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Freedman DA, Ciesielski TH, Yamoah O, Borawski EA, Ross KR, Nock NL, Lee EK, Dimitropoulos A, Minnes S, Burkhart K, Ogland-Hand C, Tisch DJ. Improving Surveillance and Epidemic Response in Ohio Childcare Settings. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph192416927. [PMID: 36554817 PMCID: PMC9779310 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192416927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
At the start of the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the risk of cases in childcare programs was unknown. Thus, a rapid-response research approach was launched in Ohio childcare settings. Passive surveillance data from a state-operated incident reporting system were evaluated to estimate the number of COVID-19 cases from 15 August 2020 to 1 January 2021. Additionally, active surveillance with self-administered reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests were conducted among staff at 46 childcare programs. Finally, six zoom-based focus groups with program administrators were used to gain feedback. Staff and children in childcare settings contributed 0.38% and 0.15% of the COVID-19 cases in Ohio during this timeframe, respectively. RT-PCR testing identified 3 unrecognized cases (0.88% of tests), and all occurred when the statewide positivity rate was >5%. Focus groups revealed that access to affordable cleaning supplies, masks, and reliable staffing were critical. Perhaps most importantly, we conclude that expanding the incident reporting system to include a childcare census would allow for the tracking of future health problems with highly valuable incidence rate estimations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darcy A. Freedman
- Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Schubert Center for Child Studies, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Timothy H. Ciesielski
- Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Owusua Yamoah
- Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Elaine A. Borawski
- Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Kristie R. Ross
- Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- University Hospitals of Cleveland, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Nora L. Nock
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Eun Kyung Lee
- Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Health Law, School of Public Health, Boston University, Policy and Management, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Anastasia Dimitropoulos
- Schubert Center for Child Studies, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Sonia Minnes
- Schubert Center for Child Studies, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | | | - Callie Ogland-Hand
- Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Daniel J. Tisch
- Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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Yamoah O, Balser S, Ogland-Hand C, Doernberg E, Lewis-Miller C, Freedman DA. "A win-win for all of us": COVID-19 sheds light on the essentialness of child care as key infrastructure. EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH QUARTERLY 2022; 63:113-120. [PMID: 36505942 PMCID: PMC9721280 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2022.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Child care centers in the United States allow many parents and caregivers to work in and outside of the home and support the growth and development of children. Child care closures and COVID-19 mitigation measures at the onset of the pandemic heightened the need for and awareness of the role of child care as core infrastructure. The purpose of our study was to examine the perceived role and benefits of child care based on the lived experiences of parents/caregivers and staff navigating child care during the pandemic. We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with parents/caregivers (n = 20) of children who attended child care and staff (n = 12) who were working at child care programs in Ohio from September to November 2020. Qualitative data were coded and analyzed through the lens of four frameworks (i.e., capabilities, developmental, economics, and mutualism) related to child well-being. Our results highlight the perceived value of child care (a) for fostering capabilities and developmental growth in children; (b) for providing economic benefits for children, parents, and staff of child care programs; and (c) as an essential infrastructure that mutually benefits children, parents, families, staff, and the community. Findings support existing evidence regarding the broader impacts of child care and further investigation into the role of child care. We highlight the potential need for further investments in policies, resources, and supports for child care that reflects its essentialness and generative role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Owusua Yamoah
- Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Sarah Balser
- Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Callie Ogland-Hand
- Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Ellen Doernberg
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Carlos Lewis-Miller
- Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Darcy A Freedman
- Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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Ievers-Landis CE, Sato AF. Commentary on Pediatric aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic: a special issue of Children’s Health Care. CHILDRENS HEALTH CARE 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/02739615.2022.2115372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn E. Ievers-Landis
- Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics & Psychology, Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Amy F. Sato
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
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