Some Tucson school districts are launching day care for children of first responders in response to the growing coronavirus pandemic.
Tucson Unified School District will have 305 slots open for children, 12 and under, whose parents are nurses, doctors or serve in law enforcement, fire or emergency medical services.
Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo told the Arizona Daily Star about the proposal a week before Gov. Doug Ducey and the Arizona Department of Education announced on March 24 they would work with school districts across the state to launch a child care program for children of first responders, critical health-care workers and essential public sector workers, including child safety workers.
An initial news release said the state hopes to have βArizona Enrichment Centersβ up and running early the week of March 30. But as of the end of the day Friday, March 27, state officials were still collecting information on possible sites for the centers, said Department of Education spokeswoman Morgan Dick.
TUSD is charging 50% of the usual fee at their child care centers and is waiving the $50 registration and $50 supply fees. The discounted cost ranges from $445 for infants to $250 for school aged children, monthly.
The district is covering the additional cost to the tune of more than $150,000 a month if all the slots are filled. Spokeswoman Leslie Lenhart said she doesnβt believe the state is providing any additional funding to cover these costs.
Coronavirus-prevention guidelines of having 10 or less people in a room limits the number of families the district can serve, Community Schools Director Reem Kievit told the TUSD governing board on Friday, March 27.
βObviously, safety comes first,β she said. βHealth comes first, and having to choose who we provide services to first is really, really hard, but we are following the directive of the governor and state superintendent.β
The Marana Unified School District also announced that itβs launching day care on Monday, March 30, for the children, ages 3 to 12, of first responders and essential health-care workers as a result of the school closures and growing pandemic.
Marana Unified is charging $4.55 per hour and is waiving itβs registration fee. They have not received any additional funding from the state.
Both districts are keeping the maximum ratio of one staff member to nine children in a room, in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sunnyside School District is not in a position to offer a child care service to front-line workers, said spokeswoman Marisela Felix. Since the statewide school closures, which began March 16, Tucsonβs second-largest district has shut down itβs early learning center, which provided day care for children and infants 5 and under.
Vail Unified School District is extending their child care to all essential workers, based on Duceyβs list, who have a child in the district, said spokeswoman Darcy Mentone.
The district hadnβt shut down their regular day care services but asked families who were able to find another place for their children to maintain small groups. Since the school closures, the day care centers have been caring for about 10% of their usual number of children, Mentone said. On March 30, Vail is going to ask anyone who is not an βessential workerβ to try and find another option.
The Flowing Wells Unified School District already began offering this service, but few families were using it, said Pima County Superintendent Dustin Williams.
With the number of cases and deaths from the coronavirus increasing daily throughout the state and nation, the need for day care of front-line workersβ children could change as well.
TUSD is opening registration on Monday, March 30, on a first-come, first-served basis, with child care beginning on Tuesday, March 31. They will check applicantsβ employment to ensure they are serving as first responders and health-care workers.
Staff at both sites, Brichta and Schumaker Infant and Early Learning Centers, will be trained on CDC guidelines for safety and preventative measures necessary to limit or prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Four TUSD nurses will be assigned to each site, and all children and staff members will have mandatory temperature checks at the start of the day and upon release. There will also be an isolation room in case anyone displays any symptoms.
First responders who are interested in the child care offered by TUSD, Marana or Vail can call or visit:
- TUSDβs Brichta Integrated Early Learning Center, 2110 W. Brichta Drive. For children younger than school-age, call 225-1100. For school-age children, call 225-1179.
- TUSDβs Schumaker Integrated Early Learning Center, 510 N. Maguire Ave. For children younger than school-age, call 731-5200. For school-age children, call 731-5206.
- Marana Unified child care centers,
- .
- Vail Unified child care centers,
vailschooldistrict.org/childcare-during-covid-19-closure
Photos for March 27: Tucson gets by during coronavirus pandemic
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The doors are still open at Sacred Art Tattoo on 1024 E. 6th St., as of Friday, March 27, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
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Seth Nadeau, left, and his son Anthony Nadeau get out of the house for a couple of game so horse under cloudy skies on the courts at Christ Church United Methodist, March 27, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
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Victoria Quintero, 5, holds her sign as her mother, Vanessa, waves to the teachers and administrators from John E. White Elementary School and Pistor Middle School during a Car Parade through the neighborhood on March 27, 2020. The teachers and administrators drove their cars through the neighborhood to say hello to their students from their cars.
