Of all the coronavirus-related upsets to daily life, school has to be near the top of the list. In-class instruction opens up the door for coronavirus. Online-only means no socialization for the kids. The hybrid model is a little of this and a little of that and creates scheduling nightmares for parents. All-in-all? It is stress-inducing, and CivicScience study highlights that push and pull.
While 35% of parents would prefer to have their children in a classroom full-time right now, only 24% of kids are. Some 38% of parents would prefer online-only for now, while 50% of children are only virtual. And a little more than a quarter of parents want a hybrid model, which essentially matches the amount of kids who are actually doing in-classroom and distance learning.
Moms are more cautious than dads when it comes to schooling right now, with men of children in grades K-12 nearly 32% more likely than women to say kids should be learning in the classroom only.
Of course, school is just one of the issues when it comes to raising children in a pandemic; childcare is also a major issue.
It’s an issue even without the coronavirus, as more than a quarter of Americans say either they, or their partner, has had to stop working at some point in their careers due to the cost of childcare.
Predictably, the cost of childcare forcing people out of the workforce is a problem lower-income households have had to deal with, but it’s notable a full 22% of households making over $100,000 a year fell into the same situation.
And right now, nearly 3 in 10 households with kids have a parent staying home. Another 5% have a nanny, and 11% are using aftercare or daycare. But the biggest number is in the “other” category, which includes neighbors, friends, and relatives. It takes a village, indeed. Also notable: The last time CivicScience looked at this data was in October, 2018. The big difference? The “other” category, which was only about 33% two years ago.
Right now, the coronavirus plays a major role in what the day-to-day looks like for many kids, regardless of parent preferences. We can expect things to change as the pandemic progresses and new factors are introduced to learning and childcare environments.
