The coronavirus has changed our daily lifestyles in many different ways. One of those ways is that many of us are now working from home instead of commuting to the office every day. Working from home offers many benefits, but it can also complicate other aspects of our lives – like childcare.
Working From Home
COVID-19 has changed the economy and our way of life. Many people with office jobs are now working from home in their living rooms or offices to help prevent the spread of the disease. Working from home is great for keeping yourself and your family protected, and for cutting out those annoying commutes, but it presents a unique challenge: Do I send my children to daycare so I can fully focus on work, or do I try to juggle childcare and my job at the same time to save money?
In addition to working from home, many people have lost or downgraded their employment status during this pandemic. Being unemployed is different from being a stay-at-home parent – often, looking for a job is an exhausting pursuit that takes almost as much time as actually working a job.
When you have infants and toddlers who are too young for K-12 school, childcare can be a real nuisance. When you’re dealing with a worldwide pandemic and the added stress of learning a new way to work, it’s an extra challenge.
Caring for Children While Working From Home
What to do with the kiddos while you work? There are several solutions that may work for you and your family, depending on the type of work you do and your schedule.
- Parents switch childcare duties: If you and your partner have alternating or flexible work hours, you can switch who has the main parenting duty at certain times; for example, one partner watches the children during the morning and early afternoon while the other partner works – then when the working partner’s day is finished, they switch, and the other partner goes to work. This can be tiring, and it only works if both parents’ schedules match up in a convenient way, which is rare.
- Hire a Nanny: Hiring a nanny to watch your children at home while you work is an option – if you can afford it. Since nannies are expensive, they’re usually seen as a luxury afforded only to higher-income earners – and therefore are not a realistic solution for most working families. In addition, most nannies aren’t licensed, lack credentials, and don’t provide a structured, accredited curriculum for your children to follow.
- Enlist the help of friends & family: Having trustworthy friends or family members watch your children while you work is another option. However, it also comes with its fair share of downsides. Putting extended family or friends and parenting together can create tension or resentment, and finding someone willing to watch the kids all day for months – or permanently – may be difficult.
- Hire a Mother’s Helper: A mother’s helper is also a good option for days when you’re working at home. Mother’s helpers are usually teens or preteens who supervise children while the parents are at home and occupied. If you’ve got a teenager in your family or neighborhood who’s willing to watch your kids for a discounted price, offering a job as a mother’s helper can be an option.
- Daycare: When you’re at home all day, it might seem extravagant to send your child to daycare. But it’s not as simple as it seems – juggling both a full day of work and taking care of a young child is incredibly difficult and often detracts from your work productivity. Daycare can give you the space necessary to work productively while providing your child the opportunity to learn, play, and be exposed to an accredited curriculum designed to help your child grow and thrive.
Why Daycare?
At Kid’s Corner, we pride ourselves on being a safe space for young children of all ages to learn important life skills and social skills and expand their horizons — all while having fun! Kid’s Corner is a licensed high-achieving child care provider, employing excellent, qualified caregivers who will make sure that your child is safe and supervised at all times so that you can focus completely on your work without having to worry about your children.
Call our Mesa office at (480)-267-9419, our Gilbert office at (480)-267-9427, or fill out our online form. We can’t wait to meet you and your little one!
