Working parents struggle to find child care while children take online classes
As many families struggle with school shutdowns due to COVID-19, one single father in Fayetteville has been forced to take extreme measures to ensure his 7-year-old son is not left behind
Posted — UpdatedRyan Spell is a landscaper and a single parent who had nobody to help watch his son Hunter, who was in second grade when schools shut down.
Spell still had to work his day job while ensuring Hunter continued getting an education. He bought a computer and turned the cab of his pickup truck into a roving online classroom.
"We have grandparents, but there's time where he has to go in my vehicle with me to work. There's time where I have no cell service with the WiFi, and we were just not going to be able to be on a computer for six hours a day."
Spell is not alone. Online classes require parents to monitor elementary students between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Brittany Pope also has a daughter in the school system.
"I know families that have to work. I mean, what if the mom and dad are not able to help with the school work until 3 or 4 in the afternoon? Not everybody can sit on a computer all day," she said.
School leaders have heard these complaints and are aware of the challenges parents are facing. So they've implemented something they're calling "Operation Smooth Start."
"Operation Smooth Start is meant to allow a little more time to ensure that everyone is on the same page. That parents understand the schedule, that they have the necessary materials, devices and hot spots," said Dr. Stacey Wilson-Norman, who works for Cumberland County Schools.
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