YWCA McLean County’s child care program has temporarily closed after an employee tested positive for COVID-19, the organization confirmed Monday.
YWCA’s Young Wonders program was one of about 11 emergency child care options for essential workers in McLean County that remained open during the stay-at-home order.
After the employee's positive test, the YWCA said it followed a recommendation from the McLean County Health Department to "temporarily close for a full five days in order to ensure a 14-day quarantine since the last day the individual who tested positive was on site." The YWCA building will be professionally cleaned, ventilated and sanitized.
Young Wonders is expected to reopen April 13.
"Our thoughts are with our employee and all those touched by this pandemic," the YWCA said in a statement Monday. "The health and safety of the families we serve, as well as that of our employees, is of utmost importance."
In an email to parents obtained by WGLT, the YWCA said the employee had been "teaching in a room isolated from the majority" of the 30 to 60 children who’ve been going to Young Wonders every day. The YWCA had taken additional precautions when it got an emergency child care license from the state, including isolated pickups and dropoffs and smaller class sizes.
“It was decided early on that all staff members who develop symptoms would be sent home and referred for testing. Under that directive, the teacher has not been at the facility for the past week,” the YWCA told parents in the email. “We have already reached out to the parents of the children with whom the employee had contact, and made every effort to inform those individuals who might have been at risk of an exposure. For health privacy reasons, we cannot give further details on the employee.”
Gov. JB Pritzker’s stay-at-home order March 21 closed licensed child care centers and all child care homes serving more than six children. Some centers and homes, such as YWCA’s Young Wonders, were approved to reopen as emergency providers serving only essential workers’ families.
There have been 48 people with confirmed COVID-19 tests in McLean County. Two people have died.
YWCA McLean County said Monday it will continue to provide 24-hour crisis and counseling support to survivors of sexual assault and abuse and their loved ones through YWCA Stepping Stones as well as support to women returning to the community from incarceration through YWCA Labyrinth "and we will do so as long as we are able."
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