By Edward Hsieh

While the whole country struggles to attain some level of normalcy, many parents and early educators are facing the daunting task of continuing to provide needed care for the youngest among us. Governor Baker closed daycares and out-of-school programs statewide on March 23, only allowing certain centers to stay open as Exempt Emergency Child Care programs to service essential workers. In July, daycare centers that opted not to stay open under the extra restrictions placed on exempt centers only recently started reopening. The road to reopening has not been easy and will continue to be rocky going forward.

Centers in the process of reopening face strict social distancing rules that impact the level of staffing, as well as additional safety protocols that alter logistics. “We have had to reduce staff from 20 down to 8, and all the teachers have to wear PPE: face shields when changing diapers, long sleeve smocks that have to be changed if they get soiled or wet,” said Jeanne McKenna, Director of Buds and Blossoms Early Education and Child Care Center in Chinatown. “Our teachers have had to learn new ways of changing diapers. They have to wear a face shield and gloves when changing a diaper, and after disposing of the diaper, take off their gloves, wash the child’s hands with their hands, then put on new gloves. We had some teachers that wanted to wash the children’s hands with gloves on, until we explained to them this is the new rule.”

McKenna highlights that while the social distancing requirements have restricted her from bringing back all her teachers, it has forced her to buy new equipment and increase non-teacher staff previously not needed. The Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) requires centers to have a check-in process where a staff runner brings the children from the door to their assigned room. Runners, in the past, could be used as floaters to cover a classroom when a teacher needed a break or had lunch, but under the new EEC guidelines, a runner can only cover one room to prevent cross contamination.

Kwong Kow Chinese School, KKCS, faced similar changes in requirements when reopening its summer camps this July. EEC reduced the number of children per teacher down from 13 children per one teacher and one assistant to 10 children per. “Manpower issue. During the summer, we used to have 100 kids so planned for 100, but we had 28 in person and over 20 offsite. We had plenty of staff, so no issue,” said Felix Lui, Board Member, KKCS. “KKCS just heard this weekend that we are ok to open [for the school year]. In the past, we could host kids after school. Now, we can take care of kids during school hours.”

Starting September 21, Boston Public School students will return to class with staggered in-person and remote days. KKCS will host students from Josiah Quincy Elementary School in person and online on the days that those students are doing remote schoolwork. “The summer programs prepared KKCS for the September session. Unlike other sites, we already have the site plan and the daily screening and social distancing experience,” said Jenny Lui, Executive Director, KKCS.  Felix Lui added, “we did [summer camp] safe, and without any incidents. With this experience, we are confident we can move to the next phase on September 21.”

One parent that has children at both Buds and Blossoms and KKCS highlighted the importance of giving our children opportunities to socially interact with some structure. “While my husband and I are fortunate to work from home, we found the remote learning schedule of three children hard to juggle,” said Linda See, “and the children were sad at home and getting depressed. They were used to doing a lot in Chinatown, but when we switched to remote Zoom sessions, about a month in, you could see them become withdrawn.”

See sent her children to both Buds and Blossoms and KKCS’s summer camp when those centers reopened. She said that “it is very hard for a little kid to learn remotely. At home, it is very hard for a child to focus and stay engaged. My kids interact with me differently than a teacher, so having them with a teacher is important.”

See has been “happy with KKCS and Buds and Blossoms safety.” But she worries that the coming shift to remote and hybrid learning at the Boston Public Schools “exacerbates inequity. There are homes where there is no one at home to help with the remote learning.” She mentions with sadness, but not surprise, that at a recent public school meeting for Chinese speakers, one woman asked “if she could go to work and leave her child at home, if she chose fully remote learning for her child. She was desperate. She probably has to go to work to earn money, or maybe has an essential role.”

While more options are coming online, with some early education centers waiting the requisite 60 day licensing period to be approved, others may not be returning. Lui pointed out that the Boston Public Schools will no longer lend space to community organizations, “which will be a big impact on the community.” See also questions “from a financial perspective how long centers can stay open under these current restrictions.”

Many parents will face decisions in the coming month, as schools work to reopen and early education centers and out-of-school programs work to adapt to the constantly changing situation. McKenna advises parents that “no one really knows what the virus is going to do. We at Buds and Blossoms are doing what we can to keep our children safe. You, as a parent, have to be comfortable. We want you to be comfortable before you send your child to school.”