Child Care Providers

View the Spanish (Español) version of this page here.

General Strategies for Preventing Communicable (Infectious) Diseases

To learn more about key prevention and management strategies found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Protecting Against COVID-19 and Other Infections in Early Care and Education Programs page and for additional resources, please select the topics below:

Immunizations

State of Texas minimum immunization requirements

Keep required immunizations records and exemptions for the children enrolled in your program. More information about the minimum immunization requirements for child care facilities can be found on the Department of State Health Services website.

Recommended immunization schedules

Encourage staff and families to stay up to date with the recommended immunization schedule.
- CDC recommended vaccinations birth through 6 years
- CDC recommended vaccinations 7 through 18 years old

COVID-19 vaccination

Encourage staff and families to stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccination. To help promote vaccination, share these CDC web pages with staff and families:

Flu vaccination

Flu season typically begins in October. It is important that everyone 6 months and older get vaccination against the flu each year. Flu vaccine information you can share with parents is available on the CDC website, in English and Spanish.

RSV shots

There are three new immunization tools to reduce RSV and severe symptoms:

A vaccine for adults 60 years old and up
A vaccine for pregnant people during weeks 32-36 of pregnancy, to protect babies after birth
A monoclonal antibody shot for infants (nirsevimab)

Vaccination opportunities

Let staff and families know where they can get vaccinated.
- Austin Public Health offers immunizations, including COVID-19 and flu vaccines, to children who are uninsured or Medicaid recipients. Services are also available to uninsured adults. Find out more about appointments and Shot for Tots/Big Shots clinics on the APH Immunizations page.
- Partner with APH to host a vaccine event at your child care program for staff and families. Complete this questionnaire to request to host a pop-up vaccination clinic.
- To host a vaccine information session, complete this questionnaire. APH health educators will provide information about the safety, efficacy, and benefits of vaccines.

State of Texas Child Care Exclusion Criteria

Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Communicable Disease Chart for Schools and Child Care Programs describes the symptoms, exclusion, readmission criteria, and more, for a range of conditions.

State of Texas reporting requirements

The Texas Administrative Code requires that licensed and registered child care programs report some cases or outbreaks of some communicable/infectious diseases among children and staff to their local health department. Reporting requirements are found in the Texas Notifiable Conditions List and the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Communicable Disease Chart for Schools and Child Care Programs.

Child care programs should continue to report possible outbreaks of COVID-19 to Austin Public Health. A possible outbreak is 3 or more cases connected by space (e.g., classroom, sports team) and time (e.g., field trip, school concert, science class period). Your continued reporting of possible outbreaks remains important, as it allows APH to provide child care programs timely guidance and to remain informed about what is occurring in our community.

How to report to Austin Public Health:

To notify APH of any outbreaks of respiratory or gastrointestinal illnesses (e.g., COVID-19, flu, stomach bugs, etc.) use this APH Outbreak Notification Form for Schools & Child Care Programs.
For all other reportable conditions (listed on the Texas Notifiable Conditions List), please call the APH Epidemiology phone number at 512-972-5555. Additional disease reporting information may be found in the 2023 Disease Reporting Packet for Travis County.

Handwashing & respiratory etiquette

Teach children and staff when and how to wash their hands.

Use printable posters to help raise awareness about handwashing.

Teach children and staff how to cover coughs and sneezes.

Sanitizing & disinfecting

Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces are important everyday strategies to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, like COVID-19. Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has information about safe sanitizing & disinfecting practices in the child care setting available on their website, including the downloadable Safe Disinfecting E-toolkit.

Ventilation

Improving ventilation in buildings can help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases by reducing the number of virus particles in the air. Learn more from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about how to improve ventilation in the child care setting, here.

Suggested further reading

American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) Managing Infectious Diseases in Child Care and Schools: A Quick Reference Guide, 6^th Edition

Respiratory Virus Guidance

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers guidance on preventing the spread of respiratory viruses, such as COVID-19, RSV, and flu.

The CDC recommends that people who have respiratory virus symptoms:

Stay home and away from others:
- For at least 24 hours, symptoms are improving overall, and
- They have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medications.
Upon returning to normal activities, the CDC advises people take additional precautionary measure over the next 5 days, such as:
- Masking*,
- Distancing,
- Taking steps for cleaner air,
- Practicing good hygiene, and
- Testing when they will be around others indoors.

The CDC also advises people seek health care promptly for testing and/or treatment if they have risk factors for severe illness.

