Vaccine update for child care providers

The OEC is working with the Office of the Governor and Department of Public Health to support access to vaccines for child care and youth camp providers. Local health departments and districts are making plans, and providers should anticipate hearing from their local officials or alternate designated official with community-specific information.

Providers looking for more information should be directed to reach out to their local health district. Many communities are making arrangements for providers, including designated clinics for child care, youth camp, and school district staff.  This information is communicated directly to providers using the contact information provided by OEC.

You will find the current information identifying how each community is delivering child care and youth camp vaccines on this Local Health Department Vaccine distribution document so you know what to expect.  If you have not yet heard, you can expect to hear from your local health department or district soon about vaccine clinics in your area.  If you do not know what district you are in you can visit this local health department map. OEC will update this information as districts finalize their plans or make changes that we are alerted to.

A few things to know about vaccine options:

• At local clinics, groups may be staggered (eg. by employer, location, day/time of appointment) to facilitate accomplishing the ultimate goal of vaccinations for all. This may mean that some providers receive their vaccine earlier than others.
• Providers are strongly encouraged to take advantage of vaccine access through the pathway created by local health specifically for child care and youth camps.  In most cases, it will be sooner than other options.
• Additional options for providers include public sites such as hospitals, pharmacies, and mass vax clinics.

The OEC webpage on vaccines and the FAQs are updated, and both should be consulted regularly for new information.