FAMILY CHILD CARE 2020

Back to School September 2020

This year has been very interesting all around. It is the year that we all experienced the crisis of corona virus and its effects on health, economy, school, church, grocery shopping, and I could go on and on. As a licensed Family Child Care Provider, it feels like a roller coaster that would not stop.

As we approach September, which is supposed to be the beginning of the school year, there are so much tears and fears; many unanswered questions by students, parents, teachers and child care providers. Should we do in-person school or should we do distant learning school, or a combination of both.

Well the good news is Family Child Care homes are open for in-person learning and fun. No distant learning here! We remained open throughout the crisis even when it felt very, very scary opening our home to child care kids. We continue to follow the guidelines of MSDE, our licensing board and the CDC. We have had state inspection to ensure we are following protocols, and we are. We continue to have training meetings, and lots of information about this ever-changing crisis. Parents are not allowed in our home and have to sign-in from a 6 feet or further distance and usher their kids in. Parents also take their kids temperature and we continue to monitor temperatures throughout the day.

What about the child care provider? Well, I clean and clean and clean some more and have to wear my moisturizing gloves at night to retain my epidermis. I have to take my temperature before child care and throughout the day. I also wear a mask all day which has its share of potential effects on kid’s speech. I was mocked by a 2 year old, by the way I sound through the mask. I have had to learn to talk slower, louder and enunciate more effectively so my 1 and 2 and 3 year old kids who are learning to talk will not be grossly affected by my muffled sound and the inability to watch the way I use my lips and tongue to pronounce words.

What have we learned? As long as we are blessed with breath we should continue to strive for better and not give up. As a Christian Family Child Care, we have grown even closer to Our Lord and continue to cling to Him for strength. We have to be strong for the kids and their parents and families and our community too. We are truly grateful for the parents trust in us as we continue to provide care as normal as we possibly can.

So we have completed our September newsletter and menu and emailed them to parents. We are working on setting up our child care space differently to usher in our school year. We are clinging on our virtue to help us pull through this month of uncertainties.