I 100% support having epinephrine in family day homes, however, the logistics are impossible for family day homes to maintain, in particular, small or part-time day cares. Day cares run on very low margins and epinephrine, which costs between $290-$850 is not in the budget. Many of us would be required to carry more than one size of epinephrine due to the various child weights. Furthermore, epinephrine must be replaced annually.

 

Family day care providers are already burdened with many regulatory expenses. You may not be aware that family day care providers are required to have a LAN line, an annual fire place inspection, whether we use it or not, expensive background checks and trainings on all employees, even for substitute employee who may never even work for us, and many other regulatory expenses, on top of curriculum, food expenses, employees who must be paid a living wage, and so much more. As a part-time provider for after-school children, I am lucky if I make $1,000 a month after the many expenses that my high-quality day care has. For my small program, the cost of epinephrine could reach almost two months of income! There are not enough quality after-school programs to meet the demand. I love what I do, but I have to make a living. This additional burden will push more and more providers to run unlicensed and unmonitored day cares or simply go out of business, creating a further day care shortage, which will further increase the high cost of child care.

 

If this new requirement is passed, it must include funding for the cost. During the pandemic, Fairfax County provided us with COVID tests.  Funding must also be found to cover this new regulation.