Plan Your Child Care Election Day Now
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but elections are coming soon. Quite important, one might say. Possibly the most important choices in our lives, making them perfect for mail-voting and in-person voting to be crap .
No matter how crappy the show is, you have to vote. You just got absolutely a vote. I know you have a job, kids, virtual learning, and other nonsense that the pandemic brings , but if it’s humanly possible at all, you should also vote – which means that if you vote in person this year, then now the most appropriate time. it’s time to think about how to organize babysitting.
It won’t be as easy as stopping at the polling stations before heading out on your morning drive, or stopping by at your lunch hour. This year, you will need to plan ahead. You will need to talk to your boss ahead of time about how to make it work. You will need to plan for long, long lines (bring water and snacks to prevent hangries). And, if you are a parent of young children, you need to arrange reliable childcare. Here are some suggestions that you plan ahead.
Create a “voting module”
You want to vote, you want your partner to vote, and you want the parents of all your children’s friends to vote. If you already have a training or playgroup, check with other parents to see if you can assemble this capsule on Election Day. Even if you do not have such a capsule, you may have a small circle of friends with whom you have continued to meet to some extent this year, and these friends may also benefit from the “voting group”. Choose a “home base” where one or two parents will look after them while the others go to vote, and then switch places so everyone has a queue.
Explore Election Day Child Care Options in Your Area
Some agencies or organizations in your area may offer free short-term childcare on election day. In particular, some kindergartens, schools and local YMCAs have programs to help care for children while their parents vote.
For example, Care.com and Armed Services YMCA have teamed up to offer free childcare services in 27 locations across the country. You can go here to see if there is a place near you, and if so, sign up for a free four-hour seat. But even if your YMCA isn’t on this list, call them directly to ask if they offer something similar – many of them.
Ask your loved one
We all have different risk thresholds that we are willing to accept during this pandemic, as well as how comfortable we are to communicate with loved ones, especially elderly relatives, so as not to put them at risk. But we’re not talking about taking the kids to your grandparents so you can arrange a date. We are talking about elections, which, as we have already agreed, are very important.
I am not saying that you have to be reckless about who you ask or the parameters you set – high risk is still high risk, vital choices or not – but this is the moment to ask for help. If you have someone in your life who can (as much as possible) watch your children while you vote, now is the time to ask.
If you don’t need babysitting
Maybe you are not raising children during a pandemic; or maybe your children are old enough to relax at home while you take part in the surveys. Or maybe they are actually in class on election day. If you are free and ready to vote, or you have already voted by mail, check those with whom you are close, who may be more attached. Offer to come over, put on a mask, and have your children run the baton in the backyard while they do their civic duty.
This year we all missed the “village”, but today the day has come when the parents of young children who are at home do not just want to run away, they need to run away. Offering looking after your nieces and nephews, your neighbor’s kids, or your best friend’s kids is a great way to help right now.