Tamisha Holifield News Today

For working parents of young children, it seems the rest of the world has moved on from the pandemic. But unending illness and child care disruptions have upended these families

This fall and winter has severely disrupted life for working parents of little children, who thought the worst of the pandemic was behind them. A record-high 104,000 people missed work in October because of child care problems.

Forty-seven. That’s how many days of child care Kathryn Anne Edwards’ 3-year-old son has missed in the past year. RSV, COVID-19 and two bouts of the dreaded preschool scourge of hand, foot and mouth disease struck one after another. The illnesses were so disruptive that the labor economist quit her full-time job at the Rand ...

For working parents of young children, it seems the rest of the world has moved on from the pandemic. But unending illness and child care disruptions have...

Forty-seven. That’s how many days of child care Kathryn Anne Edwards’ 3-year-old son has missed in the past year.

This fall and winter have upended life for working parents of little children, who thought the worst of the pandemic was behind them.

For working parents of young children, it seems the rest of the world has moved on from the COVID-19 pandemic. But illness and child care disruptions persist.

"The world has moved on from the crisis that I'm still in," said one person who left full-time job to care for her 3-year-old.

This fall and winter have upended life for working parents of little children, who thought the worst of the pandemic was behind them.

Forty-seven. That’s how many days of child care Kathryn Anne Edwards’ 3-year-old son has missed in the past year. RSV, COVID-19 and two bouts of the dreaded preschool scourge of hand, foot and mouth disease struck one after another. The illnesses were so disruptive that the labor economist quit h