Daycare repurposed for children of critical care workers?

[Anonymous]

Our daycare center has been repurposed to only provide services for the children of critical care workers. Right now they are saying this is through April at least, but no info beyond that. We are in VA.

With Northam’s announceMeant last week, do any of you expect this scenario to last through the spring, in the same way that schools have been closed through the academic year? I’m unclear whether this implies the repurposed daycares will continues to service the new children indefinitely.

[Anonymous]

Where is this? Is it on hospital grounds or something?

[Anonymous]

Wouldn't these workers already have child care arrangement because presumably they work before this happened?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't these workers already have child care arrangement because presumably they work before this happened?

If their daycare closed they have to go to one of the open sites. Like I’m pretty sure the couple kids in my child’s class who are still going are kids of essential workers and if our daycare closed they’d have to move to one of the sites designated as essential worker daycares.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't these workers already have child care arrangement because presumably they work before this happened?

If their daycare closed they have to go to one of the open sites. Like I’m pretty sure the couple kids in my child’s class who are still going are kids of essential workers and if our daycare closed they’d have to move to one of the sites designated as essential worker daycares.

Are you an essential worker

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where is this? Is it on hospital grounds or something?

Yeah this is strange

[Anonymous]

They need to create childcare for elementary age children of essential workers who are not in school.

[Anonymous]

I like this idea. I don’t understand why more places can’t repurpose to help our essential workers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where is this? Is it on hospital grounds or something?

Yeah this is strange

MD is doing this. Any childcare facility can apply to do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like this idea. I don’t understand why more places can’t repurpose to help our essential workers

How would you feel leaving your small child at a random place where the staff is adjusting to entirely new set of kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like this idea. I don’t understand why more places can’t repurpose to help our essential workers

How would you feel leaving your small child at a random place where the staff is adjusting to entirely new set of kids?

Not great but not unlike the first day of school after a move. On net, less harmful than me quitting my job as an essential worker (911 infrastructure).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like this idea. I don’t understand why more places can’t repurpose to help our essential workers

How would you feel leaving your small child at a random place where the staff is adjusting to entirely new set of kids?

It’s not ideal, but a whole lot of things are not ideal right now.

[Anonymous]

My BFF has a home daycare in Frederick, MD and serves 100% essential families based at Fort Detrick. She had to get special permission to reopen this week (she's actually been open all along, but MD technically closed everyone on Friday afternoon). If she had any additional space, up to 10, she would need to take other children of essential workers. She would be prepared to help new kids transition in. It's not random strangers like a PP suggested. Childcare workers are professionals and they know what to do when someone new comes. It required additional scrutiny to get this permission, so people should not be afraid to trust these centers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like this idea. I don’t understand why more places can’t repurpose to help our essential workers

How would you feel leaving your small child at a random place where the staff is adjusting to entirely new set of kids?

I think, in many cases, it is not as random as it seems. Many essential workers work for fairly connected, large organizations. So, for example Firefighter Fred and Nurse Nellie have to find a new daycare for their DS. Well, chances are, another guy at Fred's station sends his kid to a daycare that has openings or Nurse Nellie's hospital's on-site daycare is still open. So they'll probably be able to get in at one of these where they have a connection and can feel better about that. Likewise, soldiers (a lot of soldiers have wives that work in childcare), police, etc. tend to have pretty good networks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They need to create childcare for elementary age children of essential workers who are not in school.

SACC programs could easily serve that purpose