child Care Providers and Programs. Providers should also follow all applicable California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and Community Care Licensing (CCL) Provider Information Notices (PINs), in addition to requirements and recommendations from the California Department of Industrial Relations Division of Occupational Safety & Health (Cal/OSHA), and LAC DPH.

• The Los Angeles County Exposure Management Plan (EMP) for Early Care and Education details the required action steps to take after you have identified one or more COVID-19 positive cases in your facility. Immediate implementation of an exposure management plan after identifying a single case of COVID-19 can help speed up the ability to contain spread of COVID-19 and prevent that single case from becoming an outbreak. This short DPH exposure management training video walks you through the key elements of an exposure management plan in your facility.

ECE sites should have a EMP in place prior to identifying a COVID-19 positive case. Designate a person to be familiar with COVID-19 safety protocols.

Any case of COVID-19 (child or staff) in an ECE setting must be reported to the local Community Care Licensing Division Child Care Offices.

ECE providers are also required to notify the LAC Department of Public Health (DPH) of individuals (staff or children) with confirmed COVID-19 at the site.

To complete this reporting requirement, the provider must use one of the reporting methods described below to provide information on (1) children, staff, or visitors with confirmed COVID-19 who were on site at any point within the 14 days prior to their illness onset date and (2) persons at the site who were exposed to the infected person during the infectious period. The illness onset date is the first date of COVID-19 symptoms or the COVID-19 test date, whichever is earlier. All case notifications should be submitted to DPH within 1 business day of the site being notified of the case. ECE providers can report cases to DPH using one of the following methods:

• Online reporting: Secure online reporting is the preferred method for notifying DPH of COVID-19 exposures. It can be done on a computer or mobile device with access to the secure web application REDCap at http://www.redcap.link/lacdph.educationsector.covidreport.
  • This REDCap online reporting training video walks you through the process of submitting an online report for COVID-19 cases and contacts at your Institution.
• Manual reporting with Excel line list: If online reporting is not possible, reporting can be done manually by downloading and completing the COVID-19 Case and Contact Line List for the Education Sector and emailing it securely to ACDC-Education@ph.lacounty.gov. A Spanish version of the Excel line list is located here.
  • This DPH training video walks you through the process of filling out the Excel COVID-19 Case and Contact Line List for reporting to DPH. A Spanish version of the training video is located here.
  • This data dictionary describes each of the items of information (variables) that are collected as part of case reporting when using the Excel line list.

Parents and staff must be notified of a confirmed COVID-19 case at your ECE site. This communication can be in the form of a letter. Sample notification letters are provided below with a description of their use and can be tailored to your facility's needs.

• Notification Letter Templates

1. Exposure Notification Letter for Educational Sites:
   Educational sites providing activities and services for children, students, and staff are required to notify all children, students and staff who had an exposure to a person with COVID-19 during their infectious period while at the facility.
2. General Exposure Notification Letter for Educational Sites:
   Educational sites providing activities and services for children, students, and staff may choose to notify the general community of an exposure that has occurred at the site and make the community aware of precautions to take to prevent spread.
3. Suspected-Case Exposure Notification Letter for Educational Sites:
   Educational sites providing activities and services for children, students, and staff may choose to notify all children, students, and staff who have had an exposure to a person suspected of having COVID-19 at the facility.
• Additional signage (Exposure Notice) may be posted to inform the community of potential exposure at the ECE site to COVID-19.

• Isolation
  • If you test positive for COVID-19 and/or a healthcare provider thinks that you have COVID-19, you must isolate. Stay home and away from others for at least 10 days from when your symptoms started AND at least 1 day after your fever has gone without the use of medicine AND your symptoms have gotten better. If you don’t have symptoms, you must isolate for 10 days from the date your positive test was taken. For more details, visit ph.lacounty.gov/covidisolation (English) and ph.lacounty.gov/covidaislamiento (Spanish). In addition, see Understanding Your Viral Test Result at ph.lacounty.gov/covidtests.
  • You must also tell all your close contacts that they could be infected and must quarantine unless they are exempt. Give them the instructions for close contacts (see quarantine/close contacts below.)
  • For more information see the Decision Pathways for Symptoms and Exposures in ECE Centers and TK-12 Schools.
  • For legal information, see the Los Angeles County Health Officer Order for Isolation which is available in which is available in several languages.
• Quarantine and Other Instructions for Close Contacts
  • If you are a close contact to someone with COVID-19 you must follow all instructions even if you feel well or are fully vaccinated. You will need to quarantine unless you are exempt*. You must monitor your health AND take extra precautions for 14 days after your last contact with the infected person. It is also recommended that you get a COVID-19 test. For more details, including how long to quarantine, see Quarantine and Other Instructions for Close Contacts at ph.lacounty.gov/covidquarantine (English) and ph.lacounty.gov/covidcuarentena (Spanish).
  •  *Exemptions: You do not need to quarantine if you have no symptoms of COVID-19 AND you are either fully vaccinated or you tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 3 months (90 days) and recovered (i.e., you have completed your isolation period). You still have to monitor your health for 14 days and take steps to protect others.
  • For more information see the Decision Pathways for Symptoms and Exposures in ECE Centers and TK-12 Schools.
  •  For legal information, see the Los Angeles County Health Officer Order for Quarantine which is available in several languages.

• Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS)
  • ECE providers may have questions or concerns about protecting employees from COVID-19 at their site(s). The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards better known as Cal/OSHA ETS, offers COVID-19 guidance to employers. For more information, visit www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/coronavirus/.
• LAC DPH Best Practices for Businesses and Employers
  • ECE providers should also review the DPH Best Practices for COVID-19 Prevention for Businesses and Employers webpage at publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/ncorona2019/bestpractices/
• Worker's Rights and Benefits Related to COVID-19
  • LAC DPH offers a pamphlet on COVID-19 Safety: Workers' Rights in California. This document has important information for employees about workplace rights and government benefits for those affected by the pandemic.

• Encourage COVID-19 Vaccination
  • COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and are the best way to prevent outbreaks in the workplace and in the community.
  • Information on COVID-19 vaccines, safety, and how to get vaccinated is available at VaccinateLAcounty.com (English) and VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish).
• Screen for Symptoms of COVID-19
  • Symptom screening of employees, staff, and volunteers should be part of your ECE center's strategy to limit the spread of COVID-19 at the worksite. This entry screening document provides entry screening options for checking staff and volunteers before they enter the worksite. Additional languages can also be found on the LA County DPH COVID-19 Guidance page.
  • Note that current Cal/OSHA ETS requires employers to exclude employees from the workplace who have COVID-19 symptoms or exposures and/or are not fully vaccinated and have had close contact with an infected person. Cal/OSHA does not prescribe any particular method of employee screening but implementing some method as recommended will assist in compliance with the current ETS.
  • Screen children and employees for symptoms of COVID-19. LA County DPH provides a screening decision pathway for ECE providers on their guidance page. This document lists actions to take after an employee or child is determined to have symptoms or exposures during the screening process or develops symptoms while at your facility.
• Follow Current State and Local Masking Guidance
  • For information on when to wear a mask and how to use a mask effectively, visit ph.lacounty.gov/masks (English) or ph.lacounty.gov/mascarillas (Spanish).
  • Please refer to the Guidance for ECE document for updates on masking requirements and recommendations in ECE settings.
• Reduce Risk of COVID-19
  • To better understand who is most at risk for getting sick and what steps can be taken to stay safe and slow the spread of COVID-19, visit ph.lacounty.gov/reducerisk (English) or  ph.lacounty.gov/reduceriskspanish (Spanish).
  • Learn more about COVID-19 prevention for children under 12 (English).
• Traveling During the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Review the LA County DPH Travel Advisory for up-to-date information during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Cleaning and Disinfection Matrix:
  • It is important to ensure that cleaning practices in your facility are good enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This cleaning and disinfection matrix provides recommendations on the cleaning and disinfection of rooms or areas. These guidelines are for non-healthcare facilities such as daycare centers, schools, institutions, offices, businesses, and community centers that do not house persons overnight.
  • Please refer to the Guidance for ECE for additional information on cleaning and disinfection standard for child care settings.

• Safely Making California
  • Purchase non-medical grade PPE supplies safely through the Safely Making California program at www.safelymakingca.org.
  • The State of California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) partnered with the California Manufacturers & Technology Association (CMTA), and Autodesk to support the community and provide important and necessary access to PPE supplies (face covers, sanitizers, and other supplies) for all business sectors in California.
• Local Resource and Referral Agencies (R&Rs)
  • ECE providers can also access PPE supplies through your local Resource and Referral agency. Find your local R&Rs at www.ccala.net/connect-to-child-care/.

• LA County Test Sites
  • Information on COVID-19 Testing
    • For current information on COVID-19 testing, visit ph.lacounty.gov/covidtests. This DPH website provides information on the basics of COVID-19 testing, the different types of diagnostic viral tests and antibody tests, when testing is recommended, and what the results mean.
    • LA County testing site offer free COVID-19 testing to persons who live in LA County, regardless of immigration status. Drive through or walk-up testing sites are available, and appointments are not always needed. Visit lacounty.gov/testing or call 2-1-1 to learn more.
  • COVID-19 County Testing Plan
  • LA County DPH  has COVID-19 Testing Guidelines, which summarizes the recommendations for testing to detect current infections.
• Cal/OSHA ETS COVID-19 Prevention Testing Requirements
  • Cal/OSHA ETS requires employers to offer testing at no cost to employees. This requirement applies to:
    • Symptomatic, unvaccinated employees, regardless of whether there is a known exposure,
    • Unvaccinated employees after an exposure,
    • Vaccinated employees after an exposure if they develop symptoms,
    • Unvaccinated employees in an outbreak (3 or more employee cases), or
    • All employees in a major outbreak (20 or more employee cases).
  • For more information, see the State's 2021 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave FAQs and poster.

• COVID-19 FAQs
  • These frequently asked questions provide general background information about COVID-19 including how to identify symptoms, get tested and prevent the spread of the virus.
• Family Child Care Provider FAQs
  • LAC DPH has created this list of frequently asked questions specifically for Family Child Care Providers to help guide them in making important Exposure Management Decisions (EMP).
• COVID-19 Information
  • For up-to-date information, visit ph.lacounty.gov/Coronavirus.

For guidance for parents and guardians, visit the Resources for Parents & Guardians webpage: English | Español