As Idaho prepares to reopen schools, COVID closes 5 migrant Head Start centers statewide
Several Idaho day care programs for children from farmworker and low income families have shut down across the state because of coronavirus, as state leaders discuss how to safely reopen schools in the fall.
Five federal Migrant and Seasonal Head Start centers run by the nonprofit Community Council of Idaho shut down this week because of the state’s growing coronavirus outbreak, according to CEO Irma Morin. At least 10 center staff and one child have tested positive overall, Morin said, with results pending for several more employees.
“I’m saddened that our staff are willing to make every effort to serve the farmworker community, yet we’re unable to protect our staff 24/7 from this virus,” Morin wrote in a text message to the Statesman. “We’re following all the CDC and health department guidelines, providing all the necessary PPE and disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizers. It’s just not enough.”
On Monday, the Emiliano Zapata center in Burley closed after a child with siblings in other classrooms tested positive, according to the Community Council of Idaho. The El Arcoiris center in Mountain Home closed after a staff member responsible for conducting hearing and vision screenings of students tested positive — along with their spouse, Morin said. Several staff at El Venadito Weiser center have tested positive since they closed last week.
Central District Health, which covers Mountain Home, and South-Central Public Health District, which covers Burley, were unable to confirm positive tests at either of the centers on Wednesday. Southwest District Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Head Start centers in Caldwell, Mountain Home, Weiser and Burley didn’t just close because staff tested positive for the coronavirus. Some centers were chronically understaffed due to a number of employees unable to work because they displayed possible symptoms of COVID-19 or were isolating after a potential exposure. Some staff waiting for test results were told they could be waiting seven to 14 days.
While health districts have yet to confirm whether staff and children contracted coronavirus from the centers or in the community, the closures are a grim warning for leaders considering the logistics of reopening schools in the fall.
They’re also a further strain on Idaho’s Latino community, which continues to be disproportionately affected by the pandemic in Idaho and nationwide. Latinos are 35% of Idaho’s coronavirus cases with known ethnicity, despite being only 13% of the state’s population. Farmworker families who rely on the centers for child care will have to find other options.
Most of the Head Start centers already had far fewer kids enrolled than normal. Daniel Liera-Huchim, the director of the La Adelita center in Caldwell, said they only had 16 kids when they closed last week, compared to the usual 53.
“It makes me realize that the government isn’t ready to open schools in August, if we’re scared,” Liera-Huchim said. “I can only foresee that things will go downhill really quickly with public schools. Our (Latino and farmworker) communities are really low income communities and our schools are very low income schools, so that’s what I’m afraid to see.”
Last week, Idaho Gov. Brad Little said he expects Idaho schools to “safely open for in-person education” in the fall. The Idaho State Board of Education provided guidelines for reopening that recommended things like universal masks, but said individual districts can decide whether to implement those guidelines.
Precautionary measures not enough to stop infections
The Migrant and Seasonal Head Start program is a federal learning enrichment program for children from families below the poverty line or working in agriculture. The Caldwell-based nonprofit runs more than 10 centers around the state, as well as health clinics, housing projects and immigration services.
With most schools and many day cares still closed, the centers are among the only childcare and educational facilities operating as Idaho experiences a surge of coronavirus cases. Community Council of Idaho only began opening their Head Start centers a month ago, according to an Idaho Press report.
In an interview with the Idaho Statesman, Morin and the managers of two closed centers in Caldwell and Weiser said all staff members were required to wear masks, practice social distancing and undergo symptom and temperature checks at the door. Children in the Head Start programs are 5 years old and younger, so they weren’t required to wear masks, but staff said each child was also checked for symptoms at the door or before getting on the school bus. Parents are also not allowed in any of the centers, staff said.
Monica Cisneros, 26, went to St. Luke’s in Fruitland to be tested for coronavirus after a coworker at the center in Weiser tested positive. Cisneros also tested positive, along with her husband. Her symptoms started as a stuffy nose, but now she has chest pain when she breathes too deeply.
Cisneros said she was most worried that her 4-year-old twins and baby would contract the virus. After all three of her children tested negative, she sent them to stay with her parents. When the center reopens, she and her baby plan to return.
“I know we’re doing the best we can to stop the spread,” Cisneros said. “It’s kind of scary even as a parent or teacher, to send your own kid back to where we know the virus has been. That’s my biggest fear, them catching it.”
Worries over how closures will impact farmworker, Latino communities
Many Idaho farmworkers, particularly families who migrate across Idaho or the Northwest, rely on summer school or Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs to care for their children as agricultural work ramps up. Uncertainty over how, when and for how long schools will reopen in August could also strain family resources.
In March, the Idaho Statesman and Idaho Education News reported that school closures sent more high school students into the fields with their parents. But many older students also suddenly found themselves primary caretakers for their younger siblings, teachers told reporters at the time.
Many of the families they serve can’t afford to send their kids to day care when the Head Start centers are closed, Liera-Huchim said. Staff believe that parents are instead sending their kids to stay with friends and neighbors during the day — likely increasing the number of people those children come into contact with, and increasing the risk of catching and spreading the virus
Liera-Huchim and Maria Negrete, the coordinator of the Weiser Head Start center, said they tried to keep their families updated, and still help them with resources and services where possible. Many of the closed centers hope to try reopening July 20, while others like the center in Burley won’t reopen until July 27.
Community Council of Idaho leaders said they’re urging staff, the families they serve and the greater Latino community to take as many precautions as they can.
“Think about your families,” Negrete said. “Your children, your grandma, your grandpa. You need to take precautions when you go out in the community.”
The closed Migrant and Seasonal Head Start centers include:
- La Adelita in Caldwell
- Casa de Colores in Caldwell
- El Arcoiris in Mountain Home
- El Venadito in Weiser
- Emiliano Zapata in Burley
This story has been updated with comments from Idaho health districts.
This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 12:11 PM.
