One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Parents Prepare For At Least 2 Weeks With LAUSD Kids At Home Thanks To Coronavirus
File: Kids play at LAUSD's Vanalden Elementary School. (Mariana Dale/LAist)
Parents are having to figure out how they're going to manage having kids at home for at least two weeks, thanks to LAUSD and other local schools shutting down to stop the spread of the coronavirus, starting Monday. Families are preparing for at-home instruction and a new demand for daily childcare.
Parents at Eagle Rock Plaza on Saturday morning said they were cobbling together childcare through the help of relatives. Myleen Mendoza, a pharmacy technician, said she was so grateful her in-laws could help watch her 4-year-old son. She was happy that she was going to see her son more because his pre-school was closed.
Another woman, Adriana Kahwaji, doesn’t have to worry about daycare as a stay-at-home mom — but she said half-jokingly that she wishes her three kids weren’t going to be at home. Places you’d take the kids to, like the zoo or library, are closed.
With the rainy weather, outdoor play is out. She’s bracing for a lot of cries of "I’m bored." And the rainy weather is expected to continue for the next several days.
Eagle Rock parent Ron Greulich spent the morning shopping at Target with his daughter. Since he works as a paralegal and his wife is a part-time daycare worker, they plan to take turns watching her.
"Because where I work, they're encouraging to work from home. They want to keep the actual amount of people at the office low," Greulich said.
Sarah Greulich, 12, said she's taking online instruction during the school week and catching up on other school work.
Sponsored message
"I'll probably play video games," Sarah said.
And go on TikTok, her dad added.
MORE RESOURCES:
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