*Keep in mind that certain groups of people should not wear a mask, including:

Children younger than 2 years old
A person with a disability who cannot wear a mask, or cannot safely wear a mask because of the disability, as defined by the American with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.)
Children who are sleeping
Anyone participating in activities where the mask could get wet, like swimming or water play

For more information about specific respiratory viruses, please select the topics below.

COVID-19

Austin Public Health (APH) encourages child care programs to follow the CDC Operational Guidance for K-12 Schools and Early Care and Education Programs to Support Safe In-Person Learning.

Flu (Influenza)

APH’s Flu in Austin page has information on local flu trends, symptoms, treatment, and prevention.

The Department of State Health Services’ Influenza Information for Schools and Child Care Facilities page has a list of online resources specific to those settings.

RSV

The CDC’s RSV in Infants and Young Children page has fact sheets and information about everyday prevention measures, symptoms, severe RSV, RSV in very young infants, and immunizations.

Trainings

Upcoming APH Trainings

APH, in collaboration with Workforce Solutions Capital Area, hosts trainings quarterly for child care directors and staff, on a variety of health topics. Currently, no trainings are scheduled.

Training Resources

The following are other websites where providers can find child care trainings.

Texas Association for the Education of Young Children event calendar
- TXAEYC posts state-wide and Austin Chapter training dates on the calendar. Check training and conference details for pricing information.
Workforce Solutions Capital Area training calendar
- WFS Capital Area hosts online and in-person trainings for licensed and registered child care providers on a range of topics, in English and Spanish. Trainings are free.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Childcare Training Courses
- The AgriLife online trainings include health topics like poison prevention, infection control, injury prevention, and more. Most trainings are free (e.g., the trainings to fulfill Texas annual training requirements), but some trainings have a fee (e.g., the CDA renewal courses).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Early Care and Education Portal
- The CDC has a list of online trainings and modules on a range of early childhood topics for ECE providers, including preventing adverse childhood experiences, handwashing, child vaccination, and more. Most trainings are free. Check course descriptions for pricing information.
Success By 6 Coalition Very Connect page
- SX6 coalition partners post trainings and other resources that may be of interest to child care providers. Check event details for pricing information.

Health Inspections & Food Permits

Information about the state health inspection requirement for child care facilities and the inspection fee waiver for high-quality child care programs can be found on the APH Custodial Care Inspection page.

Information about applying for a food permit and the permit fee waiver for high-quality child care programs can be found on the APH Fixed Food Establishments page.

Mental Health

Ask, Listen, Talk Repeat Campaign

Many children and youth are struggling with their mental health and need help. At AskListenTalk.org parents and caregivers can find resources to support their children – how to spot a mental health issue, how to start the conversation, how to support their own mental health, and how to get help throughout Austin and Travis County.

Let parents and caregivers know they may visit any APH neighborhood center or Austin Public Library branch to pick up a deck of bilingual (English/Spanish) cards which they can use to begin conversations with a child about mental health. Child care programs are encouraged to use the campaign order form to request a set of 50 or more decks of conversation cards to distribute to parents and teachers.

Tools for Supporting Childrens' Emotional Wellbeing

Parents and teachers may also encourage the use of this interactive resource from the National Academy of Sciences. The website includes videos which use cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to help children learn new ways of coping with stress, anxiety, and depression. The website is also available in Spanish.

Emergency Preparedness

Emergency alerts for child care

Through the Warn Central Texas emergency alert system, local officials can contact community members by phone, email, and text during times of disaster or threats to public safety. Travis County child care providers who have not yet done so are invited to fill out this Austin Public Health form to sign up to receive emergency alerts for their program. Providers who have already signed up to be on the Warn Central Texas child care contact list can also use the form to make changes to the contact information previously provided.

Emergency planning

Programs are required by Texas Child Care Regulation to have an emergency supply kit on hand. Download this APH Emergency Supply Kit Checklist for Child Care Programs to ensure your program's kit contains all the required items.

For example emergency plans for child care programs, see the Emergency Preparedness Manual created by the National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness.

Other emergency planning resources are available from the Head Start Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center website.

Tips and activity books to share with families

Encourage families and staff to visit the Ready Central Texas website for information about emergency preparedness for families, including family preparedness events, tips for building a family supply kit, and how individuals can sign up for Warn Central Texas emergency alerts.

Distribute these tip sheets to caregivers on how to communicate with infants and toddlers and preschoolers after a disaster has occurred.

