Good morning, L.A. It’s June 10.
A couple words we’ve heard consistently through the pandemic are “essential workers.” One group of people doing some of that essential work are child care providers.
Last summer, LAist and KPCC gave cameras to 12 caregivers in Southern California and invited them to document their lives.
Now we’ve published a photo-rich series of five stories, chronicling the highs and lows of child care during the pandemic, unfiltered. The series is also available en español.
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Early education reporter Mariana Dale and engagement producer Stefanie Ritoper and
visual journalist Chava Sanchez helmed the project. I asked them what they will take away from the immersive series. Here’s what they had to say:
We can’t not talk about the problems endemic in the tangled web that is child care and early education... The pandemic pretty much made all of this worse; child care got even more expensive to provide and even less accessible. We’ll keep reporting on these problems and the people working to solve them. But what we’d want to highlight is that these photos also show the inescapable joy in the work of early childhood.
We see 6-year-old Charlie running after a balloon, kids playing in water, or getting down on the floor to inspect a caterpillar with a magnifying glass. One of the child care providers, Susana Alonzo, took a really striking photo of a group of kids in masks standing around a little girl who is about to blow out a birthday candle on a brownie.
We think there’s a lot to say about how child care providers and caregivers recognize how important these little things are at this time and how they’ve held a space for kids to play and feel joy.
Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A., and stay safe out there.
I haven’t seen Another Round yet, but Caroline Pardilla’s impressive guide to L.A.’s takeout cocktails has me wanting to make life imitate art all summer long. Whether you like them canned, fruity, bubbly or with mezcal (mi favorito), this list has something for everyone. Explore the guide here.
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