Why do schools need to go back to get the workforce back?

[Pitaramus]

I keep hearing talk of the “need” to send kids back to school so that their parents can get back to work. I’ve never really seen school as sufficient childcare to enable someone to actually go to work. My youngest child’s nursery is 8-6 and open about 51 weeks a year. That is childcare. School is 9-3 and is shut for 3 months of the year anyway.

Surely one parent in each family unit (assuming the family has two parents) could go back to work without schools going back. A certain percentage of families of primary aged kids have one stay at home parent anyway because of the cost of the wrap around care they’d otherwise need. And all parents whose children are 13 plus could also go back to work.

I just don’t see the schools being shut as being a massive barrier to a lot of the work force returning, particularly given that they are only open 9-3 anyway and they are due off for may half term and then the summer hols which means you’d be getting 9-3 “childcare” for 12 weeks between now and September.

Of course there will be some who can’t work without school and the after school and breakfast clubs that some schools offer but these people must be in the minority if you’re looking at the workforce as a whole. I know in my workplace I’m one of three people out of about 40 with primary aged kids where both parents work. Luckily I’m managing to work from home as I have quite a flexible job.

If the cost of the furlough is the problem (which I’m sure it is) why not furlough one parent in each family with young kids where both parents work and then everyone else can go back as and when it’s safe to do so.

In my youngest class of 30 there’s about 25 families where both parents work.
At work there is 7 of us, 4 of us have primary age children. We all use breakfast clubs/after school clubs/childminders.

Schools going back would massively help DH and I, even without any wraparound.
Right now we are managing much less work than say in the holidays. In the holidays we’d normally:
Be able to take them out places
Have three children who aren’t slightly traumatised and needing more attention
Not be trying to do any school work
Not be spending quite a lot of time working out what food to buy and store
Not be slightly in shock ourselves.

In theory one of us should be able to work while the other looks after the children, but we’re managing very little. Schools going back would definitely help. Also, after school they could watch tv for a bit and we might get more done. Right now they’re watching enough tv as it is!

Those citing that these mothers NEED to work, perhaps now more thought will be given before having children. If you cannot afford children with one parent at home, then you shouldn't be having any!

You are an absolute dipshit

It’s an interesting point. We used to live in a big city and now live rurally, and actually out of all the mums I know I can’t think of any who ‘need’ schools to open for childcare so they can work. I wonder if there are any stats available on this.

Maybe it isn't about needing to work, from a financial point of view, but wanting to work because you know, parents, sorry mothers, I note you singled out mothers, are actually still people with career aspirations of their own, who are able to derive enjoyment and satisfaction from things that aren't solely related to their darling offspring. Crazy notion, I know.

Here’s the stats... although from a quick skim it doesn’t give a detailed breakdown

www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/familiesandthelabourmarketengland/2019

Solo
I know it's a popular opinion with MN that you should have saved enough to pay for everything each of your potential children will ever need until the age of 25, before even TTC.
In real life a lot of families need 2 parents working just to pay basics (not new cars and fancy holidays)
2008 recession, redundancy, zero hours contracts, divorce, bereavement, twin pregnancy etc are all things that might change a financial situation, and cant be predicted or planned for.

I live in a fairly affluent area there are quite a lot of SAHM. I work predominantly school hours. My DC are older primary/teen. The younger one I may consider leaving for an hour (with older sibling) but I certainly wouldnt leave them all day.

Probably the most ridiculous OP I’ve ever seen on MN.

And they say we really are all in this together

If all these adults are to go back to work what would be the point of not opening the schools. Everyone would be coming and going and mixing in offices and public transport anyway. You haven’t explained the rationale for keeping children at home under these circumstances.

I think we are going to have to push right past the notion of what is fair.

I think the op makes a good point that perhaps we don't need to reopen schools to restart the economy and perhaps we could mitigate the impending depression using the labour of those who are not currently at home with young children.

Of course people will be pissed off if others turn that into some kind of rose-coloured idealism about the benefits of children being at home with their parents because this approach ultimately wouldn't serve a lot of parents who need schools to reopen to return to work and it won't be fair.

