How to fight this new anti-childcare winter weather approach?

[Anonymous]

I agree with you OP that they should make choices based on a case by case basis.

My kid is at a private school with no buses and we follow mcps…. Pretty much for everything. I’m off today so not a childcare issue, bur there is no reason our school couldn’t start on time. They do whats easy, not what works for other people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:So who do we email? Board of Ed? COO Mamoon? Taylor? Andrea Swiatocha?

Is this the right list of people to email?

DP

I think this starts with organizing and advocacy. MCCPTA needs to work with providers to write a joint letter explaining that child care is important and should not be closed on a whim.

Good call, maybe alongside MCEA and SEIU whose staff are also hurt by these policies?

But then I do think that tons of individual parents emailing on this is helpful as well, even though the big orgs organizing will likely have the bigger impact. I like the idea of e-mailing Mink, Jawando, and Albornoz (County Council education committee) as well as our own individual councilperson.

During the pandemic Friedson was helpful to the folks advocating for child care

He responded to them, but ultimately did nothing. I
interacted with him a lot on this topic back then.

What was in his power?

[Anonymous]

This is now in the text of MCPS's official "code yellow" delayed opening policy (the only delayed opening option), so it looks like that is what needs to be amended:

"CODE YELLOW - DELAYED OPENING
Schools and offices will open two hours late.
Emergency personnel report should report as directed.
Morning bus routes will operate on a two-hour delay.
All field trips and activities that begin at 10:30 AM or earlier are canceled, including programs at Thomas Edison High School of Technology.
Infant and Toddler appointments scheduled before 10 AM are canceled; appointments scheduled at 10 AM or later will continue as planned.
Morning PreK/Head Start and AM PreK Special Education programs are canceled.
Morning childcare is canceled.
All-day childcare programs will operate on a two hour delay.
Afternoon PreK/Head Start and PM PreK Special Education programs will begin at their regular time.
Schools will dismiss at their normal time.
After-school childcare programs will operate as scheduled.
Community Use programs occur as scheduled"

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/emergency/closings/

[Anonymous]

If you have the luxury of a flexible job and a nice manager, use the time to teach your kid something. For elementary school kids, today is a waste in terms of instruction.

[Anonymous]

I would suggest e-mailing as many folks as possible on this if you are upset-- both high-level and low.

High-level-- Taylor, Board of Ed, County Council (Mink, Jawando, Albornoz-- who are on the Ed committee- as well as your own councilmember and anyone you have a relationship with.)

Lower-level-- Adnan Mamoon, Chief of District Operations ([e-mail]); Cat Malchodi, executive director of the Office of District Operations ([e-mail]); Andrea Swiatocha, deputy chief of the Division of Facilities Management ([e-mail]); William Polman, childcare director at Community Use of Public Facilities at the county ([e-mail])

Please add any other names and e-mail addresses you can think of!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it's on MCPS property and MCPS made a call that it is not safe to be on its property or that it isn't going to be ready to open until later, then it's MCPS's call. If there were an accident, you'd certainly want to hold MCPS responsible. So, the flip side is that MCPS has to make these types of decisions. Honestly, I will never get why people who are so reliant on childcare use the childcare at the schools knowing that the school system controls when they open and close when there are other options that are more reliable in bad weather.

The issue is elementary schools that are now not opening until after 11am. Secondary schools have start times as early as 7:45, and 9:45 when there is a delay. If it is safe for middle and high schools to open at that time, elementary school before care programs should also have the option to open if they have the staffing to support student care.

This. Make it make sense! It's not about protecting vulnerable childcare workers from slippery roads, GMAB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The issue is elementary schools that are now not opening until after 11am. Secondary schools have start times as early as 7:45, and 9:45 when there is a delay. If it is safe for middle and high schools to open at that time, elementary school before care programs should also have the option to open if they have the staffing to support student care.

Exactly!
And even more absurd - the private full-day preschool (age 2 - PreK) operating in our elementary school building was allowed to open with a two-hour delay, but the before-care for elementary kids was forced to be closed. (And there would still be 2 hours until the school itself opened, so this is a meaningful difference for elementary school parents.)

