Tri-County Health Department (TCHD) is in the early planning stages of COVID-19 vaccination for school and child care workers.
On January 29th, Governor Polis announced the updated Colorado vaccine distribution plan which includes preK-12 educators, child care workers in licensed child care programs, and people age 65-69 in phase 1B.2 of the plan. These groups will be eligible for the vaccine beginning February 8, 2021. Vaccine providers will continue to prioritize groups in phase 1B.1 that have not been vaccinated, including healthcare workers and people 70 and older, before groups in phase 1B.2. TCHD and other COVID-19 vaccine providers are following the directions and directives from the Governor’s Office and Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE).
TCHD and other vaccine providers may not have appointments available immediately while we continue to vaccinate groups in phase 1B.1. TCHD will not be matching child care providers to a vaccine site. Staff will be able to self-schedule with vaccine providers, including TCHD clinics, healthcare provider offices, and pharmacies. Updates on when and where your staff can be vaccinated will be posted on TCHD’s COVID vaccine website and CDPHE’s list of vaccination providers. Vaccine providers will indicate on their website which groups are eligible to schedule an appointment for the vaccine.
Please note that vaccine providers may require proof of employment to vaccinate essential workers, such as a paystub or letter from the employer. Please check with the vaccine provider where you schedule your vaccine to determine what you need to bring.
See below for more information about healthcare workers working in an education environment and individuals 70 years and older.
Although the majority of childcare personnel are not currently eligible for vaccination, there may be some childcare personnel who are currently eligible for vaccine because they meet the definition as a healthcare worker. Staff operating in a healthcare role should call visit TCHD’s vaccine website at to schedule their appointment for the vaccine. These staff include*:
- School nurses and health aides/techs
- Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, & Mental Health Counselors
- Social Workers
- Occupational Therapists
- Physical Therapists
- Speech Language Pathologists
- Audiologists
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides***
- Occupational Therapy Assistants
- Occupational Therapy Aides
- Physical Therapist Assistants
- Physical Therapist Aides
*Staff need to be working in person and have exposure to students. Staff who meet the definition of a healthcare worker and are working remotely are not currently eligible for the vaccine.
*** For the Home Health and Personal Care Aides – We are including any special education staff who are routinely doing personal care aide work with students with very close contact – working with feeding tubes, toileting, etc. Many of these students also cannot wear masks due to their disabilities, increasing risk for those staff. This does not include routine care such as diapering for young children.
Staff age 70 and over are currently eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. TCHD does not currently have appointments available for individuals 70 and older. Many COVID-19 vaccine providers, including hospitals, pharmacies, and clinics, are focused on vaccinating individuals 70 and older. These individuals can find information on where to get vaccinated by calling the TCHD call center at 303-220-9200 (option 2, option 1) or by visiting the websites below.
Thank you for your partnership in protecting the health of our early childhood community.
Sincerely,
Tri-County Health Department's
Child Care Task Force
