A Message to Our CCAIR Partners…

The Novel “Coronavirus” COVID-19 Pandemic represents a critical point in time for public health and how we respond to crises like these. During this time, many have been called on to self-quarantine and work from home. However, as we know, there are those that cannot do so because they are deemed as “essential” personnel. These individuals include, but are not limited to healthcare providers, public safety officials, power generation and utility personnel, food retail personnel and more. It is crucial that support for these essential workers is provided, which includes daily care for their children.

Child care centers provide the backbone for workforce support. These centers are established to provide both care and education for our children. It is recommended to use your local established providers as the primary source for child care. However, during times of crises traditional providers may not be fully able to meet the need of the essential workforce. The Childcare Crisis Assistance in Isolation Response Plan (CCAIR) was created to offer guidance for establishing temporary, emergency child care in a non-traditional setting.

How to Become a CCAIR Temporary Site

Effective June 15, 2020 at 5:00 PM, MDHS will no longer be accepting applications for Temporary CCAIR Sites.  Any CCAIR applicants that have previously submitted an application will have until June 30, 2020 at 5:00 PM to complete the CCAIR process which includes being inspected and approved through the Mississippi State Department of Health.  Existing Temporary CCAIR Sites will be allowed to continue operation until otherwise notified.

CCAIR site applications were opened in April 1, 2020 to provide temporary child care for first responders and other essential personnel while some licensed child care programs were closed due to COVID-19 conditions.  Licensed child care providers are beginning to reopen and resume services to families, reducing the need for additional Temporary CCAIR sites at this time.  As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, MDHS continues to evaluate the need of families.   CCAIR Temporary Sites may be reinstated in the future if necessary.  For current information on how MDHS is responding to COVID-19, please visit www.secac.ms.gov.

The Mississippi State Department of Health continues to accept applications to become a licensed child care center.  If you are interested in becoming a permanently licensed child care program, please visit the Mississippi State Health Department’s website at www.healthyms.com.

Click HERE to learn the steps to becoming a CCAIR site.

Note to current childcare providers: If you are a current childcare provider that is licensed or registered with Mississippi State Department of Health, do not apply as a temporary emergency CCAIR Site because you are already allowed to operate as a child care facility.

CCAIR Site Manual

Print a copy of the CCAIR site manual HERE.

CCAIR Orientation Training Portal

Listed below are the steps to access the free, online training:

  1. Go to  https://mvcc16.instructure.com/enroll/A87CNJ
  2. Login or create a new account. (Creating a new account will require a valid email.)
  3. Go to the “Dashboard” and click on “ECA-MECIC Early Education Training”.
  4. Select the “CCAIR Orientation Training” course.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Emergency Certificates 

MDHS has expanded the list of work conditions eligible to apply for temporary child care subsidy through an Emergency child care certificate.  Parents meeting one of the following work conditions may click HERE (we are no longer accepting applications) and select “Emergency (CCAIR) Parent Application” to apply.  If you have any questions or need assistance with you application, please call 1-800-877-7882.


An Emergency population is designated in order to address the need of emergency personnel during declared disaster and emergency conditions. In response to COVID-19, the following employment conditions are required for an emergency certificate:   

  1. public safety and first responders
  2. law enforcement
  3. fire prevention and response
  4. emergency medical technicians (EMTs)
  5. 911 call center personnel
  6. Nurses, technicians, receptionists, food service employees, and sanitation service employees working in hospitals, clinics, and medical offices providing health treatment
  7. research and laboratory operations
  8. nursing homes
  9. residential health care facilities
  10. congregate care facilities
  11. assisted living facilities
  12. elder care
  13. medical wholesale and distribution
  14. home health workers and aides
  15. medical supply and equipment manufacturers and providers
  16. medical waste disposal
  17. hazardous waste disposal
  18. repair technicians providing in-home repair services
  19. social workers and mental health workers providing in-person services
  20. other ancillary healthcare services on a case by case basis
  21. employees with regular direct customer contact in the following job roles:
    1. teaching, food preparation, sanitation, and reception staff within child care facilities and schools
    2. cashiers, servers, meal delivery drivers, and bartenders within food service locations
    3. cashiers, and those responsible for bagging, filling, and delivering customer orders within grocery stores
    4. cashiers in retail stores, i.e. department stores, dollar stores, drug stores, and gas stations
    5. sanitation workers
    6. bank tellers and public service clerks (DMV, Department of Health, Tax Assessor, Court Clerks, County Clerks)
    7. staff in hair, nail, tanning salons, spas, and fitness clubs
    8. staff in veterinary offices,
    9. Health and City Inspectors conducting on-site inspections
    10. staff in hotels, motels

This population may expand or contract based on demand during the course of this medical and economic crisis. Providers serving children of parents from this priority population are at higher risk of COVID-19 exposure. Therefore, emergency certificates can only be used at CCAIR Emergency locations ensuring that CCAIR guidelines are used while serving these children. CCAIR Emergency locations include CCAlR-Trained providers or CCAIR temporary sites. You can find a CCAIR Emergency location by clicking HERE. Select CCAIR Emergency as the Provider Type. 

Contact us at ccair@mdhs.ms.gov or call us 601.359.4516

FDA Warning About the Dangers of Hand Sanitizers With Methanol

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a recent urgent warning to consumers and health care providers about hand sanitizer products that are labeled as containing ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) but that have tested positive for methanol contamination. Methanol (i.e., methyl alcohol or wood alcohol) is a substance that can be toxic when absorbed through the skin or ingested and can be life-threatening when ingested. As per the FDA news update hyperlinked below, “Methanol is not an acceptable active ingredient for hand sanitizers and must not be used due to its toxic effects. FDA’s investigation of methanol in certain hand sanitizers is ongoing. The agency will provide additional information as it becomes available.”

FDA updated the original list of more than 24 hand sanitizer products to avoid, now listing 75 such products to avoid on this FDA webpage; those products can be viewed either by clicking on the “Methanol Contaminated Products List” button at the top of the webpage or by scrolling down to the bottom of the page and then by clicking on any or all eight pages listing the 75 hand sanitizer products.

As with the original list of hand sanitizer products to avoid, all 75 products are potentially toxic when absorbed through the skin.  Please see the FDA news update on hand sanitizers with methanol and the current list of hand sanitizer products to avoid for more detailed information. It is urgent that this information be sent to child care providers, parents, those who work in state child care licensing offices, child care professional development agency personnel, and others who can disseminate this information. In addition, everyone should check the linked FDA webpage on a regular basis to stay fully informed regarding this important health issue.

Consumers who have been exposed to a hand sanitizer containing methanol and are experiencing symptoms should seek immediate treatment for the potential toxic effects of methanol poisoning, which can include nausea, vomiting, headaches, blurred vision, permanent blindness, and seizures. Although people of all ages are at risk for methanol poisoning, “young children who accidentally ingest these products and adolescents and adults who drink these products as an alcohol (ethanol) substitute are most at risk.”