Updated COVID-19 Guidance from Washington State
Department of Health

• Reorganization of content to follow priority of recommendations in line with CDC.
• Resources and information on vaccination for eligible and mandated groups.
• Updated recommendations for cohorting and physical distancing.
• Updated recommendations for symptom monitoring/health screening at home. 
• Added information on communicating and reporting cases.
• Updated recommendations on quarantine for fully vaccinated individuals.
• General alignment with language for K-12 settings where relevant.

• Most child care staff are required to be fully vaccinated by October 18 or have a medical or religious exemption (see more information below)
• Masks continue to be required indoors for all adults and children ages 5 and up and are strongly encouraged for those ages 2-4 with supervision.
• Continue to keep children in assigned cohorts and avoid mixing cohorts as much as possible. If children from different cohorts are mixed (like at the beginning or end of the day) keep groups from different cohorts separated by 6 feet.
• Children in the same cohort should be kept 3' apart for table work when masked or 6' apart when unmasked (such as while eating) to the greatest extent possible. 
• Maximize classroom ventilation (see pages 9-10) and incorporate plenty of outside time into your programming.
• Children and staff who have symptoms of infectious illness, such as influenza (flu) or COVID-19, should stay home and seek medical evaluation, which may include testing for COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.
• Close contacts who are fully vaccinated and do not have symptoms do not need to quarantine but should be tested 3-5 days following a known exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and wear a mask in all public indoor spaces for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result. If they develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19, they should isolate themselves from others, be clinically evaluated for COVID-19, and tested for SARS-CoV-2 if indicated.
• Clean, sanitize, and disinfect throughout the day in accordance with the licensing regulations. See WAC 100-300-0241(11) cleaning schedules for more information. 

COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement FAQ

There have been a lot of questions about the Governor's requirement for vaccination of child care and early learning staff by October 18. On September 15, the Washington State Department of Health released a "frequently asked questions" document to help clarify things. You can find the document by clicking on this link: 

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement FAQ for Child Care, Early Learning, and Youth Development Providers 
www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/820-216-VaccinationRequirementFAQChildCare.pdf

For Snohomish County you can find more information on the vaccine by visiting the Snohomish Health District vaccine information website. 

Free Trainings for Child Care Providers

The Snohomish Health District Child Care Health Outreach program is offering several COVID-19 related trainings for child care providers. These trainings offer free in-service STARS credits. 

• COVID-19 Vaccine Training for Child Care Providers
• Building Confidence in the COVID-19 Vaccination 
• COVID-19 Class for Child Care Providers in Washington State
• COVID-19 Class for Washington K-12 Schools