Parenting in a Pandemic: There When It Matters
April 26, 2021
Being there matters. That’s especially true in times of great uncertainty, like during the past year, when so much in our lives was changing day to day. For parents like Corrie and Tim, having something that was familiar and trusted to turn to for support was vital in navigating each day for their family.
A Family’s Life Upended
Corrie and Tim are among the Kiddie Academy parents who shared with us their stories of life during the pandemic. They have two children, Blaize and Ellie, who attended their local Academy, although Blaize was in kindergarten when the COVID-19 disruptions hit.
Corrie is a nurse case manager and was required to continue going into work at the hospital. Tim is a scientist. He was able to work from home, but with schools closing or going virtual, he quickly discovered juggling his work and care for his kids was more than he could handle.
Tim said, “They closed down school, shut everything down, sent me home. Corrie is an essential worker and had to go to work. For me, that meant teleworking, continuing Blaize’s education, and then working with Ellie who had just turned three. So, juggling all three of those at the same time, it was crazy. It was stressful.
Corrie added, “Tim was exhausted trying to juggle everything. And I was exhausted because I was working a lot of hours. We weren’t sure how we were going to maintain things. Then a friend at work said, ‘You’re essential personnel. Kiddie Academy is probably on that list of places that are taking children of essential personnel.’ “
Kiddie Academy Comes Through
Their local Academy was indeed on the list. Corrie called and explained their situation. “We always had a good relationship with the staff there. They sent over the paperwork we needed, and we were able to immediately get Blaize and Ellie signed up to go back.”
Corrie said that having the option of sending the kids to a place that was familiar, with great teachers and friends they could socialize with made their decision an easy one.
She said the Academy staff has done a terrific job keeping parents looped in on developments throughout the pandemic. “Even if they didn’t have a full plan in place quite yet, or even if they were still working on different policies, we always knew that because they were communicating very frequently, especially when it first started.”
Tim agreed and added, “They’ve done a great job communicating with us and making sure that it is the safest place that we can send our kids.”
You can watch more of the video interview with Corrie and Tim (and other parents we interviewed).
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