CHILDCARE

Amid the rising cost of just about everything, you can also expect to pay more for childcare. Twenty years ago, kid caretakers made single digits. Now teenagers are raking it in. According to The Wall Street Journal, babysitters make double the minimum wage.

A shortage of childcare workers continue to be an issue nationwide, including in San Antonio. It’s led to a long wait list for after school programs and uncertainty for working parents.

SAN ANTONIO – Care.com is partnering with the Armed Services YMCA to provide free childcare services to allow parents to vote on Election Day. In a recent survey conducted by the company, 89% of parents surveyed say planning childcare services is among their top priorities on Election Day. To make voting more accessible, Care.com and the Armed Services YMCA is providing free childcare to parents on Election Day at 27 locations across the country, including two in San Antonio. Here’s how it works:Parents can log onto www.asymca.org/vote to reserve a free 4-hour spot for their children at a local childcare facility, paid for by Care.com , so they can go out and vote safely on Election Day. On Election Day, Nov. 3, parents can simply drop off their kids for their reserved spot at one of the participating ASYMCA locations and head to the polls to vote.

When you’re on the hunt for a new nanny or babysitter, it can be incredibly stressful.

As preschools and childcare centers move toward opening up or start to allow the children of nonessential workers, more parents will be facing down a similar question: Should I send my kid? Also, you and your child should expect daily health checks by the childcare provider, or you may be asked to do them at home. This way, if someone gets the coronavirus, the whole preschool or childcare center won't be exposed, and it will be easier to do contact tracing. Alkon also encouraged parents to ask if their childcare center has a relationship with a health provider or a childcare health consultant. According to industry experts, childcare centers have taken a huge hit during the pandemic, and their recovery is uncertain.

SAN ANTONIO – While stressing that the state’s approach has been “very cautious,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott told KSAT 12 News that a new round of announcements on reopening businesses will come on Monday. San Antonio doctors warn of possible ‘COVID cliff’ for patients recovering from virusWhen asked about the feedback he’s received since opening businesses, Abbott said all his plans are vetted by four doctors on his task force to make sure businesses can reopen safely. Some medical experts have expressed their concerns with how quickly states are reopening. Texas has to curb the COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons, nursing homes and meatpacking plants, Abbott said, and parents need to be able to put their children in daycare. We’ve got to find a way to do it, but safely.”Abbott said his team has been working with doctors and childcare provider experts to come up with a plan on how to reopen daycares.