Hellobee Boards

I was literally just talking to my coworker 10 mins ago via text about this. Absolutely no clue how this is going to work and it’s stressing me out. I’m in Ontario Canada and our schools are closed until May 31 at least. Daycares also closed and ours is following the school closures. We have two boys: 5.5yo in SK and 20mo in daycare centre. I’ve been off work as I work in allied healthcare and we are not essential/emergency cases only while DW works from home Monday to Friday. Now our province is talking about reopening, my work is doing telehealth starting this week and beginning talks of getting back to the clinic.

As it is, I can only commit to 16 hours of telehealth from home as it is, and that doesn’t account for commute time as I’m here. I’m like, how do I go to work if we have zero childcare and the only people we can have is help are older grandparents who we aren’t allowed to see and all live out of town?! We also had my older son signed up for a summer of camps and word on the mom groups is no hiring has been done and it’s a matter of time before they cancel the summer. Quebec neighbours us and their recommendations include only 12 kids on buses vs 40 something, max 15 kids per class, a personal space bubble for each kid, no gym/art/music or drama classes and one classroom at a time for recess. It sounds horrid.

It’s so so so overwhelming to think about how this is all going to work. The only thing that makes me feel ok is that pretty much every person with kids is going to be in this situation and it’s not just us. I just think of how much of a juggling act it was for us to both work out of the home full time and two kids in two different spaces and we had before care and alternating
Pick ups and drop offs. It was so exhausting even WITH adequate childcare for both

Yes, I am also totally overwhelmed by the thought. Also in OH. I am lucky in that I've always worked from home, but obviously not while homeschooling kids. Plus while my husband is also working from home now that may not be the case in the fall, and he works a couple of states away. The thought of doing this alone makes me crazy. Oh, and my kids are switching schools in the fall, and with all of this going on the transition is going to be so hard on them.

It is a mess. I read some of the recap of the Dallas superintendent speaking on it (we’re not in that district but probably will be doing the same things). He also said probably a mix of distance and in person learning. He acknowledged a lot of the problems with it but did not put forth any solutions yet - I get they have to wait and see some but at least they recognize the challenges. He mentioned that most of his students have parents who work hourly jobs that can’t be done from home and so a mixed model will mean lots of kids left home alone. It will be so hard for so many and it seems like the achievement gap will get worse and worse. I feel so bad for the teachers who have to try to clean up this mess going forward. Just no good answers.

I’m starting to get so stressed about this. I teach at a college and have students lined up for the fall but no way I can have my (would be) kindergarten at home even part time. It’s been near impossible since March.

@muffinsmuffins: THIS!!!! I'm scared too....my kids (4yo) have runny noses from october - april....almost constantly. So how in the world will this work. I'm anticipating paying the full cost of daycare and maybe attending 25% of the time and struggling to cover the rest of the time that I am expected to work. I've tried to keep the light at the end of the tunnel as when we end this social distancing ..... but really gearing up for a miserable year+ juggling work & parenting like never before.

Ugh

@Littlebit7: I’m in this situation. We can really only do half to 3/4 of an average patients appointment virtually, the rest needs to be in person. Referral sources we use like physio, RMT, chiro are even worse off. I was supposed to get the biggest raise of my career April 1 and instead our clinic closed indefinitely. We will be able to reopen but we have no clue what our volume will be like. I saw some consignment stores and local places are doing virtual shopping where they literally hold up items for you to choose from and then deliver it...there’s no way that can be sustainable.

DW and I spoke about maybe me working part time and having her parents watch the kids but that theoretically means I would be physically going into work thus putting us all, including them, at more risk than if we could all be at home. My son is supposed to be starting grade one which is critical in our system for reading and we have lost so much progress with being at home. I’m worried about setting those core skills now that could affect him for his school career. No matter which ‘solution’ we come up with, there’s a roadblock it seems.

