St. Pius X Early Learning Center Does not follow the Iowa Department of Public Health recommendations and guidelines Cedar Rapids IA

COVID-19 has affected all of us in some capacity.  Being a mother of two, wife, IT professional, nurse, and small business owner, it is imperitive to have my children properly taken care of.  I have been a member of the St. Pius community ever since I was born (was literally baptized and married here).  The quality of care and education that my girls receive here is stellar and tremendious. 

Its keeping them in daycare that is problematic.  I have spoken to staff, leadership, and administration about this several times.  When my daycare closes, not only are we not financially reimbursed for care not received, but then I get to take days off of work to care for my girls.  

The Early Learning Center (ELC) is going against the Iowa Department of Public Health's (IDPH) recommendations and guidelines.  For example, Feb 2021 the state lifted the mask mandate, but my daycare continued to enforce it (and mind you, these are little children (3 year olds)) for three months.  Only after our Governor signed into law that educational institutions could not mandate masks, was it then lifted.

Then, in May 2021 the state issued recommendations that daycares treat COVID just like "any other child illness, and that exposed children should no longer be required to stay home."  The first week of August someone tested positive for COVID and the entire classroom shut down.  We were instructed that our child could not return unless we had a negative COVID test result.  The state does not recommend nor mandate this.  The ELC is forcing unnecessary policies on us, eliminating the parents from making their own informed decisions, going against IDPH recommendations and guidelines, and acting as our children's health care provider.