Bullock Directive Classifies Childcare as 'Essential,' Provides Guidance
Gov. Steve Bullock issued a directive last week classifying childcare facilities as an “essential business” and allowing them to remain open, while providing additional guidance such as safeguards to protect children, families and childcare workers.
An April 1 press release stated the directive would “ensure that Montana’s essential workers can receive access to childcare during the state of emergency.”
Childcare facilities were allowed to remain open before the directive was issued, but some advocates said the state guidelines lacked clarity. Numerous providers opted to follow recommendations from national childcare advocacy groups and shut down, while others remained open, often in a limited capacity.
The April 1 directive also requires childcare facilities to “prioritize the placement of children whose parents or guardians are essential workers” as defined in Bullock’s March 26 stay-at-home directive. Bullock’s office noted that childcare is “critical to enabling Montanans to continue to work” in essential businesses and operations such as health care, law enforcement, human services and others.
Read more: https://flatheadbeacon.com/2020/04/06/bullock-directive-classifies-childcare-essential-provides-guidance/
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