Other resources to share:

Injury Prevention

Heat awareness

Visit APH’s Injury Prevention page to learn more about safe sleep for infants, child passenger safety, bicycle safety, drowning prevention, firearm safety, and more.

For information about preventing heat-related illness, visit the City of Austin’s Heat Awareness page.

Playground safety

Distribute this infographic to parents to educate on safe playground practices and how to spot signs of concussions from falls.

Safe medication storage

Remind parents to keep medication far away from young children with this safe medication storage tip sheet from the CDC. Children can learn about medication safety alongside their parents with these coloring pages.

Developmental Milestones

Before formal schooling ever begins, there are critical periods of rapid development when the brain is best able to acquire milestones in how babies play, learn, speak, act, and move. Children develop at different rates, but most follow a natural timetable. Milestones help us know if a children’s development is on track. Educate families on tracking their child’s development using CDC tools and act early if you have a concern.

Developmental milestones training

Watch Me! Celebrating Milestones and Sharing Concernsis an online training for child care providers on developmental milestones. It provides tools and best practices for monitoring the development of children in your care and talking about milestones with parents.

Resources for talking with parents about developmental milestones and concerns

Encourage families to track their child’s development using the Milestone Moments Booklet, available in English and Spanish, as well as the CDC’s Milestone Tracker App, also available in English and Spanish.

This guide from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gives tips for school staff and teachers on how to talk with parents about developmental concerns for children 0-5. The resource provides tips on how to listen and respond to parents in various situations and to be mindful of cultural differences. The guide is available in Spanish here.

Bright by Text

APH encourages child care directors and staff to sign up for Bright by Text to receive texts with developmental information, activity ideas, and information on local resources and events for families with young children. Texts are available in English and Spanish and focus on tips and information for the prenatal period through age 8. Please encourage your program’s families to sign up as well!

Community Meetings for Providers

Select a meeting below to learn more.

Early Childhood Council

What? The City of Austin Early Childhood Council (ECC) makes recommendations to Austin’s City Council for the creation, development, and implementation of programs that promote optimal development for young children.
Who Can Attend? Any member of the public, including child care providers in Austin-Travis County
When? Typically the second Wednesday of the month @ 9:00-10:30 a.m. (No meetings in July or December). Check the calendar here.
Where? Location varies. Usually a hybrid meeting with options to attend in-person at City Hall or via phone.
Want More Information? Contact Caitlin.Oliver@austintexas.gov.

Success By 6 Family-Based Child Care Workgroup

What? A workgroup of the Success By 6 Coalition (SX6), this group brings together a broad group of stakeholders, including family-based child care (FBCC) providers, to develop strategies to recognize, support, and integrate FBCC programs as essential components of the early care and education system in Austin-Travis County.
Who Aan Attend? Any family-based child care provider in Austin-Travis County
When? Second Monday of the month @ 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Where? Held over Zoom.
Want more information? Contact Gayle.Yondorf.Chavez@uwatx.org

Success By 6 Stakeholder Meeting

What? A subgroup of the Success By 6 Coalition, the SX6 Stakeholder group brings together family advocates and service providers and other early childhood stakeholders in support of the Coalition’s overarching goal– at the end of each child’s first 2,000-day journey, they are happy, healthy, and ready to succeed in school and life.
Who Can Attend? Any early childhood stakeholders in Austin-Travis County, including child care providers.
When? Quarterly on fourth Wednesday of the month @ 11:30 a.m.
Where? In person at the United Way for Greater Austin office, 5930 Middle Fiskville Rd, Austin, TX 78752, or attend via Zoom.
Want more information? Visit this link.

Texas Rising Star Director Meeting

What? This meeting brings together current and future Texas Rising Star (TRS) directors to discuss all the latest TRS updates and network with other TRS directors. Each month will have a special topic or guest.
Who Can Attend? Current and future directors of Texas Rising Star child care programs contracted with Workforce Solutions Capital Area.
When? First Thursday of the month @ 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Where? Held over Zoom.
Want More Information? Visit this link.

Stay Connected to Austin Public Health

Email ChildCareInfo@austintexas.gov to ask questions regarding communicable diseases or other public health topics. (Note: Please do not report disease cases via email.)
Call 512-972-5555 to contact the Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit regarding communicable diseases. (Note: Instructions for reporting communicable diseases are in the General Strategies for Preventing Communicable Diseases section.)
Want to be added to the APH Child Care and/or the Youth & Summer Camp Email List(s)? APH sends occasional emails with public health updates and resources to child care providers and youth camp programs. Fill out this form to get added to the email list(s).

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