Ensuring the safety and well-being of young children and staff working in child care is a top priority for OEC. Learn about important guidelines and recommendations related to reporting, screenings, and more.
Air quality and ventilation
Better ventilation and filtration can help improve air quality in buildings — and better air quality can help decrease the spread of viruses (like flu and COVID-19). Check out our page on air quality and ventilation.
Cleaning
Regular cleaning and sterilizing helps keep kids healthy by getting rid of germs and preventing the spread of disease.
- Get resources on green cleaning in child care from the University of California San Francisco.
- Read our fact sheet on using hand sanitizer in child care settings.
- Bugs and other pests can cause health problems — like allergies and asthma attacks — and carry disease. They can also damage property and make food unsafe to eat. Learn about integrated pest management for child care facilities (CT Department of Public Health)
Disease reporting
Child care staff must report outbreaks of communicable diseases in their program to meet state requirements. This helps the state to track and address the spread of disease.
See the current list of reportable diseases (note that COVID-19 is listed as “SARS-CoV”).
Programs still need to report COVID-19 outbreaks, but the process has changed. Suspected or confirmed outbreaks of any cause, including COVID-19, are a reportable condition.
Medication
Learn how to get rid of unwanted medication.
Nutrition
Make sure to provide healthy snacks for children in your program.
Respiratory illness guidance
Explore our guidance on respiratory viruses for child care programs.
Specific diseases and conditions
For information and resources concerning congenital cytomegalovirus, lead, bed bugs, and other related topics, please visit the CT Department of Public Health (DPH)
- Learn how to manage asthma in child care facilities (CT Department of Public Health)
- Read a fact sheet about MRSA (CT Department of Public Health
Vaccines and immunizations
It is recommended that staff and children stay up-to-date on all age appropriate vaccines, including COVID-19, flu, and RSV if eligible. CDC has added these vaccines to their official vaccine schedules.
Keeping vaccine and immunization records helps protect children from preventable diseases and maintain compliance with regulations.
Find out how to request an immunization record from the Connecticut Immunization Registry and Tracking System (CIRTS).