FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio — For Sarah Prosak and her family, the Loving Cup Kids Academy has been a lifeline.
It kept its doors open through a special state-issued pandemic license.
“Our options would have been one of us would have had to forfeit, you know, a percentage of our pay or exhaust our PTO,” Prosak said. “We are forever grateful.”
Kelly Benko was grateful for the structure that Loving Cup gave to her 1-year-old.
“He has a routine and being at a daycare is a routine for him,” she said.
It can soon be a routine again for more families too, with Governor DeWine announcing Thursday that daycares in Ohio can reopen on May 31st with reduced ratios.
But is it 100% safe?
“We have no idea,” said Dr. Amy Edwards, a Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist at University Hospitals.
Dr. Edwards has recently seen a mysterious a new syndrome in kids believed to be linked to COVID-19.
It resembles Kawasaki Disease, causing life-threatening inflammation in the body and organs, and can even damage the heart.
“Now, for whatever reason, their immune system just goes crazy and they get all this inflammation,” Dr. Edwards said.
In all cases, the children had coronavirus first and some may not have known.
“Will there be long term problems, what’s the best way to get the inflammation under control?” Dr. Edwards asked. “These are all things that we’re still working on.”
Daycares are working on being ready.
New guidelines for small class sizes may mean tough choices on which children can return.
“Who do you allow to come back?” said Annette Diotalevi, Loving Cup. “Since we can’t really take that many more children in our centers.”
Kelly Benden, a director at Loving Cup, said the children of essential workers will be given priority.