The Covid testing announcement starts at the 15:27 time mark.

Good news on Covid testing was announced yesterday:

“Early education providers in Massachusetts will soon be able to access COVID-19 testing at eight sites through a new state pilot program and will be able to order protective equipment at no cost, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said Monday,” a State House News article published by MassLive.com reports.

As we blogged earlier this month, Governor Charlie Baker had announced a Covid testing plan that only covered K-12. To address this inequity, Strategies for Children and 250 other organizations sent a letter to the governor, which said in part:

“The Commonwealth cannot continue to deny early education and care and after-school staff, students, and families the critical health and safety supports provided to K-12 schools.”

Now, we want to thank the Baker administration for listening and taking action.

The pilot will launch in February and offer molecular COVID-19 testing, thanks to “a partnership with the Massachusetts Early Childhood Funder Collaborative and BayCoast Bank,” the State House News article says.

“The pilot’s locations — Athol, Braintree, Billerica, Dalton, Franklin, Plymouth, Sturbridge and Westfield — were chosen based on their concentration of child care providers and distance from the free testing sites supported by the state’s Stop the Spread program.

”Each site will have the capacity to test about 400 people a day, and they intend to make results available in 48 hours or less, according to the administration.”

In addition, “the Department of Early Education and Care is dedicating $8 million in state and federal funds to set up a personal protective equipment fulfillment website for providers, who will be able to order one month’s supply of items including gloves, masks, bleach, hand sanitizer and wipes.”

“As we continue to combat COVID-19,” Polito tells the State House News, “reliable child care is critical for parents and families across Massachusetts.”