Child care quarantine rules put strain on learning, mental health, even family finances

Here we are again. Just when we thought the worst was behind us, another variant of Covid-19 comes along to smash all hope of life returning to "normal" any time soon.

I am beyond thankful that my anxiety over Covid has drastically dropped. Several months ago, my stomach was constantly in knots. My head was on a roller coaster as I questioned every decision about what we did, who we played with and where we went. I agonized over every sniffle. It was debilitating.

I'm much more at peace now. And I wish I knew the secret formula that helped me move past that. If I did, I'd share it with the world. But I don't. I think it was a combination of having a busy fall photography season to keep me focused on something else and the realization that Covid-19 is here to stay. I had to accept and find a way to live with it.

While I am less anxious, I am still frustrated and dismayed over the extended quarantine rules for daycare centers and the red tape required for our two youngest children to go back to daycare every time they have a sniffle, fever or a possible exposure to Covid-19.

My biggest frustration right now is that we are still shutting down classrooms and removing kids from day care for 14 days anytime there is a positive case in the classroom or when a child has a possible exposure elsewhere. To add to the frustration, the CDC's website says those who were possibly exposed must quarantine for 14 days, while somebody who tested positive can return after 10 days (if fever-free for 24 hours and symptom-free).

COVID quarantine rules ease at work and school, but child care still enforces 14-day quarantine

If one child in a family tests positive for Covid-19, that child has to stay home for 10 days. Meanwhile, any daycare-aged sibling must quarantine for 14 days, and that quarantine does NOT start until the last day of their sibling's quarantine. That means that child has to stay out of day care and parents must try to find alternative arrangements for child care or, when those scarce options fall through, take off work for 24 days.

TWENTY-FOUR DAYS! In our case, we would still be required to pay full tuition for our kids. When the daycare shuts down an entire classroom for two weeks due to a positive case, parents at our child care center are still required to pay full tuition. Other parents I have heard from say their child care providers are reducing tuition by 50% when a classroom shuts down. Those expenses come on top of any substitute child care expenses parents may experience.

The financial aspect is part of my frustration. It is simply not possible to work a full-time job with a child under the age of 5. What are single parents supposed to do? What are low-income families supposed to do? These classroom shutdowns add to already high levels of anxiety and depression that skyrocketed during the pandemic. The mental health effects on both children and parents are immense.

Trust me. I'm not saying we don't need to take steps to curb the spread of Covid-19. We absolutely do. But we also need to find a way forward that balances all risks (educational progress, mental health, COVID-19, etc.) and local health departments have the power to make changes.

We have masks. We have testing. We have the CDC, which says there is a 98% chance that a person exposed to Covid-19 would show symptoms within the first 10 days of exposure (I'd share the link, but I have about 15 different open tabs of research on my computer and can't figure out which one had that stat. Forgive me.).

We have progressed in many ways. We can now dine inside restaurants with few restrictions. We can gather in churches. We can go to sporting events. K-12 schools are back open. However, for some reason, early childhood education remains stuck.

At first, we had hope that once vaccines were available, we would see some positive movement forward out of this pandemic. But then we needed to wait until kids under 18 years old could be vaccinated. Hooray for the vaccine for kids ages 12-18! Oh wait! We are still stuck until younger kids can be vaccinated. Hooray! Vaccines are approved for kids ages 5-11. Wait! Nope. Still can't make any changes because not enough children are getting the shot. There isn't a vaccine for kids under age 4, and those kids can't be trusted to wear a mask consistently or wash their hands properly.

Is there a designated goalpost at all for us now? Once a vaccine for kids ages 4 and younger is available, will we then have to wait until a certain percentage of children in that group are vaccinated before revising the quarantine rules? Will the goalpost be moved again?

(Also, keep in mind that vaccines for children aren't mandated, so the fact that officials keep saying we have to wait for vaccines to be available for all age groups seems moot. There is no guarantee that just because vaccines are available that people will get them.)

We always look for a light at the end of the tunnel to feel some sort of hope. Somehow in two years, the light is still as far away for many parents as it was in March of 2020. And right now in the midst of omicron, I'm beginning to wonder if it's really a light way at the end of the tunnel or just a mirage.

Additional thought: If you or somebody you know is struggling to find hope right now, please reach out for help. Call a friend. Find a therapist. Create your own light at the end of the tunnel and find somebody to walk through the darkness with you. You may feel alone or be overwhelmed. This world needs you. It needs your unique light.​