California child-care workers struggle with COVID-19 test kit shortages

Child-care providers serving California’s low-income families are scrambling to purchase rapid COVID-19 tests while banking on the state to boost their supply, hoping more frequent testing can prevent closures brought on by exposures to the virus.

“While that is a good start, it covers only a fraction of the workforce and children in care for just one test,” Frankenberg said. “And at this point is insufficient to address the multiple exposures that most child cares have faced during this surge.

Meanwhile, some children may be forced into unsafe temporary care due to disruptions, child advocates warn.that launched this week through the U.S. Postal Service offers four free tests per household, but child-care workers like Zoila Toma care for dozens of children out of their home. The state sent “the last batch” of the 100,000 test kits out on Tuesday to local agencies that will then distribute them to providers, Mellon said. The state set a goal to get 100,000 kits out by the end of January, Mellon said. For now, it’s unclear how many more tests the state can or will provide to child-care providers in light of the shortage.

Newsom, who has touted early childhood education as a priority of his administration, signed a law in 2019 that gave child-care workers the right to unionize and collectively bargain with the state, given their pay is based on state reimbursements for care. The union met with state officials this week to discuss COVID-19 provisions, with providers raising concerns about testing and the effect of closures.

Jacqui Banta, chief operating officer for the Children’s Resource & Referral of Santa Barbara County, requested about 12,000 test kits from the state. On Wednesday, she received 720 kits; it is not clear if she will get any additional supplies.

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