Is your childcare provider provided for during social distancing?

If we learn nothing else from this global pandemic it is this: Childcare Providers and Teachers are the backbone of the global economy.

With school and daycare closures, so many of us are being asked to not only fulfill our professional obligations in new ways, but also to care for the emotional, cognitive, and physical needs of the next generation. As my fourth day of double duty begins, I think I speak for everyone when I say that it is exhausting, it is challenging, and I miss our daycare.

My ability to do my job well relies on other workers – the vast, vast majority of whom are women – excelling at their jobs of caring for my children. The same is true for so many others around the globe. We ask these people (women) to do the hardest thing possible every single day, which is shaping human beings into empathetic, curious, competent contributors to society. In this time of global crisis, when these workers (women) are having their source of income cut off by decisions made by the government in the interest of public good, it is up to the public – us – to ensure they are cared for appropriately.

For anyone with young children in daycare, I encourage the first call you make today be to that daycare provider – even if your kids are screaming over the last granola bar in the background. Ask them about their paid leave policy for staff. Are they prepared to pay staff and/or lobby government to provide support in the event the daycare center closes and/or staff become ill and/or staff have carer’s responsibilities? I have been in touch with @KinderCare where I have two children (had three – thank goodness for Kindergarten) and was underwhelmed by their response of encouraging staff to “opt out of work” as they feel the need. That answer is not good enough, and I will continue to press on them to ensure they have a plan in place to provide for their staff, which in turn ensures the well-being of my children.

We rely on these people (women) every single day to do their jobs so that we can do ours. Let’s take care of them the way they take care of our children. Below is an email template you can use to contact your daycare provider. I also strongly urge you to call that provider as well and voice to them a desire that they as a company provide paid leave and/or actively work with government to ensure paid leave for their staff. Our kids are counting on us, and so are their teachers.

#childcare #coronavirus #paidleave 

DAYCARE PROVIDER EMAIL TEMPLATE

Greetings, 

 My name is NAME and my family has been a proud part of DAYCARE CENTER since DATE. We love the directors and teachers of DAYCARE CENTER like they are family, and are so grateful for the care they provide our CHILDREN.

Given the government-mandated closures of many schools, including many daycare facilities, ensuring the welfare of daycare providers is a top concern for me. We rely on the staff to care for our children as their own, and that is not possible for anyone to do if they cannot provide for themselves. I would like to know DAYCARE CENTER’s policy on providing paid leave for staff who are unable to work due to the center’s closure, to their own illness, or to the illness of a family member.

Please share the paid leave policy for DAYCARE CENTER. If it does not yet provide for paid leave, what will the center due to ensure that either the organization and/or government support is provided to staff?

Thank you,