Feeling more comfortable in Nevada County with more information and the vaccine

Provider:

I am an in-home, small child care provider, and I've been licensed for eight years. I have been doing this for a little over five years, but I've been doing childcare in general for probably over 15 years. I've been actually very busy, probably more busy this last year than I have been in the past via COVID-19. I think a lot of people and a lot of essential families, the first thing they need is childcare, so I'm happy that I'm able to help them. I guess that could mean, if you think about it, maybe some of these preschools and stuff have been impacted. I've been kind of getting more of that age group. When that pandemic all happened, I actually closed down the first couple of months, because at that point, I had two essential families left. The rest weren’t essential, they were all private families that didn't have to work, so at that time I chose to just kind of figure out what we're going to do and how I was going to operate, so I can make everything really safe for everybody. So I took a couple of months off, so that I could get my program organized and then I opened it backup and most of the families I took/are essential. This whole thing was really crazy, right and it still is, but I feel like now that there's a vaccine, and there's a bit more of an understanding of it, it's not as scary or, you know, crazy. But when it initially happened, it was kind of like, “Oh my gosh, how am I going to be able to provide quality care for children with everything?”, “Oh, airborne”. It just was a really hard thing because you're working with children, you're changing diapers, you're really in their face, and the children don't know about space. I mean, they're on top of each other and that's how they play, so I was trying to figure out a way to be able to make it safe, and be able to operate. I felt like when it first happened, I needed to reevaluate that, so I chose to do that and plus I didn't have it like I had like two essential families, and everybody else wasn't. I think at that time, there are things that only matter for essential families. So I just wasn't bringing enough business and I wasn't able to pay, you know, I only had insurance and that just wasn’t working out in that sense.

I ended up closing for a couple months just to get my ducks in a row. So anyway, I took some time off and then when I reopened up the family's essential payments I still had, luckily they were able to get some care from the family that they stepped up and took care of them. Then I was able to open back up and I just took that time and the three families that had siblings. So in that way, I was a little safer in the sense that I was caring for families in the same home. It was just one of those situations that I felt like was the safest alternative. You know, it's all about keeping everybody healthy and safe. And, like I said, I only had, at that time, two kids and my son. I had six kids that I couldn't take, because we were at that point, the governor said that we can only take essential families. I wasn't getting any referrals, so yeah it hit me pretty hard. I lost my whole income for a couple months, you know?

Interviewer:

Were you able to get any grants or public assistance?

Provider:

I did, I actually reached out and I was able to get some funding, but it still wasn't adequate to what I would make each month, you know with being closed, but it did help. Something better than nothing, right?

So I used to be, like a network provider, and I worked with children's services. When COVID hit, I just decided at that time, no one could come out and everything was just so crazy. I didn't work with them, you know, not to say that I won’t maybe later pick them back up, because I have worked with them, you know, five years, but everything was kind of just put on hold. I didn't really just use our services. But I have used them in the past. I'm not using them at the minute but you know, maybe down the road, I will. I don't need to at this time, I'm full. I've been getting, you know, referrals and stuff, so I don't really feel like it's necessary at this time, but I have used them in the past. I was on the EQM really quality matters and all those programs, but I stopped last year when COVID hit because I had to homeschool my own children. So everything, I mean, everything stopped. I had three kids, and I've been homeschooling them for the last year. Plus, you know, running my program is just too much. There's just like one more thing to do and it was just a little overwhelming. So I decided to just take the year off, and then my children will go back to school in August, and then I can kind of reevaluate at that time.

Interviewer:

Can you talk a little bit about the impact that this has had on the pandemic has had on your own family being in home provider?

Provider:

Yeah, my oldest daughter is still here, but my other daughters go to a private school. We've been really lucky in that sense, because they've been open since day one and so my oldest daughter, she's been able to continue to go to school, which is really good and important for her because she needs that. She is at that age, where she needs to go to school and be around her friends and all that, so she's been able to continue on. There were a few couple months where they had some people that were getting COVID and stuff and so they had to close for a little bit, so she stayed home and did distance learning, but then she was able to go right back. But my other two daughters, one, that's 10 and then the other one had to just stay home and do distance learning just because I gave them the choice that they could go back to their school or they could stay home. You know, it was kind of a crazy year and they chose to stay home and do distance learning.

