Department of Human Services

DHS RESOURCES AND GUIDANCE FOR CHILD CARE FACILITIES (COVID-19 MANDATES/GUIDELINES)

In accordance with Governor Ige’s Supplementary Emergency Proclamations authorizing child care facilities to remain open or reopen and pursuant to Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR) §§17-891.1-6, 17-892.1-6, 17-895-6, and 17-896-6, DHS requires that all licensed and registered child care facilities and homes establish and follow written policies in line with the published “Guidelines for Child Care Facilities to Reopen or Continue Care, updated August 4, 2022, (click here)”  (herein after “Guidelines”) for reducing exposure to the COVID-19 virus.

The Guidelines were updated in accordance with the Department of Health (DOH) COVID-19 Guidance for K-12 Schools, which were last revised on August 1, 2022. We anticipate DOH guidelines will be updated in alignment with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance below.

The Guidelines are in alignment with recent CDC updates: COVID-19 Guidance for Operating Early Care and Education/Child Care Programs (updated 08/11/22).

The Guidelines were developed based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Hawaii Department of Health. These Guidelines are public health measures to minimize risk to children, staff, and families when resuming or continuing child care operations. COVID-19 pandemic is a global public health threat. Therefore, every child care facility and home that continues to operate or reopens shall establish and follow written operational policies that address the Guidelines.  Minimizing the risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus to children in care is dependent on every facility and home consistently applying these public health practices. DHS will advise child care facilities and homes when any measures in the Guidelines are modified.

The Guidelines were created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in efforts to help minimize the risk of exposure and mitigate the spread of the virus in child care settings. DHS initially implemented the Guidelines on May 26, 2020, and provided updates on June 9, 2020, October 11, 2021, March 2, 2022, and April 13, 2022, respectively, in efforts to keep current with the evolving guidance provided by CDC and DOH in response to new COVID-19 variants affecting infection rates, COVID-19 community levels, ongoing research, and subsequent recommendations.

If your child care facility or home has not reopened yet, please contact your child care licensing office to ensure you are meeting the requirements for reopening and receive guidance if needed.

List of Licensed and Registered Child Care Statewide
Statewide Child Care Providers – PATCH Directory – click here

Additional Resources for Child Care Providers
CDC Foundation’s webinar “Adapting, Evolving, and Thriving: Tools to Evolve Your COVID-19 Child Care Strategy” – note: the information starts 2:00 minutes into the posted video 

Frequently Asked Questions about Child Care FAQs_COVID-19 (rev 5-1-2020)

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/child-care-guidance.html

The CDC has posted information regarding cleaning and disinfection and checklists for schools and childcare programs at the following websites:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/index.html

For families with young kids or providers caring for or educating young kids:
Updates and resources from the Executive Office on Early Learning Amid COVID-19.

Helpful resources from the Executive Office on Early Learning.

DOH Guidance for schools:

https://health.hawaii.gov/coronavirusdisease2019/resources/school-guidance/