First coronavirus-related death reported at NC child care center

North Carolina reported its first coronavirus-related death connected with a daycare center this week in Eastern North Carolina.

Grace Filled Beginnings, located in the town of Plymouth in Washington County, reported one of its staff members died, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services’ Tuesday update on clusters in child care centers and schools. The report also shows eight cases among staff and two cases among children.

A cluster is considered at least five cases.

Grace Filled Beginnings declined to comment for this story. DHHS declined to share additional information about the case in order to protect the privacy of the family.

As of Aug. 6, there are 19 clusters and 173 cases associated with child care facilities. A new report will be released Friday afternoon. DHHS began publicly reporting clusters in child care and school settings in late June, as more child care centers began reopening and in anticipation of future school reopening.

Grace Filled Beginnings is a five-star licensed child care center, according to the N.C. Division of Child Development and Early Education database. In North Carolina, centers can receive one to five stars for quality of care. The center received a Superior rating in a December inspection report.

It has a capacity of 60 children ages 12 and younger for each of the center’s shifts, according to the database.

The state has strict guidelines for child care centers that have reopened, including the requirement to report coronavirus cases to public health officials.

According to a May executive order by Gov. Roy Cooper, child care programs are required to conduct daily health screenings of any person entering the building. Staff and children are not permitted to enter the facility for at least 10 days after first experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, and all staff and children over 11 are required to wear a face covering when they are within six feet of another person.

But Michele Rivest, policy director at the North Carolina Early Education Coalition, said assistance and resources to help child care centers implement safety protocols have been limited.

Each county has been assigned a health consultant to assist with COVID-19 safety in child care facilities. But consultants for some smaller counties have been assigned to work with multiple counties. The consultant for Washington County, where Grace Filled Beginnings is located, is responsible for overseeing safety in child care facilities across 10 counties.

“I don’t know how many [consultant] visits this particular program received to make sure they had access to everything. Did they get the protective equipment and supplies?” Rivest said. “Sometimes it’s something very basic and simple like a mask, hand sanitizer, a nurse to check on the children. We’re asking child care staff and teachers to be nurses now. They need to check the status and health of every child and person that comes in. But they’re not health professionals.”

Limited assistance to help facilities comply with safety guidelines puts staff at these facilities at greater risk.

“Many of them have their own health conditions. They tend to be older, they are underpaid, and they don’t necessarily have access to health insurance or sick leave. So maybe they’re coming to work when they’re sick,” said Rivest. North Carolina child care workers earn on average around $21,000 annually.

In May, Democratic N.C. Reps. Julie Von Haefen, Mary Belk, Susan Fisher and Rachel Hunt, proposed a bill that would have appropriated additional CARES Act funds to child care providers. The $121 million would increase bonuses for child care staff, provide PPE to child care centers, and designate an additional 52 local child care health consultants. .

The bill stalled in committee and has not received a vote.

This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 2:39 PM with the headline "First coronavirus-related death reported at NC child care center."