Ohio child care providers allowed to care for school-age children learning remotely during school day

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Governor Mike DeWine debuted a new temporary pandemic license on Tuesday that will allow providers to care for school-age children learning remotely to provide a safe place for them to go during their normal school day if their parents must go to work.

“With more than 30% of school districts opting for remote and hybrid models of learning for the start of the school year – including many of Ohio’s largest school districts – working families need safe options for their child’s care during the school day,” said Gov. DeWine.

This license is available for child care providers licensed by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) beginning Aug. 25.

Gov. DeWine said these providers will receive funding to cover the cost of care for economically eligible children.

According to the Governor, the ODE is also working to extend this same temporary pandemic license to its licensed school-age child care providers by early September pending the State Board of Education’s approval.

Additionally, Gov. DeWine said the ODJFS will launch a new Temporary Pandemic School-Age Child Care license to be sure children have safe places to go after school hours.

Organizations such as businesses, churches, and recreation centers will be allowed to apply for this temporary license to provide care to children during the school day, the Governor said.

“The safety of children is our number one priority,” said ODJFS Director Kimberly Hall. “The new Temporary Pandemic School-Age Child Care license will ensure that our children are cared for in safe, clean facilities by qualified staff, while also reducing the regulations that organizations have to abide by to become licensed.”

ODJFS is waiving the registration fee for Temporary Pandemic School-Age Child Care providers on top of eliminating numerous child car licensing requirements..

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