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Iowa child care centers prepare for younger kids to get vaccinated

An FDA advisory panel voted to recommend Pfizer's COVID vaccine for kids ages 5-11 Tuesday.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Millions more children could soon be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine after an FDA advisory panel voted to recommend Pfizer's shot for those ages five to 11, but metro-area child care providers said they don't anticipate making big changes any time soon.

At Primrose School of Urbandale, the setup will largely look the same. All staff members have already been vaccinated, and they're still keeping up precautions in the classroom.

"Currently, all teachers were facemasks in the classrooms. That's been an added benefit. And then also the cleaning has been hypervigilant," said Anissa Deay, the school's director.

At Linzy's Daycare, the owner, A. Linzy, handles the virus precautions herself. She says that she'll be staying vigilant about making sure that kids—vaccinated or not—won't be bringing COVID inside with them.

RELATED: What's the timeline for young kids getting COVID shots after FDA panel vote?

"If your child has a runny nose, they cannot step into the day care," Linzy said. "They have to go to the doctor, make sure everything's okay, get tested, and just X out COVID."

One big thing that the two approaches have in common? None of the providers Local 5 has spoken to have any plans to require vaccines in the kids they're taking care of.

"This would be a fallback to a parent's decision, because this is such a new road that we're traveling and navigating. So the parent's decision would always come first," Deay said.

Vaccination plans for kids aren't set in stone yet; the full FDA still has to vote whether to approve or deny the panel's recommendation and then the CDC will make a decision.

If you're looking for child care providers, the Iowa Department of Human Services has a directory available here.

RELATED: 'I felt scared and also happy': Families share stories after children take part in COVID-19 vaccine trials\

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