Working parents face childcare crisis

AS THE economy is slowly reopening and people are returning to full-day office working hours, some parents in Kimberley are left with the dilemma of who will take care of their children at home.

Parents in Kimberley said on Tuesday that although the Department of Education had announced that schools would reopen on June 8, this only applied to some pupils.

“The schools are expected to open next week for Grade 12 and Grade 7 pupils. There is, however, no indication on when the other school grades will return or even when the early childhood development (ECD) centres will reopen. Many parents had to return to full-time work schedules on June 1. Many of us were working from home during the lockdown and were able to take care of our children while we were at home. We now, however, have to go back to work and are forced to leave our children at home as the schools are still closed,” they said.

Duties increased

One Kimberley parent, Alicia Heyman, said that although she had a nanny to take care of her toddler, her duties had now increased since her other three children were also at home all day.

“I have a nanny who luckily agreed to return to work this week. However, it is stressful as schools and aftercare centres are not yet open. My nanny will not be able to cope with my toddler, preschooler and high school child. My high school child is expected to do online classes and the preschooler also has schoolwork that he has to complete. My nanny is not able to cope with all three children, their schoolwork and housework. Both my husband and I have had to return to work and it is a nightmare to expect one person to take care of everything at home,” Heyman said.

Another mother, Jolene Maree, said that while working from home was tough, it did have its benefits.

“I am lucky enough to be able to work from home as my husband had to return to work fulltime. My schedule at home includes the schooling of my three children and, with me also working from home, this is difficult to maintain. I have to keep the house clean, help with schoolwork and also attend to my own work. This is challenging as the children do not always understand that I also have to work. My daughter, who is my youngest, often begs me to play with her while I am trying to work,” said Maree.

“My daughter attended a daycare centre and stayed for aftercare at the same centre. Before the lockdown we would pick her up when we knocked off from work. With this ‘new normal’ under the lockdown, we now have to deal with having the children at home all day. It sometimes gets frustrating for parents as well as the children as they are also not allowed to see friends. My husband and I are lucky in that I am able to work from home currently as I can also keep an eye on the children.” A single parent said that she is not so lucky. “I have to leave my two-year-old son with friends currently as I had to return to work. My son usually attends daycare and I pick him up after work. With the daycare being closed, however, and not having a nanny, I now have to rely on friends to help me. This also costs me more as I have to pay the people who are looking after him. I am left with no choice as I cannot take him to work with me,” she said.