A couple of weeks ago, the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester, as well as other licensed child care centers, had to make perhaps one of the biggest-ever decisions affecting our industry: Do we close our doors due to Gov. Charlie Baker’s order or apply through the state to become an emergency childcare site?
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A couple of weeks ago, the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester, as well as other licensed child care centers, had to make perhaps one of the biggest-ever decisions affecting our industry: Do we close our doors due to Gov. Charlie Baker’s order or apply through the state to become an emergency childcare site?
There would be ramifications either way. To close our doors would impact our mission, financial well-being, and cause folks to work at home (with most of our staff working directly with children, how could we implement that?). It would have distanced us from the community on the front lines of addressing a coronavirus pandemic never experienced in our lifetime. In closing for business, we would lose our chance to contribute to the war effort. On the other hand, to open could put my team and others’ health at risk, even following the safety and sanitation protocols provided by the city and local hospitals. And yes, it would impact us financially due to increased costs with the expanded hours of operation and additional staffing. As a mission-driven organization, opening would help ensure our regular members and their families would have a place to go. We’d be part of the solution.
I thought about our first responders, grocery store workers, delivery drivers, and hospital workers. We are asking them to take a risk and provide for us to have food, safety, and health care. I thought about my dad, who is 86 years old. Would he get the care he needs if hospital workers are unable to go to work because they lack access to childcare? After talking with my staff and board, we decided to apply to be an emergency childcare site. We teamed up with the YWCA Central Massachusetts, Guild of St. Agnes, and Pakachoag Acres Day Care Center. Together, we have the capacity to serve 610+ children from infancy to 14 years old. We are sharing resources and best practices, as well as staff. We can combine efforts in leveraging contacts for supplies and in applying (jointly) for financing and grants. We are there for each other: venting, laughing, collaborating.
So, we are open. Thus far, the decision we made has been positively affirmed every day. Daily, we see:
• Parents thanking my team for providing care to their children so they can work as our first line of defense;
• Kids talking about how they love strawberry milk during lunchtime, having fun playing social-distancing games in our gymnasium, and making new friends;
• Donors offering support, and dropping off supplies.
To be clear, each organization needs to do what is best for them. So many things to consider: capacity, finances, mission, staffing. Let’s refrain from judging and shaming others, whether a business is open or not. I received a message on Facebook, telling me to shut down and that I was a horrible person. It was followed by a note from a supporter telling me to hang in there. We are navigating a new world, and it almost feels like we are learning how to walk. We will all make mistakes, and there will be more dark days before this pandemic is over. I feel confident we will learn from this and as a community we have each other’s back. We will be okay.
Liz Hamilton is the executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester.
