COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has yet to make a decision on when the state’s daycare facilities will reopen.
DeWine has stated that he is working with his administration to begin reopening the state’s economy on May 1. Still, however, he has yet to say if and how the reopening will impact daycares.
“We are not ready to open up any daycare facilities,” he said during his Monday press briefing.
DeWine said his concern over reopening daycares is the same the one he had about reopening the state’s schools.
In a tweet, he wrote, “It’s a number of kids together who then go back home – it’s a perfect recipe for spread. We’re not ready yet to open up more daycares yet.”
Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce stressed that the decision to reopen the facilities rests with DeWine. Nonetheless, he noted the county has two online resources available to help eligible parents in need of finding childcare.
“For them to have access to quality and affordable childcare is a critical part to their quality of life,” he said.
Those resources can be found by clicking here and clicking here.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported 291 licensed pandemic daycare facilities across Licking, Fairfield, and Franklin counties. Pandemic daycare facilities are open for the children of essential employees and operate under stringent guidelines.