SWOYERSVILLE, Pa. — Update:
All child care centers licensed by the commonwealth close as of Tuesday, March 17, and will be re-evaluated at the conclusion of the 14-day statewide closures.
Original Story:
The list of non-essential businesses the governor is ordering to close does not include daycare centers, although Governor Wolf is recommending those facilities close as well.
But many daycare centers feel obligated Monday to stay open for the parents who depend on them.
At Lil Sailors Learning Center in Swoyersville, kids were playing outside, enjoying some fresh air. As schools and businesses shut their doors to curb the spread of COVID-19, the daycare facility plans to stay open for as long as possible.
"We are staying open as long as we can, and as long as we're told we can to help our parents who need to go to work," said center director Gretchen Mirin. "We have police officers, we have health care workers, and they have to go to work."
At the Jewish Community Center in Scranton, all operations have been suspended except for the daycare program.
Executive director Dan Cardonick says that he wants to be there for the many parents, especially health care workers, who rely on the JCC's services during the day.
"We want to make sure we're there for them. We want to make sure that we're not contributing to a labor shortage at the local hospitals, or nursing homes that desperately need their employees to be able to provide care to their patients," Cardonick said.
Cardonick says sanitizing efforts have ramped up, and the children's temperatures are being taken as they enter the JCC each day.
The same goes for Lil Sailors Learning Center in Swoyersville. Director Gretchen Mirin said she spent the past two weekends stocking up on cleaning supplies since stores have been running low.
"We use that on a daily basis, not just in times of crisis. Obviously, we're stepping up our cleaning. Any chance that someone has a free hand, they're going around with the Clorox and wiping things down, which we do every day anyway," Mirin said.
As the sign on the door says, Lil Sailors Learning Center does not plan to close voluntarily. But of course, things are changing on a daily basis. The staff here is prepared to close if the government mandates it.
"If the government of Pennsylvania orders us to close, of course, we will immediately close," Cardonick said.
The Pocono Family YMCA tells Newswatch 16 it's opening up its child care program to the public, in an effort to help parents who still have to work.
To enroll in the Temporary Coronavirus School Closure Childcare Program, call 570-421-2525.