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When daycare reopens

  1. mrs.kiwi

    kiwi / 635 posts

    @periwinklebee: šŸ˜ž I am not in this situation but I have to say the thought of my 4yo and 2yo wearing a mask all day is difficult to swallow šŸ˜”

  2. periwinklebee

    grapefruit / 4466 posts

    @mrs.kiwi: yeah, we loved our daycare so so so much, and it is one where it was nearly impossible to get off the waiting list - it seems unlikely we'll ever get slots again, which makes me so sad to think about. Not to mention that I don't have any other childcare lined up. But I don't see how I can send them in these circumstances.

    We have to sign a one year contract for Sep-Aug of next year by the end of the week if we want the slots. Of course, I am really really hoping for the good of the world and the many people in way worse circumstances than us that there's an end in sight during that period. But it's expensive and I can only pay for childcare we're not using for so long, and a lot of people argue it won't really get better for a long time... so ugh...

  3. muffinsmuffins

    persimmon / 1023 posts

    @periwinklebee: Ugh. The mask thing would give me a lot of pause. I have a 20mo and 5.5yo and cannot imagine my 5.5 year old wearing one for the whole day. Iā€™ve worn a mask myself the last 2 times Iā€™ve gone to the store and it uncomfortable and hot and annoying even for the adults! I have no idea how they would enforce it so the kids donā€™t just fiddle with them all day long rendering them useless. Iā€™m sorry youā€™re in this situation

  4. ALV91711

    pomelo / 5621 posts

    @periwinklebee: oh my, I canā€™t even imagine that little having to wear masks all day. Sorry you are having to make this tough decision.

  5. skiierchck99

    kiwi / 518 posts

    @periwinklebee: yikes - had not put two and two together to consider this. Youā€™re in MA, right? This is making me lean more towards nanny for this year, for many reasons. Luckily Iā€™m due in 2 weeks so will have the summer to figure it all out.

  6. Mama Bird

    pomegranate / 3127 posts

    IDK. I don't think anything will be open for the older kids this summer. Sheesh, they may not even get school in the fall. I'm hearing our old day care will open soon, but if I send the baby cause I'm too wimpy to take care of all three, and she gets sick... no way. Even though I seriously can't handle her lately. She's started climbing tables and it's so tempting to either send her somewhere she can't cause much damage for a few hours, or nail up half the house so she can't get in.

  7. Fawn

    grape / 87 posts

    @Becky: Not sure where you are in NY, but I live in the suburbs outside NYC and I had thought this too as our daycare has been closed since mid-March, though we just got an email from the daycare owner letting us know that she cant afford to stay closed until September so she will be opening June 1 even though schools are now closed for the remainder of the school year.

    There have been just under 30,000 confirmed covid cases in my county, so the thought of sending my 1 year old back to daycare makes me nervous. Our plan is to keep her home in June, but possibly send her in July if our offices re-open. It's very stressful! With daycare opening in June though we will now need to pay our monthly tuition whether or not we send her in.

  8. HappyBaker

    nectarine / 2242 posts

    Iā€™m in MA and daycares are closed through the end of June. Iā€™m glad in a way they made that declaration so I donā€™t have to make a decision before then, as things seem to change every week. Iā€™m assuming the summer camps Iā€™d have sent my oldest to wonā€™t open for July and August so if thatā€™s the case Iā€™ll probably just keep all 3 kids home until September, since I can do my job from home (even though itā€™s impossible to get enough done with them here). Luckily our daycare is not asking us to pay right now, and we hadnā€™t signed up for summer yet.

  9. CObee

    cherry / 189 posts

    I just read this article by Emily Oster (author of Expecting Better and Cribsheet) about the likelihood of kids both catching and spreading Covid 19. Basically she says the data points to an both extremely low likelihood of kids being infected and a low likelihood of them transmitting it to others if they do. Really really really hoping more data on this comes out soon and itā€™s confirmed! Would make decisions like this one as well as opening schools back up so much easier!! šŸ˜Š

    https://emilyoster.substack.com/p/can-kids-transmit-the-virus?fbclid=IwAR2OgjhCOio4aTOLdNsRgAMlLnXXokyZLVIPRLZGC_iJvbLLBnfZOVTWIDc

  10. LemonJack

    persimmon / 1130 posts

    Assuming schools open up as normal in the fall, my younger two will go back to daycare then. Iā€™m a teacher and will be home with them this summer, so I donā€™t need to make the decision earlier. They go to a small in home and sheā€™s really vigilant about cleaning, so I feel totally comfortable with them being there.

