What do they expect people with infants/toddlers to do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why you would not hire a nanny if your kids are not school aged. All the more if you have two or more kids. Heck, I have one five year old and I am thinking of hiring a nanny.

Your inability to understand that not everyone can afford a nanny, for whom you have to pay a competitive rate, insurance, taxes, workers comp, potentially overtime, says A LOT about your privilege.

We did a nanny temporarily for one infant and it ended up being about 2x the cost of our infant daycare slot incl. taxes, payroll company, parking spot, and required workers comp insurance. Before COVID, we had one infant in daycare and one preschooler in a subsidized year-round program. I assume we'd need to pay an even higher hourly rate to a nanny for two children. Parents aren't usually able to double their childcare costs indefinitely and without warning (and I'm assuming they aren't also paying to hold their daycare spots). Plus, where would a nanny and the children go in our tiny apartment while we telework all day? FWIW, our current solution has been moving in with grandparents far away, which is not a long-term solution and not an option that most parents have. I don't know what we'll do when our Federal jobs want us back in the office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
1. If daycare is open and you feel it is not safe, that's your decision. There is some data on infections in centers for essential workers and the vast majority of centers have been able to safely operate. When two centers in CO have to close temporarily due to cases, that is what we hear rather than the fact that hundreds or maybe thousands of facilities that reopen had no incidents.
2. Paying daycare while they are closed is up to the center. For better or worse, they are businesses that need to survive and government is not going to bail them out.
3. Deregulating day care temporarily is a terrible idea.

I have an infant and a toddler and think we need to prioritize getting daycares open with protocols recommended by CDC. Even more dire will be then they open at half capacity and many people can't get care.

Our society's reaction to COVID is mind boggling. On the one hand, we have shameful fools in the white house stoking controversy of mask wearing. On the other hand, we can't seem to put risk in perspective and figure out how to open an essential service like child care. In one weekend we shut down the country and I fear it will take years to unravel this mess. Yes, there is risk, but the risk to young children and parents is very low, and the benefits (indeed the necessity) of opening child care far outweighs the risk.

OP here.

The point I was trying to make is that the additional regulations added by COVID have created a very, very difficult situation for parents by closing daycares and creating complicated processes to reopen (they weren't even accepting new applications to reopen until this new order took place). I'd have less of a problem if they created an easier path for providers to reopen.

It's bad for providers, too. As you noted, many are going to struggle, and some will likely go out of business. That bad for the providers and its bad for the parents/kids who use their services. For a lot of reasons, which I think you were alluding to, you pretty much need parents to keep paying otherwise we'll probably end up with a big shortage of providers.

I very, very strongly suspect that the rules Maryland is putting in place for essential personnel providers are simply for show. You are crowding a bunch of kids together that are each at high-risk for contracting the disease because the jobs their parents have. You can put all the rules you want on cleaning surfaces, but that's not thought to be the primary way COVID spreads anyway. You're not going to keep younger kids separated, or have them wear masks. And some of the rules probably have a net-negative impact, such as by discouraging playground use because of proximity/contact concerns. But that probably results in more close contacts inside, which is much more likely to result in transmission. In any event, yes, childcare during a pandemic is risky, but it is a necessary evil for some unless you want society to devolve into a several-months-long version of "The Purge."

And I didn't mean to suggest that childcare should be *completely* deregulated. Just partially deregulated. It's a spectrum. Maryland has already (temporarily) deregulated providers caring for 5 or less *school-age* children. Why not expand that to any ages? Or, Maryland's regulations have never applied to providers who watch your kids for 20 hours or less a month. Why not expand to cover the full period when daycares are closed? Possibly with greater restrictions, such as limiting it to children from 1-3 families.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, OP again. My post at 22:29 ended up in a quote.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Not all college students have the luxury of not working that your daughter has. Many have to work for rent, car payments, groceries etc.

