Child Care Disruptions Continue With 'Tripledemic'
2023-01-15
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1For working parents with young children, it seems like the rest of the world has moved on from the pandemic.
2But COVID-19 and other illnesses continue to cause disruptions in childcare.
3Such disruptions have severely affected these families' lives.
4Kathryn Anne Edwards has a 3-year-old son who goes to daycare.
5He has missed 47 days of childcare in the past year.
6Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID-19 and two outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease struck one after another.
7The illnesses were so disruptive that Edwards quit her full-time job.
8She now does independent contract work, which makes it easier to care for her son and her 4-month-old daughter when childcare is not available.
9"The rest of the world has moved on from the crisis that I'm still in," said Edwards.
10"That's sometimes how it feels like to me."
11In the first and second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, quarantines and isolations were common for many Americans.
12The arrival of vaccines for younger children and the end of quarantine requirements for COVID exposure were supposed to bring relief.
13Instead, families have faced what some call a "tripledemic."
14Children's hospitals are filled up with patients with flu, COVID-19 and RSV.
15The diseases are now threatening the already stressed childcare system. It is also forcing parents to miss a lot of work.
16A record-high 104,000 people missed work in October because of childcare problems, passing even early pandemic levels, federal data shows.
17Missing work has hurt many parents' finances.
18Most of those who missed work in October because of childcare problems did not get paid.
19That information comes from the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank based in Washington, D.C.
20Now, doctors are preparing for the number of sick children to rise after families gathered for the holidays.
21Illnesses among teachers and children have put pressure on a childcare system that is already short on workers.
22"This is the worst year I've ever seen in my entire life," said Shaunna Baillargeon.
23She is owner of Muddy Puddles Early Learning Program in Massachusetts.
24She faces "a constant battle of staff and children being sick with a different virus every day."
25There is often not even a substitute teacher available if the classroom teacher calls in sick, she added.
26Jana Williams teaches at a day care center in Washington, D.C. She said illnesses have caused classroom shutdowns almost weekly since October.
27Her 19-month-old daughter also attends the day care and has been sick with the same viruses.
28You want to stay home and care for your child," Williams said. "But then it's like, you have to get to work."
29At the pandemic's peak, more than one-third of day care jobs were lost, Edwards said. Hiring has not fully recovered.
30As of November, the country had 8 percent fewer childcare workers than before the pandemic, federal data shows.
31The current strong labor market has driven up the cost to hire new workers.
32That means childcare centers often cost a lot of money and openings are hard to find.
33And centers with openings may close when workers or kids are sick.
34Disruptions due to illness can affect even very young children.
35Parents who are worried about their job or money can cause stress for a baby.
36This stress can in turn cause sleep, stomach and socialization problems, said Dr. Sherri Alderman.
37She is a developmental-behavioral doctor for children.
38The continued crisis for young families causes parents to feel lonely, especially as other Americans' lives have returned to normal, said Lauren Hipp. She is with MomsRising, an advocacy group.
39"I feel pretty angry about it," said Hipp, a mother of three.
40"To feel like society has passed you by is a really difficult and lonely feeling."
41I'm Dan Novak.
1For working parents with young children, it seems like the rest of the world has moved on from the pandemic. 2But COVID-19 and other illnesses continue to cause disruptions in childcare. Such disruptions have severely affected these families' lives. 3Kathryn Anne Edwards has a 3-year-old son who goes to daycare. He has missed 47 days of childcare in the past year. 4Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID-19 and two outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease struck one after another. The illnesses were so disruptive that Edwards quit her full-time job. She now does independent contract work, which makes it easier to care for her son and her 4-month-old daughter when childcare is not available. 5"The rest of the world has moved on from the crisis that I'm still in," said Edwards. "That's sometimes how it feels like to me." 6In the first and second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, quarantines and isolations were common for many Americans. The arrival of vaccines for younger children and the end of quarantine requirements for COVID exposure were supposed to bring relief. 7Instead, families have faced what some call a "tripledemic." Children's hospitals are filled up with patients with flu, COVID-19 and RSV. The diseases are now threatening the already stressed childcare system. It is also forcing parents to miss a lot of work. 8A record-high 104,000 people missed work in October because of childcare problems, passing even early pandemic levels, federal data shows. 9Missing work has hurt many parents' finances. Most of those who missed work in October because of childcare problems did not get paid. That information comes from the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank based in Washington, D.C. 10Now, doctors are preparing for the number of sick children to rise after families gathered for the holidays. 11Illnesses among teachers and children have put pressure on a childcare system that is already short on workers. 12"This is the worst year I've ever seen in my entire life," said Shaunna Baillargeon. She is owner of Muddy Puddles Early Learning Program in Massachusetts. She faces "a constant battle of staff and children being sick with a different virus every day." There is often not even a substitute teacher available if the classroom teacher calls in sick, she added. 13Jana Williams teaches at a day care center in Washington, D.C. She said illnesses have caused classroom shutdowns almost weekly since October. Her 19-month-old daughter also attends the day care and has been sick with the same viruses. 14You want to stay home and care for your child," Williams said. "But then it's like, you have to get to work." 15At the pandemic's peak, more than one-third of day care jobs were lost, Edwards said. Hiring has not fully recovered. As of November, the country had 8 percent fewer childcare workers than before the pandemic, federal data shows. 16The current strong labor market has driven up the cost to hire new workers. That means childcare centers often cost a lot of money and openings are hard to find. And centers with openings may close when workers or kids are sick. 17Disruptions due to illness can affect even very young children. Parents who are worried about their job or money can cause stress for a baby. This stress can in turn cause sleep, stomach and socialization problems, said Dr. Sherri Alderman. She is a developmental-behavioral doctor for children. 18The continued crisis for young families causes parents to feel lonely, especially as other Americans' lives have returned to normal, said Lauren Hipp. She is with MomsRising, an advocacy group. 19"I feel pretty angry about it," said Hipp, a mother of three. "To feel like society has passed you by is a really difficult and lonely feeling." 20I'm Dan Novak. 21Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 22____________________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24disruption - n. to cause to be unable to continue in the normal way 25quarantine - n. the period of time during which a person or animal that has a disease or that might have a disease is kept away from others to prevent the disease from spreading 26isolation - n. the state of being in a place or situation that is separate from others 27exposure - n. the fact or condition of being affected by something or experiencing something 28relief - n. a pleasant and relaxed feeling that someone has when something unpleasant stops or does not happen 29constant - adj. happening all the time or very often over a period of time 30staff - n. a group of people who work for an organization or business 31advocacy - n. the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal 32society - n. people in general thought of as living together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions, and values