[Anonymous]

You need to have a child care plan. It’s part of being a parent. It’s a safety issue when hs students walk two miles.

[Anonymous]

People should sign up to testify about this. Video testimony would be fine. If a few people at a meeting testify on the same topic, the Board will often take notice and asks MCPS to address a topic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You need to have a child care plan. It’s part of being a parent. It’s a safety issue when hs students walk two miles.

Ok, so when it is safe enough for HS students to walk to school, it's presumably safe enough for the beforecare programs to open, right? Or is something still dangerous that I am missing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would suggest e-mailing as many folks as possible on this if you are upset-- both high-level and low.

High-level-- Taylor, Board of Ed, County Council (Mink, Jawando, Albornoz-- who are on the Ed committee- as well as your own councilmember and anyone you have a relationship with.)

Lower-level-- Adnan Mamoon, Chief of District Operations ([e-mail]); Cat Malchodi, executive director of the Office of District Operations ([e-mail]); Andrea Swiatocha, deputy chief of the Division of Facilities Management ([e-mail]); William Polman, childcare director at Community Use of Public Facilities at the county ([e-mail])

Please add any other names and e-mail addresses you can think of!

Essie McGuire is Taylor’s Chief of Staff and with him everywhere he goes and speaks for him at the County Council. She is behind all of these decisions.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I do think a lot of the reason these conversations are so bad on DCUM now is the pandemic. There's a group of users who got so invested in yelling at parents who want their kids to go to school that they revisit that feeling whenever they can.

What kind of sickness motivates this? Is it SAHPs if school-aged kids who need to justify their decision?

If you’re going back in time to the mommy wars pitting parents against each other:

It’s the angry WAHPs who can’t contingency plan who are the problem.

See how that works?

Oh so it’s hatred of parents who can’t afford a nanny or one of the so plentiful private child care companies, or don’t have a very generous neighbor or grandparent?

No, it’s working together to find a solution that helps parents, not fighting amongst ourselves.

But you fired the first shot. You want to alienate other parents? Go right ahead. Just makes your life harder.

I think you two are on the same side. You both seem to be criticizing the SAHPs that are often quick yell at parents who understandably think schools and child care providers should generally be open.

Yes, it's the "school isn't childcare!" people who think you don't care about your kids unless you take an 18-year break from your career for them. SAHPs who acknowledge that what works for them might not work for every family are totally cool.

No, I am not on the same page as this: “Is it SAHPs if school-aged kids who need to justify their decision?”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You need to have a child care plan. It’s part of being a parent. It’s a safety issue when hs students walk two miles.

The thing is, KAH and other programs have been exactly that- a viable backup plan for days when schools are closed but conditions still permit MCPS admin to open. I think this has been pretty fair- the bar for closing admin offices is higher and has generally been more aligned with OPM and other workplaces. The problem is that MCPS is changing the game with no expanation and it's creating a great deal of uncessary uncertainty.

FWIW, my sister is a MCPS HS teacher and messaged me that a many staff with kids called in "sick" today. This new policy is particularly crappy for MCPS staff who rely on these programs because they get so few personal days to begin with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to have a child care plan. It’s part of being a parent. It’s a safety issue when hs students walk two miles.

The thing is, KAH and other programs have been exactly that- a viable backup plan for days when schools are closed but conditions still permit MCPS admin to open. I think this has been pretty fair- the bar for closing admin offices is higher and has generally been more aligned with OPM and other workplaces. The problem is that MCPS is changing the game with no expanation and it's creating a great deal of uncessary uncertainty.

FWIW, my sister is a MCPS HS teacher and messaged me that a many staff with kids called in "sick" today. This new policy is particularly crappy for MCPS staff who rely on these programs because they get so few personal days to begin with.

+1

Btw of course, most parents posting in DCUM about this have a "back up plan" when school and childcare is closed. That plan for most is to miss work. As it turns out, many parents have jobs that are important to society, like teaching or providing healthcare. So closing child care affects everyone (to say nothing of the economic impact).

[Anonymous]

It is so psychotic to open high schools before opening child care.