Agreed. I don't understand how this is supposed to work. Also I'm confused about how my insanely high taxes that I've always been willing to pay because we have great school and public services in my area are justified if this is the case. I am no longer benefiting from these services. My school age kid is doing the bare minimum and even that is pulling teeth. Before all of this she loved school and now she'll read but thinks the online stuff is so boring (and it is because I sit with her to do some of it). I have twins that start K next year and can't imagine starting them online because they won't already be in a rhythm. I wish schools/governors wouldn't even talk about it until there's an actually feasible plan in place. This just makes me question more and my stress level skyrockets. Also I am completely capable of WFH and we own rentals so DH has tons of flexibility, so realize we are in the 2% where this is "easier". Can't even fathom how this weighs on everyone with less flexibility.

At least here (NY, in a harder hit county) it’s all speculation right now so I haven’t given it much thought. Like the rest of this, I’ve taken it one day at a time (or more like one 2-week period at a time). The only known is that school will look different. I’m optimistic that local and state leadership will be thoughtful about this.

My oldest just switched to private school and at first I was like there’s no way I’m paying tuition for virtual school next year. But agreed with @Andrea: that the small class sizes will make it easier for them in general. Also we’ve been super impressed with the individualization they’ve given each student through the past 7 weeks, so I think we’re leaning towards “sending” her there whatever that looks like. My middle guy is supposed to start K in the fall at our town school but if that ends up being some weird virtual / in person combination I might just keep him home and “homeschool” him. In quotes because I’d still be trying to work from home so I’d probably just focus on the bare minimum of reading, writing and math. My youngest is in daycare and he’s kind of the wild card! Having him home would make everything a lot harder but like other threads have been discussing I’m just not sure if I’ll be comfortable with what daycare will be like.

We are starting my older two at the same private school next year. While I hate that these are the conditions they're starting a new school in, our plan is to have this be their long-term school, and it's competitive to get in, so we don't want to let go of the spots. Also, agree with @Andrea: and @HappyBaker: that they may be able to be more flexible in reopening. They actually just emailed us with a survey about our willingness to start school 6 weeks early (normally here in NY we start mid-September), on the theory that we'd get some school in person before any forecasted second wave hits in the fall. Interesting. I do appreciate the creative thinking. Obviously depends on what "school" looks like but most of me is thrilled at the idea of having them start ASAP.

@Andrea: I think it ends first or second week of June, though we'll be new next year so not 100% sure the dates for this year.

I haven't heard anything about fall yet, although they just cancelled the rest of the year (MD). I cancelled their summer camps, working at home with distance learning is tough but manageable (K and 3rd) and DH and I take turns going in when we have to (we are both engineers who have hands on work + virtual stuff). I have been pulling hours on weekends and after the kids are in bed to manage 40/week, I think that will just have to continue until something changes!

Maryland: One of his most recent posts, a summary of a 52-page report:
https://www.facebook.com/BryanNehmanWBAL/?__tn__=kCH-R&eid=ARDWkHcCUzILctY7sEdsT9eJrKEMB8YzTEbeoDFA1ceLOdLYpr8QXP63lrJgOk50uqtHpEwsEWjrvVGP&hc_ref=ARSeStMYophcBidQdzvG4JjB3h_jnpcu8tTwN2G3BCVv-vjpxFYmXWJbSUCngFF6M5I&fref=nf

California:
https://edsource.org/2020/when-california-schools-reopen-gov-newsom-envisages-major-changes-in-how-they-are-run/629084

@DesertDreams88: Oh my god, just reading about turning in lesson plan calendars now gives me anxiety!

https://www.northwestmoinfo.com/local-news/year-round-school-elimination-of-pe-band-choir-sports-among-recommendations-in-reopening-of-schools/

Missouri

@macintosh: we were going to put our younger one into a 3s program. I can ask for a refund until August 1. If there is no physical school, I’m definitely not going to pay for virtual for a 2.5 year old. No way

My other one is supposed to start K at a different private school. We’ve already prepaid the years tuition. We could just be totally screwed; they haven’t sent any information regarding what 20/21 looks like. But I definitely do not want to pay an ungodly amount of money for my 5 yo daughter to be parked in front of an iPad