Symposia
Parenting / Families
Lauren Quetsch, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Arkansas
FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas
Lauren Quetsch, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Arkansas
FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas
Carrie Jackson, PhD
Child Psychologist
Private Practice
La Jolla, California
Harlee Onovbiona, BS
Doctoral Student
University of Arkansas Psychology Department
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Rebecca Bradley, BS
Clinical Psychology Graduate Student
University of Arkansas, Department of Psychological Science
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Objective: After the U.S. largely shut down daycares and schools in March of 2020 to manage the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), Americans were faced with the country’s efforts to reopen the economy, including daycares and schools, even though, in many areas, COVID cases remained steady or were increasing. On top of American’s concerns for returning to work, many caregivers also faced the burden of deciding how to handle schooling and care for their young children.
Methods: The present study surveyed caregivers (N = 1,655) of children (N = 2,408; ages 0 – 12 years) on the factors used to return their children to in-person daycare and school during the summer and fall of 2020. Qualitative methods were used to explore caregiver perspectives when weighing their decision for their children’s schooling.
Results: Outcomes indicated three main themes caregivers considered when making their decision: child factors, caregiver factors, and systemic factors.
Conclusions: Caregivers experienced high levels of stress while worrying about their child’s and family’s health coupled with job responsibilities and risk of COVID-19 infection rates in their areas. Detailed descriptions of caregiver responses will be highlighted. Considerations for how these factors should be handled in the context of family therapy will be discussed.