COVID-19’s Risk To Those Age 65+ Will Further Complicate Child Care

States are starting to release guidelines for childcare related to COVID-19. Something stuck out to me in that guidance that was recently released by The Washington State’s Department of Public Health: They write “People age 65 years and older should consult with their health care provider and consider not providing childcare or visiting childcare facilities.” Statistics have shown the older you are the, the more dangerous COVID-19 is.  

Nearly 3 million grandparents are the primary care givers for children.  Many more grandparents more babysit for grandkids and or pick up grandchildren up from childcare centers. Overall, 11 percent of grandparents live with their grandchildren and 5 percent are primary care givers (Page 9). While the average child care worker is in their 30s, thousands of them across the country are in their 60s+.

All these statistics starkly lay bare that the risks for senior citizens related to COVID-19 which will further complicate childcare going forward.  The early childhood education and care industry, health departments, businesses, governments families with children, and heck pretty much everyone, need to consider the health of senior citizens as we create for how children will be taken care of.