As you all know, I am the NH Department of Education liason to the the GrandFamilies Study Commission (appointed by Commissioner Frank Edelblut). Marylou Beaver is the Chair of the Commission and just sent an email out to the Commission members that contains a survey that I am asking all of you in this position to please take (and if not, please forward it to those that you know that ARE trying to cope with this.
The email content:
Good Morning:
A group of NH nonprofits are coordinating on the childcare issue and and it’s impact on families across the state during the Covid-19 crisis.
If you are reliant upon childcare for your family would you please take a few minutes to answer the survey questions?
And….Would all of you please share this request with the families you serve in your grandfamily groups, centers, organizations, etc?
We need to ensure that parent voices are included in these discussions.
Many thanks!
Be safe and be well!
MaryLou
******
Given that the ‘Grok reaches folks that the other Social Services organizations can’t, I’m posting this up.
Even if you aren’t in the situation that caused the need for this survey to be assembled, please forward it to those that you know that might be – with my thanks!
Also, and as always, would like to hear from you all on this topic in the comments – I will forward them on as well. Thanks!
******
Because I can’t help myself, my two cents worth:
I will say this – as a former daycare center owner and operator, I wouldn’t be open. It’s insane that while schools have been shut down, the State of NH is asking childcare operators to keep their doors open. First, since we ran ours at the turn of the century, the regulations have been overbearing, overreaching, and come with an adversarial outlook by the regulators demanding this, that, and more of the other things. All the time, moaning that daycare has become so expensive. Not helpful either in regulations or the adversarial part.
And now you are seeing current operators saying “no mas!”. And Government is going “what’d we say (or do) to deserve this? Where’s the “helping your neighbor/families/friends” attitude? Hey, aren’t we all in this together – can’t you do your part”?
Well, jackasses, ya think Y’ALL had something to do with it? You brought it upon yourselves for not treating this industry sector correctly.
Each regulation, by itself, can be trivial (and a lot aren’t) in time, expertise, and cost. But when you start adding them all up, and small operators having a profit margin that is as thin as just a small number of “child-hours” (and yes, that was my “number” per day and week that determined if we kept our noses above water or not financially), up or down, you’ve made it EXTREMELY hard to stay in business. It’s a hard business with everyone not running such a business telling you how you WILL run your business or else. Don’t start moaning to me about bad actors – they are a very small percentage of those trying to serve parents (and DCYF, as it turned out for us).
And now, the Governor wants them to put those same operators that you’ve been loading up with one “overhead straw” after another, their staff, and the related families at MORE risk by having longer hours and MORE children simply to keep parents working?
Screw that.
To me, that’s an Ask too big and an Ask too far; I had to suddenly shut down due to TMEW’s rapid illness onset – I wouldn’t risk it again 20 years down the line.
So, this IS a big problem – and it’s one that has been caused by the Government trying to protect govt workers but putting private workers and their families at risk (as well as all of the families that were supposed to be “saved” by shutting down the schools. Why would I put MY family at risk of the disease, my daycare families, even as I see Government shutting down all other kinds of other “face-to-face” businesses (er, non-essential) in order to “flatten the curve”.
Sorry, wouldn’t happen with me.