I just knew that they would not be able to handle wearing a mask all day at school. That was kind of the reason that I was like, “Nah I think you guys should stay home right now”. I don't think we'll be able to handle that because up at the school, you know, they make them wear a mask for seven hours, and I just didn't think they'd be able to handle that.

It's kind of funny, because for the most part, they've been absolutely fabulous, but we just had to kind of change things up a little bit, so that it can work in the sense.

In the past year, I haven't been working. I don't work Fridays, so I just work Monday through Thursday, 10 hour days, and I've taken Friday's off so that there can be a day that I can teach my children with their homeschool, with their program, and their school learning. So Friday, Saturday and Sunday are homework days. Since they can get their homework done and that has worked and doing that and just trying to move things around and make it work. It's been exhausting on me because I don't feel like I've really had a chance to breathe, you know, because I'm constantly having to do this or do that. But that's just that, that's just the way it is, you know, eventually things will go back to normal. They're going to go back to school in August. So that'll be good for them and my workload and my work schedule can be easier. I mean, it is hard. It's hard teaching and doing homeschooling. I have so much credit towards the teachers, you know, I mean, I'm a teacher too, but it's a lot harder to teach your own children than someone else's because I’m mom.

Interviewer:

Can you tell me a little bit about how the pandemic has impacted your sense of well being or your mental health?

Provider:

I'm a pretty positive person in general and have lots of family that lives close by and friends and stuff. We're all just kind of like, we're all in this together. We like getting through it and doing what we need to do and I feel fine. I feel the same. I've always worked and this doesn't really change an answer. It's been more adjusting to the circumstances of it. For example, I bought an in-home purifier like a really big purifier system for the air and I bought separate picnic benches for the kids and just tried to like all these extra things. We've done more cleaning supplies and more cleaning, that kind of stuff. So just trying to keep everyone healthy and safe. I mean, it's stuff that I would do anyway. I just had to up it a little bit more, but I just feel grateful that I can work and I'm so grateful that I've had employment. I know some people that have really been impacted, like people in the hair industry, in the restaurant business that did not work for a long time and have to worry about unemployment and getting paid and that's really stressful. So I feel like I try to be optimistic in the sense that like, it could always be worse. Right? This is just a moment in time and let's just get through it the best we can. I tried to like, look at it in that way.

Interviewer:

How much would you say your business costs have increased because of the pandemic?

Provider:

Quite a bit. I mean, I've had to buy a lot of extra things. For example, picnic benches, like I have had, each family have their own table to sit at for lunches and stuff, just to try to keep everybody kind of together, but that is as far as that goes It's just been like extra tables. I've had to buy, like, tons of cleaning supplies. Yeah, I mean, masks. It's all that, you know, just trying to keep everybody as safe as possible. So yeah, I mean, I've had to buy a lot more individual things like art supplies for each person. I don't really do in-person because of siblings. So I'll be like, you know, brothers, sisters, this is theirs and you know, excetera, just to try to keep things as safe as possible. So I've had to buy extra, like art supplies. I've had to buy some extra equipment. Then as far as cleaning goes, I'm always buying. I had to buy that all the time, but more of it, because there's been more cleaning. I mean, there's definitely been a lot more of an expense this year, with having to keep up with all that.

Interviewer:

Do you feel like you've had enough resources that you were able to keep yourself, your family, and the children safe?

Provider:

Yeah, I think so. I mean.. Actually children's services reached out with an email the other day asking if anybody is like, in need of any of that sort of thing. So I was able to get some stuff, but, yeah, I think so. I think it's been pretty good communication and I've been able to benefit with some help from that. It's definitely been a burden and it's been a nuisance. I think that's for everybody, in the sense that we've had to be really cautious. I've had to do a little bit more work, but as far as that's about it, I feel really blessed that none of my families that have come to me have come down with COVID. I feel blessed that my family hasn't come down with COVID, but I think it has a lot to do with communication, real good communication, and letting people know from the get go that this is my policy and procedures and nobody can come

at all, zero tolerance to any type of sickness or whatnot,just trying to keep everybody healthy and well. I've had to definitely be more on that. Now, I mean, if anyone has symptoms, they can’t come. If it's allergies, I need a note, specifying from a doctor, that's what it is. I've just had to really crack down on that just to keep everybody well. I think by doing that, it's really helped us because like I said, knock on wood, nobody in my program has had COVID.