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Teachers and administrators from John E. White Elementary School and Pistor Middle School cheer and wave to their students during a Car Parade through the neighborhood on March 27, 2020. The teachers and administrators drove their cars through the neighborhood to say hello to their students from their cars.
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Standing, Kai Morales, left, and his twin brother, Kristian, hold up their signs as Karim, 9, and their mother, Angelica, sit in the bed of the truck along W. Nebraska Street during a Car Parade on March 27, 2020. The teachers and administrators drove their cars through the neighborhood to say hello to their students from their cars.
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Students of John E. White Elementary School and Pistor Middle School stand along W. Nebraska Street and wave to their teachers during a Car Parade on March 27, 2020. The teachers and administrators drove their cars through the neighborhood to say hello to their students from their cars.
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Teachers and administrators from John E. White Elementary School and Pistor Middle School line up along W. Canada Street before the start of their Car Parade on March 27, 2020. The teachers and administrators drove their cars through the neighborhood to say hello to their students from their cars.
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The noted bull testicles on the statue outside Casa Molina at Speedway and Wilmot, usually painted in various schemes and wild colors, now sporting a surgical mask.
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Pfc. Gustavo Escalera, of the Arizona National Guard, waves in the next car to his station at the Southern Arizona Community Food Bank on March 27, 2020. The Arizona National Guard has been activated to help the demanding need to fill and handout food boxes for people in Tucson and five counties in southern Arizona. Thirty troops arrived in Tucson on Thursday and another thirty are expected. According to Spc. John Randall, the troops are here to fill in the gaps in logistics to help keep up the production of putting together and handing out food boxes.
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Spc. Nicholas McCormick, of the Arizona National Guard, waits for the next car to pull up at the Southern Arizona Community Food Bank.
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Spc. Emilio Maldonado, of the Arizona National Guard, pushes a several bags down an assembly line at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona on March 26, 2020. The Arizona National Guard has been activated to help the demanding need to fill food boxes for people in Tucson and five counties in southern Arizona.
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Spc. Gabriel Molina, of the Arizona National Guard, fills bags with food items on an assembly line at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona on March 26, 2020. The Arizona National Guard has been activated to help the demanding need to fill food boxes for people in Tucson and five counties in southern Arizona.
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Hoover Zhu, owner of Old Peking, poses for a portrait inside a closed Old Peking at Old Peking , 2522 E. Speedway Blvd., in Tucson, Ariz., on March 25, 2020. Zhu closed Old Peking on Thursday March 25 due to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
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Chef Du Liyuan makes a take out order at Chef Wang, 356 E. Grant Rd., in Tucson, Ariz., on March 25, 2020. Chef Wang, a local Chinese restaurant, is open for take out but is considering closing due to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
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Before Tuesdayβs change in policy, Arizona residents traveling to New York had to quarantine for 14 days. New Jersey and Connecticut also removed their travel restrictions.
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An empty baggage carousel at the Tucson International Airport, on March 26, 2020.
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Wendy Fu, owner of Chef Wang, processes a take out order at Chef Wang, 356 E. Grant Rd., in Tucson, Ariz., on March 25, 2020. Chef Wang, a local Chinese restaurant is open for take out but is considering closing due to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
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Chairs tilted in on tables at La Cocina located at 201 N. Court Avenue, on March 26, 2020.
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Sun sets over a dark and locked Hi Corbett Stadium, home to the Arizona Wildcats baseball team, as the city begins its second week under COVID19 restrictions, March 26, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
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Downtown Congress Streets is mostly deserted just before 8 p.m. as the city begins its second week under COVID19 restrictions, March 26, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
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The lanterns from the Reid Park Zoo's Asian Lantern Festival sit in a fenced compound after the zoo's closure ended the display weeks early as the city begins its second week under COVID19 restrictions, March 26, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
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Residents stay spaced while out getting some air and watching the Rillito River flow near Craycroft as the city begins its second week under COVID19 restrictions, March 26, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
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Jayden Simmons, right, 12, runs football drills with coach Bobby Rodriguez, owner of Jet Sports Training, at Silverlake Park, in Tucson, Ariz., on March 25, 2020. Due to gyms being closed, Rodriguez is taking classes and training outside to parks with little to no equipment.
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A man wearing a mask watches traffic go by while waiting for the bus on N. Alvernon Rd., in Tucson, Ariz., on March 25, 2020.
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Gloves, a mask and hand sanitizer sit on the counter at Chef Wang, 356 E. Grant Rd., in Tucson, Ariz., on March 25, 2020. Chef Wang, a local Chinese restaurant is open for take out but is considering closing due to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
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