Updated: April 22, 2020
By Aaron Allen
The Seattle Medium
The Seattle Medium
There is a demographics of frontline and essential workers that are not getting enough attention that should be. Childcare providers for frontline workers.
During this time of uncertainty people are scrambling to keep their lives as normal and stress free as possible. Frontline and essential workers are doing their best to keep Americans healthy and safe but who are looking out for their best interest?
Despite a swelling share of parents who must continue working but suddenly have no support, many childcare programs have found themselves severely under-enrolled and some have begun closing as a result. Data from the National Association for the Education of Young Children and Early Care & Education Consortium suggests that programs around the country lost nearly 70% of their daily attendance in one week during the pandemic, with many saying they could not last a week without getting paid.
These low enrollment numbers are leaving daycares in a precarious position: Should they continue operating during the pandemic as many governments have encouraged them to do, with very little safety guidance and at risk to themselves and their employees? And will they be able to survive this crisis without financial support from the government?
Deborah Coleman and her daughter Appollonia Washington, owners of A4 Apple Learning Center in Seattle’s Central Area, say that the COVID-19 pandemic has put a burden on their business, yet they remain open and caring for the children of frontline and essential workers in this time of crisis.
“As childcare providers and educators we have never experienced anything like the coronavirus and the way it is affecting our business,” says Coleman. “The pandemic has affected our business financially since many families are having to work from home or are without jobs.”
Coleman and Washington are not alone. Yolanda Alexander, owner of Little Scholars Montessori Academy in Kent, says that she’s seen a decline in enrollment as well, but she also remains open as a safety net for parents who provide critical services to the community during this time of uncertainty.
“At Little Scholars we normally have 33 children, but because of the pandemic our numbers have decreased to 13 —more than half of our normal enrollment. I see the numbers dropping, but we just try to stay encouraged,” says Alexander.
In addition to low enrollment numbers, many providers have also had to make financial arrangements with parents who are still working but may have seen a reduction in hours or wages, and, in some cases, for those who have lost their jobs but still are in need of childcare. Alexander says that she has had to cut tuition for some parents by as much as fifty percent, but even that can be a heavy burden for some parents.
“For those parents who may have lost their jobs, we don’t expect them to pay their tuition in full but at least pay half if you plan on coming back to the school,” explains Alexander.
“This is a risk we are taking trying to be here for the families,” she added.
Because of these hardships, many childcare facilities have had to make the tough choice to shut down during the Pandemic making it even more difficult for some frontline and essential workers — like nurses, doctors, store clerks and delivery personnel — to have access to childcare while they work.
Cheryl Charles, an emergency room nurse in Seattle, is grateful for the childcare workers who sacrifice so much in order for others, like her, to be able to go to work and save lives.
“As an essential or frontline worker it has been very difficult to adjust to these trying times, but daycare workers have been doing all they can to accommodate parents,” says Charles.
Charles says that she remembers noticing a sharp decline in attendance at her child’s daycare when the pandemic started.
“I do remember after the initial wave of cases the decline in attendance and how as parents we had to make the difficult decision of continuing to bring our children to school without endangering them,” says Charles. “As much as we are taking precautions not to spread the virus, we also do all that we can to protect our children.”
According to Washington, A4 Apple Learning Center, much like other childcare providers, are responsible for making sure that their facilities are adequately equipped with personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect themselves and the children, and many of these schools rely on outside resources to help keep their environment safe.
“We do have access to safety equipment, provided by outside resources, who provide us with the necessary equipment,” says Washington. “This has been a change for all of our families and us.”
“It’s amazing how the families have been so appreciative, letting us know how much of a role we play in their little ones lives and we are doing the best we can with what we have to keep their children safe,” added Washington.
Like most other small business, childcare providers are eligible to receive COVID-19 Federal assistance, like the SBA Loan Assistance program and the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), to help them get past this unfortunate dilemma. But like so many other businesses in our community that remain open during the pandemic, many of them are continuing to work and are hoping for the best as it relates to financial relief.
“As an essential business we are eligible for Federal assistance through SBA program, but there are a lot of hoops that we have to jump through in order to receive that assistance,” says Alexander. “But my husband, who is responsible for the financial aspect of our business, is definitely looking into accessing the SBA program.
As the world works to find an answer to this adversity, people are having to make tough decisions that can truly alter their perception of life after COVID-19. Because no one can predict when the pandemic will be over, many small business owners have taken an optimistic approach, even in the midst of chaos, so they can stay strong for the families and children that the serve.
“I think by me being a Christian, first of all, of course I have to put God in this, this is a season that we are going through and this too shall pass,” says an optimistic Alexander. “Just like any other roadblocks in our lives we have to overcome, this we will overcome as well.”