    My big concern right now is what weā€™ll do if they stagger school schedules in the fall. Iā€™m a teacher so Iā€™ll be expected to be there full time, but weā€™ll have a first grader. What will we do with her if sheā€™s only there part time? Hopefully my husband could work from home.

    I know thereā€™s no good solution here, but I am frustrated by the people who complain about schools being closed and wanting to send their kids back, while at the same time admitting theyā€™ll still work from home as long as they can. So, staying safe at home is okay for them, but not for the staff that works with their kids?

  11. LemonJack

    persimmon / 1130 posts

    @CObee: I like Emily Oster! It would certainly make things a lot easier is that turns out to be true.

  12. periwinklebee

    grapefruit / 4466 posts

    @skiierchck99: Yup, also in MA. Ugh...

    @muffinsmuffins: @ALV91711: Thank you! I spoke with a friend who's been involved in advocacy to get masks to the general population, and he said for young kids, if the teacher is constantly having to adjust them or put them back on, it could actually make things worse, unless they are wearing fresh gloves and washing hands every time. I'm going to express my concern to the director. I know she can't do anything about the state law, but it was clearly hastily thought out and they are in regular touch with the daycare regulators, so perhaps the rule could be revised. Doesn't make me feel much better about sending them, but in any case I just don't see it helping and it's going to suck for both the kids who won't want to wear and the teachers who will be expected to enforce...

    @CObee: I've read some into this, and seen studies going both ways. They are all basically impossible to interpret because there are so few confirmed cases of covid in kids - and probably the confirmed cases we see are not representative but skew towards the kids who were unlucky to get a bad case. So with the limited data people reach all sorts of conclusions, will check this out and hope she's right... I know daycare has to plan, but I really wish they would let us make decisions about the 2020/2021 school year a bit later this summer once we have more info on the risks...

  13. JJ2626

    kiwi / 548 posts

    @periwinklebee: are you sure the law will apply to day cares/preschools? Iā€™d be surprised based on exactly what you said-touching the mask constantly is way worse than not wearing one. They really donā€™t do all that much anyway. Also, pretty sure CDC says 3 and over not 2 and over.

  14. periwinklebee

    grapefruit / 4466 posts

    @JJ2626: IDK if it is meant to include daycares or not, but the daycare center is under the impression from its regulator that it is, and sent out some link to a sesame street video to help kids understand why they have to wear masks. Not sure if the state ordinance is two and over or over two, there's a local ordinance that's two and over, though I know parents are trying to get it revised to five and over due to how difficult it is to get little kids to leave the mask on...

  15. petitenoisette

    pear / 1521 posts

    My older one wonā€™t be going back ā˜¹ļø (Straight to kindly) and since Iā€™m a teacher my little will just stay home with me thru the summer. Currently we arenā€™t paying so weā€™ll see if we have to pay once they reopen to hold her spot; Iā€™d think they would only initially reopen for people who really need the care right now but weā€™ll see.

    @periwinklebee: Iā€™m in MA too, we havenā€™t gotten any info yet from our school regarding regs upon reopening (I donā€™t even know how theyā€™re going to reopen bc itā€™s attached to a nursing home but Iā€™m just going to be positive that theyā€™ll be able to safely do so). Anyway Iā€™m hoping the mask policy is clarified bc I cannot even begin to imagine my two year old keeping a face mask on! She doesnā€™t even want to keep her clothes on all day šŸ˜. Sorry you are having to make a decision so soon.
    @LemonJack: same teacher frustrations and worries about a staggered schedule. I mean I get that itā€™s possible kids arenā€™t huge vectors but we really donā€™t know (and Iā€™m not a scientist but I actually donā€™t get how that would even be the case) but adults work in schools! And interact with each other!

  16. periwinklebee

    grapefruit / 4466 posts

    @petitenoisette: same šŸ˜‚ and yeah, it's hard to even think to the fall...I think we will have a better understanding of how the virus works by then, if kids really aren't significant disease vectors, I think staff could stay relatively well protected from each other through use of PPE (if available by then, another mess), but there's plenty of other horrible diseases, like polio, where the majority of people infected are both asymptomatic and super contagious, so definitely not pinning hopes on that...

  17. graceandjoy

    pear / 1565 posts

    It depends on so much. Our schools are officially closed for the year (our last day is end of June), and I feel like our daycare/preschool will follow? Unless a loooot or parents are asking to reopen? I have no idea the regulations with that.

    But anyway, it would depend what my work situation is. As long as Iā€™m still furloughed, the only reason to send my 3 year old would be so she can have some fun/social interaction. Baby definitely wouldnā€™t go. If I am working again but can WFH, will have to reassess. If I am working again and have to go into the office, then thatā€™s also a different situation... Literally so many moving pieces that Iā€™ll have to see where they all are.

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