I think when covid first hit, it was very scary, because it was so foreign. I mean, it was just such a crazy thing, and how contagious it was. So, there was definitely a lot of fear, I wouldn't say scared, it was more fear on what is this thing we're dealing with? Right? You didn't know a bunch about it and so it was very fearful. Because of that reason, it kind of put me on edge and the sense, where I was like, “okay, like, I have to be very careful and very cautious”. I want to just really make sure that the families I take are really going to respect and be on the same page as I am in the sense that, you know, you can't come if you are sick. If you are sick, you need to make sure that you get a COVID test, just like lots of communication and being honest. in both directions, you know, my family’s sick, I'm going to close if you're sick, you can't come, like really being on the same page. When this first happened, I was kind of freaked out because I was like, what is this thing, you know? How am I going to be able to open up and be safe? I’d feel so bad if somebody got sick in my program. There was a lot of stress about all that, but once we learned more about it, we got more educated about it, we knew more about it, how to be able to work and be safe, and more research came out about it. I feel very comfortable now. I feel very comfortable being open and I feel fine. I feel really, really great about it. But when it first happened that was very, very, very scary because I don't know how I'm going to make this work and this is my income. How am I going to do this? But now I feel better and I was able to get vaccinated. I got my two shots too. So I think that on top of that, having that done, that made me feel even more comfortable.

Interviewer:

What has been the most challenging part about being a provider during the pandemic?

Provider:

I think the most challenging thing has been a little bit of everything. It's been my kids being home and me trying to be a teacher to different grade levels. I've got one who's like in fourth grade, I got one in first grade and trying to put on the different hats and trying to teach them, trying to engage them, have them enjoy school, and have to worry about how the pandemic is affecting their mental being. If they're not okay being around their friend, having that was hard and just working. I was explaining how when this first all happened and I was trying to figure out how am I going to make this work so that everyone's like, healthy, safe, and all those things too. So then the fear of essential workers, like, are they going to be bringing this to other people,so there was a fear attached to it. But then, I think just realizing that I'm going to wear my mask and use extra cleaning supplies and do everything I can as efficiently as I can and we should be okay. That's kind of what I did, what I have been doing and it's been working.

Interviewer:

What would you say has been most helpful to you during the pandemic?

Provider:

What's helpful to me during the pandemic, I think it would just probably be that I've had a lot of good positive people in my life, like, I have my parents and they've been able to help out. When I need help with whatever you know, like with my kids because I'm homeschooling them, my mom can come and get them and do something with them so that they can go get out and go for a walk because those are stuff they would be usually doing at school, right. I can't do that because they're homeless.. so it's just been nice having a little help when I feel like I need some help obtaining those resources. Being able to ask and having help has been helpful this year, considering everything that we've been going through. It's been a very stressful year. So it's been nice to have my family. They live close and are able to step in and kind of help out with my kids. That's been really helpful and I have a lot of really great families right now. They just feel so just fortunate that they have childcare, and they feel fortunate that I'm taking this so seriously with health, safety, cleaning, and buying extra things. Doing all those steps so that they can continue to come so I don't have to close down. So I think we're just like everybody working together and trying to make it a good deal for everybody. I think just everybody coming together and working together and me having help with my parents to help with my kids and having really good, great parents right now. It's been really a blessing as well.

My favorite part about what I do? I love when you watch children kind of grow like I love when you have a child come into your program and they're just kind of out of control and kind of difficult, and then when they leave you and you've seen how they've transformed and how they've really built those skills of social and emotional and, they've really blossomed. I like seeing that and it’s just great. Seeing a child learn from you is a really magical feeling. So I guess I like that, I like being able to help and see them grow.