Schools and Child Care

COVID-19

Schools and Child Care COVID-19
Best Practice Recommendations and Case Reporting

On this page:
Reporting cases of COVID-19
Operational guidelines for schools child care, youth programs, and camps
Managing cases and exposures
Additional resources

Reporting cases of COVID-19

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has made changes to COVID-19 reporting for Minnesota pre-K through grade 12 schools and child care settings as of Aug. 1, 2022.

Please review the video below for detailed information on the changes and a walkthrough of the new reporting system.

Licensed child care centers serving fewer than 40 children and licensed family child care: Report using the COVID-19 Report Form for Licensed Child Care Centers & Licensed Family Child Care.
Pre-K through grade 12 schools, certified child care centers, and licensed child care centers serving 40 or more children: Reporting surveys will be emailed weekly beginning the week of Aug. 1, 2022, to designated reporters for each school or child care program. If you have questions about this system, email health.schools.covid19@state.mn.us.

A detailed walkthrough of the reporting system is included in this video for each setting; reporters may choose to skip ahead to the most relevant content for their setting:
- [4:02]: Pre-K through grade 12 schools, certified child care centers, and licensed child care centers serving 40 or more children
- [9:38]: Licensed child care centers serving fewer than 40 children and licensed family child care
Slides: Changes to COVID-19 Reporting in Pre-K to Grade 12 School & Child Care Settings (PDF)
Transcript: Changes to COVID-19 Reporting in Pre-K to Grade 12 School & Child Care Settings (PDF)

Operational guidance for schools, child care, youth programs, and camps

MDH recommends that schools, child care, youth programs, and camps implement a core set of infectious disease prevention strategies as part of their normal operations and layer additional prevention strategies specific to COVID-19 to the extent possible in response to changing local situations, including periods of increased community health impacts from COVID-19. While written for COVID-19 prevention, this guidance can also help prevent the spread of other infectious diseases and support healthy learning environments for all.

CDC: Operational Guidance for K-12 Schools and Early Care and Education Programs to Support Safe In-Person Learning
This guidance applies to schools, child care, youth programs, and camps.

Managing cases and exposures

Schools, child care, youth programs, and camps are strongly encouraged to develop policies and protocols around reporting of positive cases, management of case follow-up, and notification of exposed persons in alignment with public health guidance. Schools, child care, youth programs, and camps should implement these strategies to the extent possible while also considering educational needs, the social and emotional well-being of children, and the importance of children's access to learning and care.

The guide below reflects current CDC recommendations regarding when to isolate and for how long depending on a person's ability to wear a mask consistently.

COVID-19 Isolation Guide for Schools, Child Care, and Youth Programming (PDF)
For people who are sick or test positive.
3/15/22
Other languages: COVID-19 Isolation Guide

While the CDC no longer recommends quarantine (staying home) after an exposure to someone with COVID-19, it is still recommended that people take precautions, including getting tested and wearing a mask, regardless of vaccination status or if they have had a previous infection.

CDC: What to Do If You Were Exposed to COVID-19

Additional resources

Infectious Diseases in Childcare Settings and Schools Manual
Hennepin County infectious disease manual that includes parent fact sheets intended for parents/guardians of childcare and school-aged children. Refer to section 6 for communicable disease fact sheets, including COVID-19.