5 Ways the Pandemic Has Impacted Childcare

*Collaborative Post

The COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the childcare industry. This industry is vital for the workforce, either for parents who work or to develop the workforce of future generations. Quality, affordable childcare has always been hard for parents to find, but now it is even more difficult than it was before. Most of the childcare facilities across the country are small businesses, which were hit the hardest during the lockdowns. The childcare industry has taken a massive knock because of the pandemic; below are the top five ways it has been negatively impacted:

• Social

The impact of the lockdowns imposed across the globe has put an abrupt end to children attending schools and childcare facilities, which has affected childcare in the worst way. This means that children have been forced to stay at home instead of attending schools and care facilities where they should be learning vital social skills necessary for their development. Without being taught how to socialise from a young age, our children will struggle later on in life to excel in social situations.

• Educational

According to a study done last year, the pandemic has all but destroyed childhood education. 90% of the global student population have been disrupted by the pandemic and the widespread ripple effects that have ensued. There are over 1.5 billion learners in 165 countries having to stay home to quell the spread of the virus. This is a problem because it will continue to have a rolling impact for years to come until we have reached global herd immunity. Find NSW childcare and help lessen the impact on your children by enrolling them in a reputable establishment that will help them catch up with what they have missed.

• Emotional

The emotional stress that has been placed on our children because of COVID-19 is devastating. Children need structure and routine because it teaches them valuable coping skills and how to process their feelings in a manner that they can understand. The negative impact that this pandemic has had on the childcare industry has had a ripple effect on our children’s overall emotional wellbeing.

• Cost

Due to so many small businesses shutting down during lockdown, we have lost many childcare facilities in the wake of this devastation. With fewer establishments to choose from, parents have to dig deeper into their pockets to cover the higher charges from the facilities that survived. It also means that many parents have to travel further to drop their kids off because their local facilities have all but shut down. These additional travel costs are going to negatively affect many household budgets.

• Strict Guidelines

There are childcare facilities that have survived the carnage of the last 18 months, but these places have had to adhere to the strictest rules and guidelines imposed by the government so that they could reopen. We have to strike a balance for saving our population from a deadly virus without sacrificing our children’s education and care in the process.

*This is a collaborative post. For further information please refer to my disclosure page.

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