MA Child Care To Expand, Summer Camps Can Reopen In Later Phases

MASSACHUSETTS — Emergency child care for workers with no alternative will be available during phase one of the Massachusetts reopening plan, Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday. Summer camps will be allowed to open in the second and third phases.

Emergency child care is already operating for workers in essential industries, with strict virus mitigation protocols including increased staffing and cleaning. The system set up in March is at 35 percent of its 10,000-child capacity so it has space to take in more children as new industries open, Lt. Gov. Karen Polito said.

Still, the state will prioritize building the emergency system's capacity. Sectors including manufacturing, construction, offices, personal care and retail are reopening as part of phase one.

Wherever possible, the state is encouraging families to avoid using emergency child care.

"We encourage families to find any alternative to group care, to reduce the spread of the virus," Polito said.

Businesses that can are still asked to have employees work from home, Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy said.

"Reducing the number of employees in the workplace reduces the risk of COVID-19 transmission and will help reduce the number of employees that need to utilize public transit and child care," Kennealy said.

The state will also work with reopening industries to create child care options for specific workplaces, according to the state plan.

Further down the road, the state hopes to allow summer camps to operate in phases two and three of the reopening. Tentatively, day camps will reopen in phase two and residential camps in phase three. Some youth sports will also be allowed to open in phase two.

"There will be at least three weeks between phases, but it could be more," Baker said. "That's going to be a function of the data."

The state Department of Public Health is partnering with local boards of health on guidelines for opening the more than 1,400 camps across Massachusetts, Polito said. More details should be available in the next two weeks, she said.

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