School Is All I Think About

July 25, 2020

A roundup of new guidance and stories from NYT Parenting.

Golden Cosmos

Every conversation I have these days, both personally and professionally, seems to dead-end into an anxiety-filled discussion about what school will look like this fall. In my family, we’re still waiting on the final word from our district. And I’m trying to make peace with the fact that we won’t have firm plans until late August; coronavirus cases are low here in New York — for now. But no one can predict what our region will look like in four weeks, and how that may affect even the best-laid proposals.

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Going forward, you’ll see a lot of school and day care coverage in this newsletter, as it’s a topic that is engulfing many of us. This week, we have Melinda Wenner Moyer’s piece about how parents are taking matters into their own hands by creating microschools, home-schooling “pods” and trading off distance-learning responsibilities with other families. Melinda grapples with the inequality that may be exacerbated by families with means creating “pods” and hiring teachers to run them, and she profiles a public school in San Francisco that is working to create its own pods to supplement remote learning, so that children from families who can’t afford to pay for a teacher do not miss out on anything this year.

Emily Sohn looks into the quandary: Should 5-year-olds start school this year? Some parents are considering delaying school for their kindergartners out of concern that distance learning will not work for little ones. Emily also emphasizes the inequality issues at play here; public school funding is based on student enrollment, which will be affected if parents delay school for their 5-year-olds en masse.

Also this week, Robin Lloyd examines everything we know so far about little kids and the coronavirus. Robin explains why, according to the available data, experts think young children may be less likely to get, and possibly transmit, the virus. Christina Caron, our NYT Parenting staff reporter, gives great tips for how to maximize a pandemic staycation when leaving your town is not an option. And we have a lovely essay from Mimi White about the bond she forged with her grandson by writing poetry with him during the lockdown.

Finally, in case you missed it on Wednesday, we have a glorious, entertaining and enlightening series of articles about the importance of play in our children’s lives.

Thanks for reading!

— Jessica Grose, lead editor, NYT Parenting

THIS WEEK IN NYT PARENTING

Afton Almaraz/Getty Images

Pods, Microschools and Tutors: Can Parents Solve the Education Crisis on Their Own?

As school openings remain in flux, families grapple with big questions about safety, money and politics.

By Melinda Wenner Moyer

Ash Ponders for The New York Times

Should 5-Year-Olds Start School This Year?

Faced with remote learning or socially distanced classroom options, some parents of rising kindergartners are considering holding their kids back.

By Emily Sohn

Emmanuelle Walker

What Is It That Keeps Most Little Kids From Getting Covid-19?

Young children have consistently been slow to catch and spread Covid-19. Experts have a few hunches why.

By Robin Lloyd

María Medem

A Grandmother Offered Poetry and a Tween Found His Voice

As a widow living alone, I needed company, even virtual. His parents needed relief.

By Mimi White

Pete Gamlen

Making the Most of a Pandemic Staycation

Families who stayed put in cities during the pandemic are rediscovering new ways to appreciate their neighborhoods and even their homes.

By Christina Caron

The State of Play

The act of playing shapes how our children see the world.

By Jessica Grose

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Tiny Victories

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

After hearing me ask for privacy, my 4-year-old has recently started to ask for privacy, so she can play with her mermaid and dragon in her playroom. She can stay in there for hours!— Cindy Carrasquilla, Stratford, Conn.

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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