Yes, exactly. I cant pay more than minimum wage. Min wage in PG county is 11.50 x 40 hours =460 plus taxes? so 500x4=2000/mo. I pay 240/week for my 2 year old including meals for a licensed in-home daycare provider who does arts n crafts, music, yoga, has a obstacle course/playground in her backyard. Even the super ritzy centers in PG like Montessori, Celebree, Goddard cost less than 1500/mo for a 2 year old.

Given the choice between an 8-400 schedule with a crazy 2 year old and doing groc checkout in a 2-10 shift- its not a hard decision.

Umm grocery store workers get hazard pay, paid leave, and health + dental.

Plus you’re mostly standing in one place with occasional haunts.

Kids are exhausting. I’ll take the grocery pay for full benefits. Or an Amazon warehouse that issues PPE.

This was exactly my point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can tell you my Mom participated in child sharing/caring with other Moms and these arrangements were commonplace in the 1960's.

Five Moms. Each Mom takes a day. You tell your employer you can work 4 days a week. The kids get dropped off at the Mom of the day.

Daycare as a business was not such a thing in the 1960s. You had to be creative to get your childcare.

This arrangement was pretty common in Bowie in the 1960s and allowed Moms to work.

I don't think that arrangement would technically be legal today. You'd at least need to more caregivers in the mix so that they'd all end up below the 20 hours/month limit for unregulated, informal care in Maryland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
3. Daycare is the only option for pool of people who really, truly cannot afford private care. But most of DCUM can afford a nanny, nanny share or other smaller childcare setting. It's just that we've all decided we would rather have vacations, enrichment classes, meals out, house cleaners and other supports. No problem with that, I was one of them. But now that you can't have any of those things, yes, you probably can afford to pay more for safer childcare for this limited period of time.

I know there's a very vocal set of users on DCUM that have a high HHI, but I still doubt this statement is true. Nannies are expensive. At least, they are if you do them legally. And a three-way nanny share between health care workers isn't going to be particularly different than a family daycare from a risk perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Not all college students have the luxury of not working that your daughter has. Many have to work for rent, car payments, groceries etc.

Yes, exactly. I cant pay more than minimum wage. Min wage in PG county is 11.50 x 40 hours =460 plus taxes? so 500x4=2000/mo. I pay 240/week for my 2 year old including meals for a licensed in-home daycare provider who does arts n crafts, music, yoga, has a obstacle course/playground in her backyard. Even the super ritzy centers in PG like Montessori, Celebree, Goddard cost less than 1500/mo for a 2 year old.

Given the choice between an 8-400 schedule with a crazy 2 year old and doing groc checkout in a 2-10 shift- its not a hard decision.

Are those prices for real? They seem way too low even for the crappy parts of PGC.

Yes they are real. I paid 200/week no meals in Burtonsville area and we just moved to Bowie. Our new daycare has limited hours, 730-5, which play into the cost.

There is a Montessori co-op FT program run 830-330 year round for 1200/mo (300/week) including an 8 hour per family volunteer time in Greenbelt.

A local church in Bowie has an accredited preschool and kindergarten plus child care center. My kid would be 11,700 for 10 months of care rom 7a-6p.

Its not an anomaly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can tell you my Mom participated in child sharing/caring with other Moms and these arrangements were commonplace in the 1960's.

Five Moms. Each Mom takes a day. You tell your employer you can work 4 days a week. The kids get dropped off at the Mom of the day.

Daycare as a business was not such a thing in the 1960s. You had to be creative to get your childcare.

This arrangement was pretty common in Bowie in the 1960s and allowed Moms to work.

Again, why does the responsibility fall on the moms? In this day, it should be dads as well.

Kind of defeats the point of social distancing anyway. If we are distancing enough to screw up school and work, then there shouldn't be group arrangements like this in the home either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey asswipe, PP who hates daycare: we can afford a nanny, but want our kid to actually learn things and meet other kids, so we pay for an excellent daycare/preschool/whatever you want to call it.

