Of Course Schools Are Day Care

“You’re not really supposed to say this, but school isn’t just about educating kids; it’s about watching them,” Jerusalem Demsas writes. ~https://theatln.tc/wqz9XfZ2~ 

“Working parents know the dread of scrambling for sitters or rearranging their own schedule when school is unexpectedly out of session,” Demsas continues. Paying out-of-pocket for child care can be tremendously expensive, while the added burden of watching kids during school closures may even lead parents to drink; one paper found that alcohol purchases increased in counties with longer-than-average school closures during the pandemic, a finding consistent with other research into the knock-on effects of school closures.

This research also showed that “women with elementary-age children suffered the most, consistent with expectations that young children require the most time and attention,” Demsas writes. “Further, the researchers found no effect for fathers, which is consistent with research about who was likely to be most burdened with child care.”

“One clear upshot of the new research is that extending school would be helpful to mothers and to the broader community. Fortunately, year-round school is also good for kids,” Demsas continues. “I am very sympathetic to the argument that we expect too much from schools and teachers without providing them adequate support. But the problem isn’t viewing schools as also serving these broader functions; the problem is not equipping them with the resources to adequately do so.”

Read more: ~https://theatln.tc/wqz9XfZ2~ 

— Evan McMurry, senior editor, audience and engagement editor, The Atlantic 

Submitted August 20, 2024 at 07:00AM by theatlantic https://ift.tt/zKHAmBN