COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. — Confusion intensifies when it comes to updated guidelines for schools released by the state, not because of what they contain, but what they leave out: childcare facilities for kids under five.
Trisha Dart owns Little Ones Learning Preschool and Childcare in Comstock Park.
She reached out to 13 On Your Side to clear up unanswered questions prompted by a recent coronavirus diagnosis.
Dart's husband received a positive test result and was in isolation at the time of publication.
Her four-year-old daughter numbered among his close contacts and was quarantined under Dart's supervision.
She told 13 On Your Side she had called the Kent County Health Department for guidance but had yet to receive an answer.
Out of an abundance of caution, Dart said she elected to notify clients and voluntarily shutter her Evan Drive facility for a ten-day period ending Jan. 18.
"As an early childhood program owner, I'm really confused on what I need to do as far as my own family and keeping my childcare families healthy and safe as well," Dart relayed via Zoom Tuesday.
At the root of her confusion is the updated guidance for K-12 schools released this week by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which features shorter quarantine and isolation requirements under most circumstances, mirroring similar changes at the federal level.
No such update, however, has been released concerning children under five, many of whom remain unable to receive a vaccine and in some cases, unable to mask.
13 On Your Side raised Dart's concerns with MDHHS and was informed by a spokesperson that state licensing officials had, in fact, produced the most up-to-date guidance with regard to childcare facilities.
In August, LARA released a set of best practices, which called for universal masking, daily screenings, etc.
That guidance, however, in contrast to Monday's K-12 update, did not feature specific quarantine or isolation standards. Thus, the answers to Dart's questions remained unclear.
13 On Your Side reached out to LARA for clarification but had yet to hear back at the time of publication.
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