Childcare concerns worry DMV parents, as kids go back to virtual learning in fall

Schools, parents address daycare issues with back-to-school plans

The question on the minds of many parents right now, is who will watch the kids during distance learning this fall?

BETHESDA, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - If mom and dad have to go back to work during distance learning this fall who’s going to watch the kids? It’s a looming concern for a lot of parents in the DMV.

Many area school systems, like Montgomery County, have started to announce plans, including starting the new school year entirely online for now.

Some Maryland school districts, including Prince George’s and Frederick counties, are looking at tackling the worry and how they can help parents of school-aged kids handle childcare services. That includes working with private and non-profit before-and-after school care providers to determine how they can offer more slots to families and staff.

Saba Ahmed of Germantown told FOX 5’s Ayesha Khan on Thursday that she and her husband are able to work in shifts and take turns staying home with their three kids who are all under the age of 8. But she’s worried, that this kind of flexibility, may not last them very long.

“Our challenge is just because we are working from home, we are still working,” said Ahmed.

Montgomery County schools are starting the school year with online distance learning but that’s as far as the plans go for the moment.

Ahmed said that if the school decides to adopt the hybrid model, she’s not sure what to do.

“I don’t know how we are going to be able to flex our work schedules,” she said, “so that we can put the kids on the bus in the mornings depending on what time and then get them off the school bus in the afternoon if there’s no before and aftercare provided.”

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Meanwhile, many child care services have been shut down during the crisis, making it complicated for them to plan for the fall.

Wonders Early Learning and Extended Day in Bethesda relies on shared licensed space within the public school system to operate the program.

So the question is if before-and-after-school child care providers do get access to these school buildings, how will they manage doing their jobs responsibly while keeping kids healthy and safe?

“If it’s a hybrid model, then we would be doing a before and an after on the days the children are in school,” explained executive director, Joanne Hurt.

“And then the days they are not in school, having spaces where we could be helping them during the school day essentially.”

For Ahmed and many parents with school-aged kids, right now, everything it’s a wait and see.

“We might have to call in the family troops or something,” she said.

As part of their reopening plans released Sunday, MCPS leaders have acknowledged this concern and said they are working to finalize health and safety operational plans and protocols for reopening schools for students.

In addition, the school system is working to open school facilities for child care providers.

MCPS has communicated with all child care providers in their facilities to share the current status of recovery planning and next steps to assist providers with their planning.

There are several different lease and facility arrangements with child care providers in MCPS facilities which means provider reopening will vary according to these different circumstances. Some providers may be opening soon; other providers will open in conjunction with MCPS reopening schools for students.

MCPS and Community Use of Public Facilities are working together to support providers of before and after care for school-aged children in MCPS facilities and to coordinate discussions around scenarios for reopening schools and programs.