What Are Essential Businesses?
When disasters happen — massive storms, a health emergency — it’s big business to some and utter defeat to others. The few allowed to remain open are called “essential businesses.” These are places that people really want to protect to make sure that they can keep their community safe and healthy.
Think about hospitals, grocery stores and gas stations. We need these places, and sometimes they’re even more important when things are scary. But what about daycares? Are they essential too?
Why Daycares Are So Important
Daycares aren’t just a place to watch children while parents finish the workday. They are valuable instruments that help children learn new things, make friends and prepare for school. “Children are understanding how to share toys, follow rules, and work with other children.
Daycares, for parents, are a kind of bridge from which they can go to work every day. Without a reliable guardian for their children, many moms and dads couldn’t work. And the same is true, in particular, of hospital workers, police officers or the fire brigade.
What Makes a Business “Essential”?
The government determines which businesses are essential in times of crisis. Because the places they like to go, generally speaking, can keep everybody safe and healthy.
Certain businesses are always deemed essential; hospitals, groceries. Others, like day care, may be essential at times, but not always. “Who is doing what in the community and who needs help.”
When the going gets tough, the government makes a list of what places can stay open. This can differ city by city or state by state.
Daycares During Hard Times
And when COVID-19 began to circulate, schools and businesses across the country were shuttered. But not all daycares were required to shut. Why? Because doctors, nurses and other essential workers needed a safe, reliable place to put their kids.
To provide care for the sick, if he doesn’t have daycare, he can’t help the sick. You can’t hire a police officer to make the neighborhood safe. A grocery store worker may not be able to guarantee that families have food to set on their tables.
It underscored to all just how essential daycares are. They don’t just benefit one family — they benefit the whole community by keeping essential workers working.
How Do We Know If a Daycare Is Essential?
Not all daycares are essential at all hours. It depends on a few things.
Who, for the first time, are the children’s parents? If all the kids have parents who work in hospitals, fire departments or other essential job sites, then that daycare is likely essential, too.
Second, how badly does the community need it? Those euphemistically “fast-tracked” lessons in neural science aren’t as readily identifiable, and there’s no voice behind a director’s chair calling “action” or “cut.” And, in places where lots of parents work in essential jobs, daycares become very important. They might be less useful during emergencies in smaller towns.
Third, can the daycare be conducted safely? Daycares are required to keep children healthy and safe, even in emergencies. If they can’t, they may have to close temporarily.
At Childera, we understand how vital it is for communities to have access to reliable childcare, especially during challenging times.
What the Law Says About Daycares
Whether daycares are essential and who can attend also depends on the state, city, and even individual facility. Some states explicitly state that child care is essential, particularly for children whose parents are doctors, police officers or firefighters.
And even when daycares are allowed to remain open during times of emergency, they must follow safety guidelines. They might have to put fewer children in each room, clean more frequently, or adjust their hours.
These guidelines help ensure that children and teachers can stay healthy, while continuing to provide families with the support necessary.
Why Daycares Help the Economy
When parents can’t find someone to watch their kids, they might have to skip work. This can cause big problems for families and communities.
If a hospital worker can’t come to work because they have no childcare, sick people don’t get the help they need. If a grocery store worker has to stay home, people might not be able to buy food.
Daycares help keep the whole system working by making sure parents can go to their jobs. This helps everyone in the community.
How Daycares Help Kids and Families
Children need more than eyes to watch them. They have to play, to learn, to be with other kids. All of these things are what good daycares do.
“Children can wonder, ‘Are they coming back?’” when daycares abruptly close, she said. They are missing their friends and teachers. They might also be stressed because they have a new routine.
When they don’t have reliable childcare, parents get stressed too. They’re concerned about their job, kids, how they will manage everything. Daycares work to mitigate some of this stress by providing families with a safe, predictable space for their children.
Real Examples from COVID-19
For many, in fact, the pandemic was the first time they became aware of the discrepancy between what daycares and schools charged. That way, doctors could continue serving the sick, and grocery store workers could keep food on the shelves.
Some daycares had to shut down because they couldn’t operate safely. After all, it reminded us, we also need better plans to keep day cares open in the face of emergencies.
The communities that got their daycares reopened experienced far fewer issues during the pandemic. Parents could go to work, kids stayed in their routines and essential services marched on.
Challenges Daycares Face During Emergencies
There’s no such thing as an easy day when you are running a daycare in an emergency. Centers are going to have to keep everybody healthy while also providing good care for children.
They have to clean more frequently, which is more expensive and more time-consuming. They may need to purchase masks, hand sanitizer and other supplies. Sometimes they need to add new staff members to the payroll, or train people about new safety rules.
Also during emergencies, many daycares are having financial troubles. There may be fewer families to provide care for, but the daycare is still paying rent and staff salaries. And some centers had to close down for good because they ran out of money.
How Daycares Stay Safe During Tough Times
Good daycares have plans for keeping kids and caregivers healthy in an emergency. They’re cleaning toys and surfaces more frequently. And they screen everyone in and out to ensure children and staff members aren’t sick before entry.
A few daycares break children into smaller groups so germs aren’t transmitted as readily. They may also modify their schedule or spend more time outside.
Some daycares even began using computers to teach children when they weren’t able to meet in person. This made it easier for families to stay in touch at a time when everything else was changing.
How Communities Can Help Daycares
But there are things parents and local community members can do to help their local daycares stay healthy.
They can talk to local government leaders about why day cares matter. They can volunteer at fundraisers or special events. They can further spread the word about the extent that daycares assist families and workers.
Everyone benefits when communities get behind their daycares. Children receive better care, parents can work without worry, and critical services continue running smoothly.
At Childera, we are firm believers that through quality childcare, communities grow stronger and families succeed.
What the Future Looks Like
Daycares probably will be deemed essential more frequently as more families require childcare. From Tennessee to Wisconsin, communities are coming to understand that consistent child care isn’t just a good thing to offer, it’s essential to making everything else work.
Governments are beginning to lay down clearer rules of when daycares should remain open during emergencies. This will help families have an idea of what to expect and also help daycare owners be more prepared.
Helping daycares to provide better care, and stay connected to families, even during challenging times, is new technology.
The Bottom Line
Daycares may not constantly be referred to as “essential businesses,” but they are doing essential business. They allow kids to grow and learn, parents to work important jobs, and communities to run smoothly.
It’s even more stark in times of crisis. The places that did keep their daycares open had less trouble and bounced back more easily.
By acknowledging daycares as an essential piece of infrastructure as we move forward, we will ensure that families have the support they need, no matter what challenges they face.
Common Questions
Are all daycares considered essential?
Not always. It varies by local rules and who the daycare is serving. Day cares that provide care to essential workers are more likely to be deemed essential.
Can daycare teachers be called essential workers?
Absolutely, especially when they look after the children of parents who work in hospitals, police departments and other essential professions.
How do government rules affect daycares?
And government rules dictate whether day cares can remain open, how many children they can accommodate and what precautions they must take.
What makes a daycare safe enough to be essential?
Good cleaning, reduced numbers of kids, health checks and adherence to local safety rules all can make a daycare safe and crucial.
How can parents help their local daycare?
Parents can engage with community leaders, support events and inform others about how crucial daycares are for families and workers.
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