As Fayette schools go virtual, employers need to work with working parents

It happened. Fayette County Public Schools will begin the 2020-21 school year online only. The mad dash for childcare has already begun for working parents as we figure out who will care for our kids while we work to keep food on the table. Childcare facilities are not set up to watch school-aged children, let alone conduct online instruction, even if they had the capacity to accept more children (they don’t). Grandparents, if physically nearby, can’t help because they are in the at-risk category due to their age.

How can we, as working parents, find a solution?

The answer is – we can’t. Not without help.

Employers, business and community leaders must step up, or our community will continue to fall behind as we adapt to NTI-2DL instruction. There are certainly some jobs cannot physically be performed remotely, but many others can with a little creativity.

Employers need to let their staff work remotely if possible, and more importantly, allow them to work flexible hours so that working parents can simultaneously manage their work responsibilities and their children’s education. Hours might not be 9-5 or 8-4 for working parents, but we will get it done.

For the past five months, working parents — and overwhelmingly working mothers — have woken up early, stayed up late, managed childcare, cooked meals, led NTI lessons, organized calls for their kids to see friends, and broken up sibling arguments, all while completing their jobs. The vast majority of working parents are committed to making this work, but as we enter a new era of uncertainty, we need support from you, our employers. We don’t ask for much: let us work alternative hours (late night/early morning/nap time), give us the flexibility we need to manage this incredible juggling act, and most importantly, let us know that our jobs are secure as long as our job performance remains the same.

If we begin to see large scale layoffs of working parents because they can’t work the same hours as before, things will only get worse. We will start to see more families dependent on public benefits and social service agencies. More neglect. More abuse. Ultimately, this doesn’t do anyone any good. It only hurts our children, who are, after all, the workforce of our future.

Parents are terrified, and not just about their children’s education, but the quality of our work remains the same as ever. Employers, please work with us.

Anne Donworth is a working mother of two, business owner, and active community volunteer. This opinion is her own and does not reflect her employer or any organization with which she is involved.