Working Away From Home
For a lot of parents, their job requires them to leave home. Without someone quitting their job, a child care professional is going to be needed to step in and be with the kids throughout the day as they’re learning from home.
Child Care Options For Remote Schooling
There are a lot of different types of child care options out there. The key is to think about what exactly you need and find the type of help that’s the right fit.
Nanny
A nanny is an option for parents who want to personalize and individualize care for their child. Finding someone who you feel comfortable with taking care of your kids requires some thoughtful planning. Start by making two lists with your partner: your must-haves and your nice-to-haves. Knowing what you want and what you’re willing to adjust to is the important first step of finding a nanny. Whatever the details, nannies play an important role in the family dynamic and the process of finding the one for you doesn’t have to be complicated.
Schooling Pod
It’s a home-schooling hybrid that builds a bridge for families navigating the current school ecosystem currently reeling from COVID-19. Similar to the wave of Family Pods or Quarantine Bubbles, a Schooling Pod pulls together collective resources to address the new hurdles COVID has presented for families with school-aged kids.
Tutors
Is there a subject that your kid always seems to struggle with? Is there a subject you struggle helping your kid with? As a parent, you’re typically asked to be everything to your kids. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. Bringing in a private tutor for a specific subject (or that new kind of math) can help both you and your child feel more confident about their education.
Babysitters
Unstructured time to simply play is an important part of your child’s development in addition to their education. Having a go-to sitter to spend time with them outside of educational hours is great for them and gives you time and space to have to yourself.
Before You Begin Your Search
Before you post a job or start browsing sitter profiles, there are a few things you should consider to make sure you’re making the most of your child care experience.
COVID-19 Precautions
Consider the health conditions of everyone in your family and their risk of exposure. The purpose of social distancing is to reduce the spread of the virus. Introducing a new person to be in contact with your family shouldn’t be done lightly. It’s important to consider some of the ways your family and the sitter can take precautions to reduce everyone’s risk of exposure.
Know Your Options To Make Child Care Affordable
It’s no secret that child care is expensive and that budgets are tight in every household. While there are many big ideas and long-term options for lightening this burden, there are also a few simple ways that you can make your child care coverage more affordable.
Prepare A Child Care Contract
When it comes to putting your relationship with your sitter on paper, things don’t have to be so complicated. A child care contract is important because it outlines the specifics of your relationship with your sitter. When you have an agreement to refer back to, there’s less confusion for both of you. It gives you the opportunity to clarify expectations and your sitter a chance to have concrete answers to their questions.
Especially during the time of COVID, this is a great way to outline your hygiene and safety practices to make sure everyone is on the same page. For example:
- Mask-wearing practices
- Social distancing practices
- Who’s in your bubble
- Regular cleaning schedules
