Children play in the backyard of Ana Ballesteros home where she runs a day care in Delano on Feb. 26, 2021. Photo by Shae Hammond for CalMatters ### Ana Bertha Ballesteros had to close her home child care in Delano for more than two weeks around Thanksgiving when COVID-19 came to her center.
A child and their family were exposed and tested positive. Then Ballesteros did too. She is terrified of it happening again. “I’m very concerned,” Ballesteros said. “Thank God I made it for those 14 days but if we were to have another exposure what is going to happen with me and my family? It’s our only income.”
California child care sites have reported to the state 12,032 cases of COVID-19 and 30 related deaths since the pandemic began. Infections have occurred at nearly one-fifth of all centers or homes — among staff, children or their parents. None of the 30 deaths have been children. The pandemic has led to multiple child care problems in California, including a shortage of care centers, a non-negligible risk of infection even with costly precautions in place, and hardships for child care providers themselves. Kern County, where Ballesteros operates, has seen […]
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