Tbh, I'm not at all certain that this approach would work because I think once you lift restrictions on a good number of people (workers without young children) then you probably lose the advantage to the virus and everyone may as well be out of lockdown. But I could be wrong.

The priority needs to be what solutions are possible and what solutions are workable and I don't think fairness will have much of a look-in.

Some might ask. Why would a mother with very young/pre school children want to go to work anyway?

Oh sod off

You haven’t explained the rationale for keeping children at home under these circumstances

I think the argument could be made that young children are flat out shit at social distancing.

At no point was I suggesting that schools could stay shut and the whole of the workforce could crack on as normal.

I was simply suggesting that there is only a certain percentage of the workforce that has young children. Of those, only a certain percentage again use out of the home childcare. Clearly those who rely on school and after school and breakfast clubs / childminders etc would not be able to return to work. They would need different provision. But it would be better for the economy if we financially support those people than the whole of the workforce, many of whom don’t rely on schools at all.

I'm a single parent (2 kids - 10 and 13). I work full time and would need school to be open to go in to work. Currently, the eldest one would normally walk to and from school and be on her own for an hour until I get home. The youngest normally goes to before and after school club, which allows me to do my hours at work. The same club does full days during the holidays.

Some of the thoughts on this thread are actually quite disturbing.

That the op can have so little insight into society that he or she thinks one parent could just stay home, that jobs work like that, or that people’s finances allow or, that one person would even want to, that another poster thinks those with young children shouldn’t even wish to work.

Fortunately the majority of posters seem to understand life, people, but the fact people live in such a bubble is nothing short of disturbing.

@SoloMummy perhaps they go to work because they’re want to work and not sit around all day with their children. I doubt you’ve worked a day in your life so can’t possible understand what it’s like to actually do something with your day other than care for children.

Just to reiterate, I understand that loads of mothers and fathers of primary aged children rely on schools to be able to work. However, lots don’t.

It is also the case that a large part of the workforce don’t even have young children or even school age children.

I myself rely on school and grandparents as well as nursery for my youngest. My parents do 2 school pick ups a week and all the holidays (I’m lucky). But I don’t represent the majority of the workforce.

One of the reasons I don’t want schools to go back is because I will be expected to go back into the office as normal because of the perception that school is sufficient childcare. What about the summer holidays and all the grandparent pick ups which we actually rely on! At the moment I’m managing to work well from home with the kids by essentially doing shifts with my husband where one works and the other has the kids.

@Flaxmeadow not e Rey one enjoys spending time with young children. One could equally ask why mothers of school aged children would want to go to work instead of homeschooling.

OP, many schools offer wrap around care. Ours is from 8:30 to 5:30 for younger years, 8:30 to 6:30 for older children and 24/7 for boarders.

Solo my experience of people who can afford to have only one parent working is that one of the couple is either from a monied family or very clever which has allowed them to work in a very high paid job. You can't plan for either of those. And if you think people can just move somewhere cheaper and save enough to allow 5 years at home, then you are living a wildly different life to anyone I know.

When my kids were small, both my husband and I worked part time 30 hours a week, we had one day of after school club, for the other four, we alternated - one of us was on a long day and dropped off and the other was on a short day and picked up. In the holidays we took off our short days and alternated childcare.

I am really glad that I continued working because it meant that my career didn't stagnate and I didn't end up having to take a massive step backwards on returning to work when my kids were older - you need to keep a long view.

We would be struggling now to both do our jobs if our kids were younger.

I don’t want schools to go back

Yup, thought that’s what was behind it,

So, is this just a sahm Vs wohm thread now?

There's some right goady fuckers on this thread who seem to have no concept of what other people's lives are like.

I work in secondary. Dh has to be in work by 7am each day.
If schools go back, I need my cm and asc to be open, otherwise what do I do with my primary age kids? Cm has asthma, so presumably won t open again this school year.

And do people actually expect proper, normal teaching to be happening while all this is going on? With half the class still off and probably.a.third of staff. In which case, call it what it is: babysitting.