TIPS: Getting child care and tutors during COVID-19 pandemic
With school plans coming out, many parents are scrambling to figure out how to juggle virtual learning while holding down two or more jobs. We went to the experts at Care.com to see just how this all shakes out. With most schools going virtual, 73% of parents say they plan to make major changes to their professional and personal lives.
We introduced you to Allison Suflas earlier this week. Balancing work and homeschooling has been tough with her rising 1st grader, so she and six other families are putting together a learning pod for their children.
"We all have a working family, working parents in our group. And while some of us are working from home, some are not and it's just hard to facilitate the virtual learning when you have other work commitments," she said.
READ MORE: Free resources to supplement remote learning this year
A message echoed by parents across the country, according to Care.com, a website for finding high-quality child care. It recently surveyed working parents and found a huge spike in new child care needs.
"We saw a 92% increase in the month of July and interest in finding, yes, a caregiver, a tutor or teacher to help with a homeschooling pod," said Care.com CMO Carrie Cronkey.
Care.com estimates that in the Philadelphia area, a nanny's hourly rate can run about $15 an hour and a tutor's hourly rate, about $19 an hour.
Exactly whom you're looking for depends on the ages of your children.
"What they need is someone to come in and make sure their kindergartner is on the 10:15 a.m. Zoom and doesn't walk away to get goldfish," said Cronkey. "If that's what you need, you don't necessarily need a teacher or an educator, a college student is a great option."
But for older kids with more intense studies, you might want a retired or former teacher.
As far as learning pods, where you put small groups of children in the same grade together, Care.com says prices can vary wildly since it's a relatively new phenomenon.
