The great 2020 childcare crisis is real. So what are we going to do?

We've all heard the headlines - we're in the middle of a pandemic, record-high job losses, and a childcare crisis. And the force of this is impacting women hard. So we turned to our friends at KinderCare Learning Centers for support. In the spirit of disclosures, please know this post is sponsored. Read on, reader...

In speaking yesterday with a co-worker, it was brought to my attention that you are conducting meetings with you baby shown on your Zoom. We need to make sure our meetings are free of distractions and have a professional meeting environment. ⬅️ Copy from an actual email CityMom Anna* received earlier this summer.

Anna's message immediately beckoned a support circle of CityMoms around her: "I've been in tears all morning. This season is stressful. I don't intentionally have my kiddo on my Zoom meetings, but she does come up to me at times. And she needs my attention. She's a toddler. I know I'm 'lucky' to work from home and have my child home right now but the constant tension between professional and parent has been there since she was born and I feel like no matter what I decide to do, I can't win. This, coupled with the fact that we are still in the midst of a public health crisis and my workload changing, is overwhelming."

Stories like Anna's have poured in so frequently through COVID, that we've practically become numb to the headlines.

Headlines like:

2.65 million women have left the workforce since February 2020 - Mother Honestly

Women leaving the workforce at four times the rate of men - NPR

It's a 'she-cession' New York Times, May 2020

Women take on the overwhelming majority of child care responsibilities - spending up to 40% more time watching their children than fathers {in couples where parents are married and working full time} - Northwestern University, July 2020

60% of childcare providers in the US forced to shutter during pandemic - Bipartisan Policy Center, April 2020

America needs to start treating childcare like what it is: vital infrastructure - Time Magazine, September 2020

This childcare crisis has hit working women excruciatingly hard. How are we to recover from a pandemic crossed with little caregiving options, go-ahead-and-fall-a-few-rungs-on-the-corporate-ladder, and a side of 'hey momma, this is on you to figure out?' The New York Times reports that with "many schools and child care centers still shuttered heading into Fall, many women - particularly white women - made the decision to bow out of the workforce."

In fact, national media brand Mother Honestly recently dedicated a full day to their special Caregiving and Work Summit to cover the pandemic's impact on working women, and showcase the gaping hole closed daycares/schools/childcare has left in our society.

Numb? Us too. But we can no longer afford to be passively ignorant at what is driving our women out of the workforce, in large part due to the lack of childcare. We are in crisis.

The Great Childcare Crisis of 2020 is real.

And momma, we wish we had a solution for you and every woman whose desk/inbox/phone screen this article passes through. But perhaps it takes one more post like this to land in a CEO or policymaker's inbox for it to resonate. Maybe it's spelling out all the facts in the linear fashion above to gain its due attention.

Perhaps it's also - as Time Magazine mentions - creating red flag alert-level awareness that childcare is a necessity that the United States {and its working parents!} rely on to power our country.

"Our daycare closed in March at the same time that my daughter’s school closed, so I basically had a three-ring circus happening in our house every day," said CityMom Kendra. "I never could have imagined a scenario where I would be trying to keep up with the demands of my job while juggling e-learning and trying to entertain a 2-year-old who needed constant supervision.  When we had the opportunity in July to re-enroll in daycare, I agonized over it, because everything around us seemed so uncertain – but it turned out to be a huge relief.  It got us out of the 'survival mode' that we had been in for 5 months, and my son clearly loves to have his normal routine back, too."

Kendra's comment perfectly incapsulates the childcare crisis being felt from all corners of the country right now.

CITYMOM LIZ SPILLS:This is what parenthood during a pandemic looks like

We turned to the team behind KinderCare Learning Centers, a nationally-operated chain of child daycare and early education centers, to hear how they stepped up to the plate during the pandemic.

With more than 25 locations in the greater Indianapolis area - and one in Muncie - KinderCare's presence as a leader in the local childcare industry is palpable. They chose early on in the pandemic to close centers not serving essential workforce personnel, and carefully reopened select locations as state restrictions lifted. Currently only one of their Indianapolis locations remains closed.

“Families have much to consider when it comes to making a decision about what is best for their family,” said Dr. Elanna Yalow, Chief Academic Officer of KinderCare Learning Centers. “Fortunately, their fears quickly turn to relief  once they see our health and safety protocols, the success we have had keeping our children and staff safe, and how excited their children are to be with friends and classmates. Once you move past the difficult decision, the rewards are profound.”

Time Magazine says that for months, many daycare providers reported not having the financial resources to reopen in the face of new, strict safety guidelines. In some situations it was the lack of approved Paycheck Protection Program {PPP} funding. But then there were the nervous parents desperate to return back to any sense of 'normal' if it meant keeping their jobs.

"It took reviewing my daycare's safety protocols and a brief Zoom with the center director for me to feel safe sending my children back," said CityMom Laura.

That's where centers like KinderCare began consulting expert medical advisors and the CDC to plot out reopening plans. Anything from new pickup/dropoff procedures to restricting classroom access to staff and students, to pod structures that limit potential exposure were now fair game. But ultimately the return is left up to the individual families. "Do what’s best for your family. Trust your instincts. Some families have grandparents who are high risk. Others may need more social time with friends in a pod-like situation. Do what makes sense for you. No two families are alike." says KinderCare representatives.

As we head into the finale of 2020 and turn over calendars to a new year: Can we expect a shiny, new update to the country's childcare system, and an answer to the crisis forcing women out of the workforce? Probably not. But family-centric programs and brands like KinderCare sure will go down fighting for one. And so will we.

MORE ABOUT KINDERCARE: In addition to the 26 existing local locations, there are two new KinderCare Learning Centers opening soon in Indianapolis: Bearsdale KinderCare - located on 12015 Pendleton Pike; Avon Trails KinderCare - located 10325 E County Rd 100 N. Contact 833-90-LEARN or visit www.kindercare.com/indy for more information about these and other safe, clean centers near you.

*Names and minor details have been changed slightly to protect the identity of this wonderful momma.