Coronavirus: Why no announcement yet on daycares?

Gov. DeWine surprised Ohioans Monday when he opted not to make an announcement on the reopening of child care centers, despite stating the week prior that clarity would be provided.

“Opening child care centers is simply too important to do so without all the best information and without having all the right protocols in place,” he explained.

Though DeWine said he believes it will “not be long” before daycares can reopen, he also said he will not move forward "until Ohio has the most science-based and safety-based plan that we can put together.”

DeWine recognized the difficult situation families will inevitably face, as parents must now head back to work as businesses reopen, but held that safety must come first.

“The mistakes I’ve made throughout my long career have come about when I did not have enough facts, I did not dig deep enough, and I did not ask the right people.”

This newsroom has heard from a number of parents unsure how to proceed, limited on options for their children.

“How can people go back to work without daycare?” Sharon Feltner posted to our Facebook page, one of many messages received in recent days.

DeWine hopes by taking time to develop a robust plan, Ohio could lead the nation on childcare pandemic protocol, as the state has already for other issues during the outbreak.

“Not only am I convinced that we can lead, I’m convinced that we absolutely must lead.”

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