The CDC issued guidelines for those child-care programs that have remained open, but it is the states that control child-care providers. Texas rolled back its guidelines then re-instituted them in late June. As of July 9, more than 8% of Texas centers that were open had reported an infection, with more than 1,600 total cases at centers across the state. The number of cases has since risen to 2,300.
In Norwell, Massachusetts, Lisa Commesso must follow a 32-page document issued by the state describing minimum safety requirements for her home child-care business, where she supervised as many as 10 children before shutdowns ensued. She plans to reopen in September, but she has an additional concern: the social and emotional effects this new style of care will have on children.
Many of the best practices in childhood education conflict with keeping the coronavirus at bay. Sharing toys and meals, for instance, is no longer possible. Commesso must also eliminate “circle time” under state guidelines that require keeping children apart.
Social distancing “doesn’t make for a very developmentally stimulating or enhancing environment” for preschoolers, said Alice Kuo, a professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Gilliam agreed: “In many cases, we’re asking [child-care workers] to do the exact opposite of what we’ve been trying to teach them.”
And as Gilliam noted, parents willing to return their charges to preschool face an additional obstacle: paying more money. Increased costs could be passed onto consumers, with more than half of parents expecting this major expense to be even higher.
Before the pandemic, access to child care was already a financial burden for many Americans. One out of two families who use child-care services spend more than $10,000 per year on it, according to a survey by Care.com, a provider of on-demand child-care services. Almost three-quarters spend at least 10% of their income on it.
“Most people really struggle to find child care that is affordable and meets their needs, which leaves them kind of scrambling to put together a patchwork of care,” said Workman of the Center for American Progress.
Some big companies have announced temporary child-care benefits for employees. Amazon in early June said it would subsidize 10 days of child or adult care through Care.com for its 650,000 employees. Target is offering free back-up child and elder care for employees through August, giving them access to Bright Horizons at one of its centers or in-home services, according to a Target spokesperson.
For Hamad, the decision to send her child back to preschool when it reopened June 15 was “filled with angst.” The facility is keeping the children in small groups, following local guidelines and having the kids wash their hands constantly, she said.