Worth-Colón said parents often ask why young children must wear masks when local kindergarteners are not allowed to. Conflicting government mandates are fueling confusion and skepticism — not just about masking, but about vaccine efficacy.
“A variety of information from us, the CDC, public schools – all of this fuels mistrust,” she added.
During the pandemic, the United States has been unusual in ever requiring universal masking for young children. increase. In England, there was never a universal requirement for children in middle school and below to wear masks.
Not all Head Start Centers in affected states strictly enforce federal guidance. Noreen Landis-Tyson, who directs the Head Start program in Colorado Springs, said at this point in the pandemic, compulsory student masking wouldn’t be a start for her family she serves.
“It could be libertarian,” she said of her area. “People want to make their own choices”
Still, because she competes with more relaxed, often higher-paying employers like Target, she adheres to federal requirements for employee vaccinations, which is a constant source of frustration. has forced her to postpone the opening of three classrooms this year, with another two on hold indefinitely while she looks for staff.
Her goal, she said, is to serve as many children as possible after years of their short lives being cut short and sometimes the inability of their parents to work. Some Head Start children weren’t even born yet when they were born.
“The children in our program are what we call Covid babies at this time,” she said.