As we learn more about COVID-19, recommendations and guidance are updated frequently. Please check back often.
Schools and Child Care COVID-19
Best Practice Recommendations
Minnesota Rule 4605.7070 requires any person in charge of any institution, school, child care facility, or camp to report cases of COVID-19 to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
Use COVID-19 Case Report Form for K-12 Schools, Childcares, and Youth Programming (Camps, Sports, Extracurricular Activities) to report each child, youth, or staff member who receives a positive test result. This is a secure system to report information such as names, addresses, and phone numbers. At a minimum and when available, include the name, date of birth, and phone number of the person who tested positive for COVID-19.
Approaches that schools, child care, youth-serving programs, and camps can use to promote health and safety while mitigating COVID-19 transmission risk.
On this page:
All programs
Schools
Supplemental guidance for schools
Child care, youth programs, and camps
Additional resources
All programs
- Recommended COVID-19 Decision Tree for People in Schools, Youth Programs, and Child Care Programs (PDF)
This tool provides the decision-making guidance for schools, child care, youth programs (i.e., camp, sports, and other community activities).
Updated 10/18/21
(Other languages will be posted when updated versions are available.)
- Best Practices for Handling a Confirmed Case of COVID-19 (PDF)
Information for schools, child care, youth programs, and camps.
Updated 9/28/21
Schools
- Best Practice Recommendations for COVID-19 Prevention in Schools for the 2021-22 School Year (PDF)
Strategies to reduce transmission of COVID-19. Using these best practice prevention strategies consistently protects students, teachers, staff, and other members of their households and creates a safer in-person environment.
Updated 9/3/21- All people ages 12 years and older should get vaccinated for COVID-19 before returning to in-person school, sports, or other activities to protect themselves and people around them who cannot get vaccinated. Talk to a health care provider or Find Vaccine Locations near you.
- All students, teachers, staff, and visitors in school buildings should wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. Masks should also be worn in crowded outdoor settings where transmission is substantial or high regardless of vaccination status.
- Schools should maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms whenever possible. When it is not possible to maintain 3 feet of distance between students, it is especially important to layer other prevention strategies.
- Students, teachers, and staff should stay home if they feel sick and should contact a health care provider for testing and care.
- Students, teachers, and staff who have been fully vaccinated do not need to stay home even if they have had recent close contact with a confirmed case so long as they do not have symptoms and do not test positive. Follow CDC testing guidance for anyone exposed to a confirmed case.
- People who are not fully vaccinated and returning to in-person school, sports, or extracurricular activities (and their families) should get tested regularly for COVID-19 according to CDC guidance.
- Schools should encourage ventilation, contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine, handwashing, respiratory etiquette, cleaning, and disinfection as important layers of prevention.
- Best Practice Recommendations for COVID-19 Prevention in Schools: Key Messages in Amharic (PDF)
- Best Practice Recommendations for COVID-19 Prevention in Schools: Key Messages in Arabic (PDF)
- Best Practice Recommendations for COVID-19 Prevention in Schools: Key Messages in Chinese (PDF)
- Best Practice Recommendations for COVID-19 Prevention in Schools: Key Messages in French (PDF)
- Best Practice Recommendations for COVID-19 Prevention in Schools: Key Messages in Hmong (PDF)
- Best Practice Recommendations for COVID-19 Prevention in Schools: Key Messages in Karen (PDF)
- Best Practice Recommendations for COVID-19 Prevention in Schools: Key Messages in Lao (PDF)
- Best Practice Recommendations for COVID-19 Prevention in Schools: Key Messages in Oromo (PDF)
- Best Practice Recommendations for COVID-19 Prevention in Schools: Key Messages in Russian (PDF)
- Best Practice Recommendations for COVID-19 Prevention in Schools: Key Messages in Somali (PDF)
- Best Practice Recommendations for COVID-19 Prevention in Schools: Key Messages in Spanish (PDF)
- Best Practice Recommendations for COVID-19 Prevention in Schools: Key Messages in Vietnamese (PDF)
Supplemental guidance for schools
- Recommendations for Infection Prevention and Control Practices for Delivering Direct Student Support Services
(PDF)
This document provides strongly recommended practices to school staff on the type of protective equipment that will be needed to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission when delivering direct student support services.
Updated 10/7/21 - Recommendations for Providing Support to Students in Their Homes (PDF)
This document outlines recommendations for school district staff providing in-home services to meet individual student needs.
Updated 10/7/21 - Guidance for Providing Nebulization Treatments (PDF)
This document provides recommendations on the use of nebulizers and peak-flow meters in schools and other educational venues.
Updated 7/9/21 - Ventilation Guidance for Schools: COVID-19
Information for school administrators and facilities managers who are responsible for ventilation in buildings.
Child care, youth programs, and camps
- COVID-19 Prevention Guidance for Youth Programs and Day and Overnight Camps (PDF)
Recommendations for youth-serving programs.
Updated 9/1/21
- Masking Recommendations for Child Care
Recommendations for the use of face coverings in child care settings. - CDC: COVID-19 Guidance for Operating Early Care and Education/Child Care Programs
Additional resources
- Communities: Sports activities, music, camps, and youth programs
Schools and youth programs should refer to this additional guidance related to sports, pools, and music activities and performances. - Infectious Diseases in Childcare Settings and Schools Manual
Hennepin County infectious disease manual. See section 2 – Guidelines: Environment – Cleaning, Sanitizing and Disinfecting.
COVID-19 Public Hotline:
For questions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, call 1-833-431-2053
Mon.-Fri.: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sat.: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Mental Health Crisis Line - Call: **CRISIS (**274747)
COVID-19 information in other languages:
- Kab Mob Khaus Las Nas Vais Lav 2019 (COVID-19)
(Hmong) - Cudurka Koronafayras 2019 (COVID-19)
(Somali) - Enfermedad del Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19)
(Spanish) - American Sign Language (ASL) Videos
Contact us:
If you have questions or comments about this page, use our IDEPC Comment Form or call 651-201-5414 for the MDH Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division.