Early Care & Education

• The LAC DPH Guidance for Early Childcare Education Providers (updated 3/14/22) 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.
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• 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.
• Quick Guide for Early Care and Education Providers for COVID-19 Prevention and Exposure Management Resources

• The Los Angeles County Exposure Management Plan (EMP) for Early Care and Education (updated 5/18/22 - English | Español) 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.

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

Quarantine and Isolation Flowcharts for Children and Staff:
Flowcharts for ECE sites that provide guidance on actions for those in isolation and those identified as close contacts. (English | Spanish)

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 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. The illness onset date is the date COVID-19 symptoms started, 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: All ECE-associated COVID-19 cases should be reported online through the secure web application, Shared Portal for Outbreak Tracing (SPOT). This can be done on a computer or mobile device by accessing SPOT.
  • This online reporting training video walks you through the process of submitting an online report for COVID-19 cases and contacts at your Institution.
  • A recording of the introductory session for school/ECE liaisons is available here. The accompanying slides are located here.
  • This FAQ (updated 4/26/22 - English | Español) provides answers to commonly asked questions as well as additional links to training materials and resources.
• Reporting Multiple Cases: If ECE providers are reporting multiple cases, there is an option available to submit reports using Excel through the “Bulk Upload Template” located within the SPOT Portal.
  • This training video walks you through the process of filling out and submitting the Excel COVID-19 Case and Contact Line List for reporting to DPH via the SPOT portal.
  • This data dictionary (updated 5/1/22 - English | Español) 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.

Exposure Notification Letter Templates English | Español

• Isolation Notification Letter for ECE Sites: Notification letter for staff or parents of children who need to isolate due to a positive COVID-19 viral test result.
• Exposure Notification Letter for ECE 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 or potential exposure to a person with COVID-19 during their infectious period while at the facility.
• General Exposure Notification Letter for ECE 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.
• Additional signage (Exposure Notice) may be posted to inform the community of potential exposure at the ECE site to COVID-19.

• 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.

• Ventilation
  • CDC Interactive School Ventilation Tool
  • CDPH guidance on improving indoor air quality in schools Webpage | English PDF | Spanish PDF
• 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 (Español).
• 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 (updated 5/17/22) provides options for checking employees, staff, and volunteers before they enter the worksite. English | Español | العربية | հայերեն | អក្សរខ្មែរ | 简体中文 | 繁體中文 | فارسى | 日本語 | 한국어 | Русский | Tagalog | Tiếng Việt
  • Use the LA County DPH screening decision pathway for flow charts for managing students and staff who have symptoms while at school or at an early care and education center. 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 (Español).
  • 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 (Español).
  • Learn more about COVID-19 prevention for parents with unvaccinated children (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 standards 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 masks, 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.
    • COVID-19 testing is widely available for free 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 ph.lacounty.gov/covidtests/how (English) or ph.lacounty.gov/covidpruebas/como (Español) or call 2-1-1 to learn more.
  • COVID-19 Testing Resources for Children (updated 5/20/22)—For information and locations that test children. Español | 简体中文 | 繁體中文 | العربية | հայերեն | អក្សរខ្មែរ | 日本語 | 한국어 | Русский | Tiếng Việt | فارسى | Tagalog

• Cal/OSHA ETS COVID-19 Prevention Testing Requirements
  • Cal/OSHA ETS requires employers to offer testing at no cost to employees. See CalOHSA FAQs for details
  • 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.
• COVID-19 Information
  • For up to date information, visit ph.lacounty.gov/Coronavirus.