Oregon child care regulators are considering whether to let some day care providers take in more children than currently allowed, a proposal prompted in part by statewide schools closures that start Monday.

Already, the Office of Child Care told providers that it will process emergency requests to operate outside of licensing limits, in an attempt to address both an increased demand for care and potential staffing shortages. The conflicting forces are driven by the spread of coronavirus and government efforts to slow the disease.

Gov. Kate Brown on Thursday ordered K-12 schools to close until April 1. She has also advised workplaces and public spaces to implement “social distancing” practices to limit the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus. Many businesses, though, remain open.

With parents at work, the statewide school shutdown could shift children from classrooms to day cares. Child care regulators have received around 100 calls since Thursday about urgent child care needs, said Melanie Mesaros, a spokeswoman for the Office of Child Care.

“In a state of emergency, we are trying to balance the real needs of working families and the safety of children," she said.

Mesaros said the agency has asked providers to clean more often than required and take other measures -- such as staggering lunches -- to limit the spread of the coronavirus even as day cares may be allowed to take in more children.

Regulators are weighing “blanket exceptions” that could let child care centers care for as many as 20 school-age children for every one caregiver, an increase of five children over current licensing limits.

Centers may also be allowed to increase their caregiver-to-child ratios from five toddlers to six, and ten preschoolers to 13, Mesaros said. No one has proposed letting providers take on more infants without hiring extra workers, she said.

The proposed license exceptions would not apply to home-based caregivers, because that would require a change in state law, Mesaros said.

She acknowledged increased capacity means teachers won’t be able to spend as much one-on-one time with children.

“Increasing ratios does impact the quality of care,” she said.

Regulators haven’t made a final decision and are discussing the changes with public health experts and governor’s office staffers, Mesaros said. They are also talking with counterparts in other states.

But Oregon officials have already started processing individual requests from providers who want special exceptions to operate beyond license limits.

“If you are considering closing, please contact your licensing specialist to discuss a plan to stay open,” the agency said in a statement to providers Friday. “We want to help you.”

Allowing daycares to take in more children for every teacher could also address the looming possibility of short staffing. State public health officials advised anyone who feels sick or who was in close contact with someone who contracted coronavirus to self-quarantine at home.

Regulators will keep making inspection visits amid the coronavirus outbreak as long as day cares remain open, the child care agency said.

-- Molly Young

myoung@oregonian.com