Photo courtesy of Jeanne Montalvo
When cities across the country began lockdown in March, parents everywhere scrambled. Essential workers had to figure out who would look after their children. Other parents struggled with balancing work and getting their kids through remote learning or having toddlers running at home. When had so many schools and childcare facilities ever shut down at the same time? Surely, this was only temporary.
But seven months in, there’s no end in sight, and the mental load on parents remains an urgent concern. Many have had to make work habit changes or even leave jobs to care for their children, putting economic burdens on families now facing a single income or no income at all. School closures have also exposed the income disparities across the country—not all children have internet access needed for remote learning at home, while some children are receiving their meals only through school.
Latino USA sits down with a group of parents —from California to Texas to Florida to New York— to hear how they have coped and found a silver lining to parenting during the pandemic.
This Latino USA podcast was produced by Jeanne Montalvo.
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Latino USA with Maria Hinojosa, produced by Futuro Media, is the longest-running Latino-focused program on U.S. public media.
