Inside Day Cares, Post-Covid

June 6, 2020

A roundup of new guidance and stories from NYT Parenting.

As more day cares and preschools re-open across the country, some parents are understandably wary of sending their kids back into the unknown. Alyssa Abkowitz, whose 3-year-old daughter returned to preschool in mid-May, called child care centers across the country to ask what a day will look like in a post-coronavirus world. Precautions include: frequent sanitizing of play structures, toys and lunchboxes; individual desks and materials for kids; and masks for teachers and caretakers (and sometimes students).

The changes may sound grim, but Alyssa feels good about her choice to send her daughter back to school. As she put it: “I knew it was a good choice for us when my husband asked her one of our favorite pre-coronavirus dinnertime questions, ‘Who got in trouble at school today?’, and she giggled.”

Also this week, Leah Chernikoff has excellent advice for talking to family members and friends when they have doubts about vaccinating their children. In New York City alone, vaccinations have dropped 63 percent because parents avoided pediatric well visits during the height of the pandemic, so Leah’s piece is essential reading right now.

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Christina Caron, our NYT Parenting reporter, wrote a piece explaining how straight couples can learn about conflict resolution from gay couples, Melinda Wenner Moyer has written about how to help children if they are showing signs of depression, and Sandy Jorgensen has a lovely and informative piece about how you can best support a gender-nonconforming child.

We’re still looking for more children’s book recommendations about race, protests and with black protagonists. For the 0-3 age set, “Girl of Mine” by Jabari Asim and illustrated by LeUyen Pham is an excellent choice for a board book. It’s a lovely bedtime story for your babes. Drop us a line here with your favorites!

Thanks for reading!

— Jessica Grose, lead editor, NYT Parenting

P.S. Today’s One Thing comes from Kendra Adachi, a mom of three in Greensboro, NC. She and her kids have made “giant” bubbles by squirting dish soap into a large cake pan full of warm water. They cut twine and used plastic drinking straws to create bubble blowers. “The solution makes larger, stronger bubbles the longer it sits,” she said, “so laziness gets you a win.”

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THIS WEEK IN NYT PARENTING

Caroline Yang for The New York Times

The Hardest Part of Having a Nonbinary Kid Is Other People

A mother recounts the pushback she received from her own family in raising a gender-nonconforming child.

By Sandy Jorgenson

Amélie Fontaine

Gay Couples Can Teach Straight People a Thing or Two About Arguing

Same-sex couples, on average, resolve conflict more constructively than different-sex couples, and with less animosity, studies have shown.

By Christina Caron

Tiago Majuelos

With Caution and Creativity, Day Cares Prepare to Reopen

Isolation rooms, crib dividers and designated school shoes are just a few examples of the health measures that child care centers are taking.

By Alyssa Abkowitz

Alva Skog

4 Ways to Help if Your Kid Is Depressed

Some children may need professional help during the lockdown, but there are several things parents can do to ease the quarantine blues.

By Melinda Wenner Moyer

Monica Garwood

When a Close Friend Has Doubts About Vaccinations

Health experts offer ways to approach the charged topic when speaking with people you care about.

By Leah Chernikoff

Tiny Victories

Parenting can be a grind. Let’s celebrate the tiny victories.

We turned cleaning the shower into a game during our 4 year-old’s bath time, and now our shower is spotless!— April Swoboda, Chicago

If you want a chance to get your Tiny Victory published, find us on Instagram @NYTparenting and use the hashtag #tinyvictories; email us; or enter your Tiny Victory at the bottom of this page. Include your full name and location. Tiny Victories may be edited for clarity and style. Your name, location and comments may be published, but your contact information will not. By submitting to us, you agree that you have read, understand and accept the Reader Submission Terms in relation to all of the content and other information you send to us.

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