So kindly STFU.

+1. Can afford a nanny but my preschooler desperately misses the socialization and her daycare is scheduled to open on a hybrid live/online basis in several weeks following CDC guidelines. Given the low risk for our family, I am weighing my daughter’s mental health needs heavily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can tell you my Mom participated in child sharing/caring with other Moms and these arrangements were commonplace in the 1960's.

Five Moms. Each Mom takes a day. You tell your employer you can work 4 days a week. The kids get dropped off at the Mom of the day.

Daycare as a business was not such a thing in the 1960s. You had to be creative to get your childcare.

This arrangement was pretty common in Bowie in the 1960s and allowed Moms to work.

Easy -peasy… Just find five moms that you trust with one or two children each and an employer who will give you the day you need off each week and then just supervise 5 to 10 children for 9 hours a day once a week after working for four days a week and handling all your errands yourself. Why not? Sounds like a dream.

DC parents are always crowing about a ‘village’ and mom friends.

You mean the women you go to Starbucks with after a Soulcycle class aren’t trustworthy? I’m shocked!

I mean you’re right- I 100% do not have enough friends to make this arrangement. At least not ones that live close enough. Sorry I didn’t build my “village” sufficiently before the COVID pandemic- should have planned better and found some time (lol) to go to soul cycle classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why you would not hire a nanny if your kids are not school aged. All the more if you have two or more kids. Heck, I have one five year old and I am thinking of hiring a nanny.

Oh yeah, the 38 million Americans who are unemployed are going to hire a fking nanny.

Fk you, PP.

Calm down, what is with the temper tantrum? Why would 38 million UNEMPLOYED Americans hire nannies? The OP is talking about her EMPLOYED self and her EMPLOYED husband. That's a dual income family with two kids - it's the same price to hire a nanny as it is to send them to daycare.

She said “you.” She clearly wasn’t just talking about herself. Also, this PP is talking about having one kid.

Lastly, many parents are paying to keep a preschool spot, so you’re asking them to pay for a nanny on top of that.

I'm sorry, why do other people have to worry about your desire to keep a specific preschool slot? That's a luxury, and it's your choice whether or not you go that route.

Because the number of availability spots us going to drop big time. Unless you are able to pay for the LUXURY of a nanny until kindergarten, giving up a spot is a big risk.

[Anonymous]

Interesting thread OP. My only child is now 19. I don't have any answers but just wanted to express my concern about what this child care crisis is going to do to the mothers and the children.

Child care crisis -- I am going to submit it as a story idea to the NY Times. Maybe the Democratic platform can include some recommendation to this issue.

Instead of an additional $600 additional for those on unemployment, give that to working moms to help pay for daycare.

Also there has got to be a way to minimize in a safe way all of the regulations that are going to make it impossible for day cares to open.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting thread OP. My only child is now 19. I don't have any answers but just wanted to express my concern about what this child care crisis is going to do to the mothers and the children.

Child care crisis -- I am going to submit it as a story idea to the NY Times. Maybe the Democratic platform can include some recommendation to this issue.

Instead of an additional $600 additional for those on unemployment, give that to working moms to help pay for daycare.

Also there has got to be a way to minimize in a safe way all of the regulations that are going to make it impossible for day cares to open.

Last article in the NYT about this issue was pre-pandemic.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/24/opinion/child-care-crisis.html?searchResultPosition=2

[Anonymous]

Last week:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/20/opinion/child-day-care-coronavirus.html?auth=login-email&login=email

[Anonymous]

OP what exactly do you want - put your child in daycare. You could afford it pre-Covid, you can afford it now. If you don't like the health risks, earn enough to afford a nanny or ask a family member to help you.

Essential workers send their kids to daycare. But you want a special subsidy to help you afford a nanny? Sorry but that is ridiculous. Daycares are open - you just don't like the risk. That risk is only for other people, not your child.

That's fine - then pay for a nanny.