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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Reopening guidelines for daycare centers and preschools in Massachusetts have been eased slightly, after operators complained they were not realistic.
The original guidelines for Phase Two would have had daycares cut the staff-to-child ration in half; from ten preschoolers per teacher to five per teacher.
Staff must still wear a mask when they cannot remain six feet apart, but children over the age of 2 will only be encouraged to cover their faces. An extra preschool teacher will also no longer be required in every classroom.
After complaints from daycare centers and parents that the restriction was too burdensome of a rule, the state has reverted back to guidelines of ten students per teacher.
"We would have had to really do a lot of number crunching," said Ashley Fallon, Director of the Mansfield Children's Center. "It would've made it really difficult economically. It really wasn't sustainable for this kind of business to reduce the number of kids we had that drastically."
WBZ NewsRadio's Kim Tunnicliffe reports:
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