COVID Information

Remember to continue to report all cases of COVID-19 in children and staff at your child care to Snohomish Health District.

Call 425-252-5415 (child care health line), 425-339-5278 (call center), or email  childcarehealth@snohd.org.

Here are a few resources for managing COVID-19:

• Excluding ill persons and close contacts - Most current exclusion flow chart. Sample exposure notification letters can be found on the Department of Health website under “Schools and Child Cares,” then scroll down to “Toolkits and Templates"  
• Testing and testing resources – for Snohomish County  https://www.snohd.org/testing
• Understanding the use of self-tests in child cares and schools - The  DOH Self-testing guidance for schools and child care  has been updated to provide clarification on reporting processes for self-tests. Please see the new “Reporting” section in the guidance for details.
• CDC Quarantine and Isolation calculator available online
• Current child care guidance - from Washington State Department of Health. This guidance has been translated into 39 languages which can be found on the DOH website under "Schools and Child Cares"  
• Free at-home test kits - Say Yes! COVID TEST now available monthly. Each household can order twice per month, while supplies last. Visit  https://www.sayyescovidhometest.org/. 

G is for Get Babies to Sleep Safely

I is for Inspect Your Nest

Safe Sleep for Infants

According to licensing regulations (WAC 110-300-0291), child care providers must follow American Academy of Pediatrics recommended safe sleep practices for infants.


This includes:

• Actively supervising sleeping infants and monitoring breathing patterns and infant’s temperature while they sleep to prevent them from becoming too warm
• Placing infants to sleep on their back (in a crib, pack-n-play, or bassinet designed for infant sleep)
• Not using sleep positioning devices or allowing blankets, stuffed toys, pillows, or other soft items
• Not allowing bedding or clothing to cover any part of an infant’s head while they sleep and keeping blankets or other items to cover or drape over an occupied crib or sleeping equipment
• Never put an infant to bed with a bottle

If infants fall asleep in their car seat or a swing or bouncer, they must be transferred to a crib or other approved sleeping equipment as soon as possible.

Do not use weighted sleep sacks, crib canopies, baby nests or pillows.  Here is a short video with more information:  https://www.facebook.com/SnohomishHealth/videos/702447344212072

The American Academy of Pediatrics has many great resources to share with families. You can find them on their website:  https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/safe-sleep/
Additional information can be found on the CDC website:  Helping Babies Sleep Safely | CDC

If you have questions about infant care or safe sleep, please reach out to the Snohomish Health District Child Care Health Outreach Program at childcarehealth@snohd.org.

Soil Safety and Child Care Gardens

Many child cares have outdoor garden spaces. There are so many benefits to gardening with children including responsibility, social skills, fresh air, and learning about different plants. It is fun and rewarding for children to watch fruits and vegetables grow and then eat the produce during snack time.

It is important for child cares to be aware that soil can contain unseen hazards to which children can be particularly susceptible. Children can be exposed to these contaminants by getting soil in their mouth or even by breathing them in while playing in the soil. Here are some common contaminants and ways to keep children safe from them:

• Bacteria – While there are many types of bacteria that live in soil, certain ones can be particularly harmful. Animals can contaminate soil with these illness-causing bacteria through their droppings. Use fencing or netting to keep animal visitors out of children’s garden spaces.
• Lead and Arsenic – Lead, arsenic, and other heavy metals can get into soil and can have serious health effects for young children. Once these chemicals enter the soil they remain there. These contaminants can end up in soil around buildings built before 1978 from flaking lead-based paint. Contaminants can be found in soil near current or former farmland where certain pesticides were used, or in soil next to busy roads from the days when leaded gasoline was used. There is no safe level of lead for children. Some things to do to protect against lead and other chemicals in soil are:
  • Garden in raised beds or containers with purchased organic soil
  • Thoroughly wash all produce
  • Supervise children closely during soil activities, making sure they keep their hands away from their mouths and having them wash hands well
  • Take off shoes when coming indoors from the garden
• Other Chemicals – Pesticides, including weed and feed products, can end up making soil unsafe for children’s gardening. It is best to avoid all pest and plant killing products in child care spaces. If you must use a pesticide, make sure you have and follow a pesticide policy and avoid using them in child garden spaces. If your property is on former farm land or had extensive pesticide use in the past, using raised garden beds with purchased soil is best.

If you have further questions about lead or other soil contaminants, please reach out to the Child Care Health Outreach program at childcarehealth@snohd.org or 425-252-5415.  Child care licensing regulations address garden spaces in WAC 110-300-0148 for early learning programs and WAC 110-301-0148 for school-age programs.

Vroom^® Tips for the Sunshine Days of May

Here are a couple of Vroom Tips for you to try in your child care or to share with families this month. For more tips, visit: www.vroom.org.