YOUNGSTOWN — The Jewish Community Center of Youngstown has been granted an Emergency Pandemic Child Care license by the state and is now accepting applications for immediate placement for children of essential workers in the Mahoning Valley.

The Pandemic Child Care Center will provide safe, quality care for the children of the people on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis, the organization said.

An enrollment packet can be found at jccyoungstown.org, under the Early Learning tab. To certify they are essential workers, parents will need to fill out the JFS-01259 form (page four of the enrollment packet). Parents will be contacted quickly after submission of the packet.

The JCC’s early childhood and school-age educators will work alongside other JCC professionals to provide high quality care for children, according to the group. Health monitoring protocols for entering the building have been implemented and interaction between classroom groups will be kept to a minimum.

Children will have opportunities for learning through materials and programs designed by JCC educators. The JCC facilities also offer opportunities for physical activity, including a gymnasium, a swimming pool and other large spaces.

The JCC’s Temporary Pandemic Child Care Center will follow the guidelines set by Gov. Mike DeWine for these centers. No more than six children will be kept in a class, children of parents employed by the same entity will be kept together and parent interaction at dropoff and pickup sites will be limited. Rigorous daily cleaning protocols will be maintained at multiple intervals each day.

Per DeWine’s order, families whose members work in the following fields will receive priority for the child care spots:

¯ Health care workers

¯ First responders

¯ Hospital and health clinic staff

¯ Pharmacy staff

¯ Police, fire and EMT

¯ Child service workers

¯ Adult protection workers

¯ Developmental disability aides

¯ Mental health counselors

¯ Psychiatrists and psychologists

¯ Nursing home and elder care

¯ Home health care workers

¯ Dentists

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