Community Connections Grant Program has been in conversation with many home and small/medium childcare providers in the city of Detroit over the last few months. We are well aware of how childcare providers in Detroit have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. It is clear that not only are Detroit childcare providers instrumental in ensuring the continuation of childcare services as parents go back to work, but they also serve as a hub of support, resources, and knowledge for Detroit families of young children.
Detroit childcare providers are on the ground on the frontlines serving family needs, holding the community together in multiple ways. We talked to Community Connections grantee Anna Turnley, the administrative director at Early Harvest Christian Learning Center. We wanted to hear about her perspective on coping with the health crisis as she continues providing a safe and healthy place where parents can be confident that their children will be protected, educated, and nurtured.
Anna Turnley:
I just wanted to take a few minutes to share our experiences about the effects COVID-19 has had on our community. Like most, we are careful in our due diligence to provide quality education, implementing state health and safety protocols for our students, parents, employees, and visitors each day. However, many parents have expressed feelings of isolation, depression, anxiety, and other emotional or financial stresses due to the pandemic. Because of this unfortunate turn of events, many providers find themselves anchoring down both families and the community, finding ways to keep them calm during the health crisis.
Detroit childcare providers are working first hand with families of young children. They are in a position to help families remain focused and proactive in addressing issues such as safety when many have been affected by illness, economic instability, and a lack of resources and information.
During a crisis, accurate information is the most vital resource, and for COVID-19, families are asking: Where can we go for testing? How long will this last? When do you think they will find a cure? Are my children going to be safe at school?
The Detroit childcare providers we have been talking to have all been working overtime to provide their families with resources to help them through the pandemic.
Anna Turnley:
As an educator, I know that knowledge holds the key to strengthening our community. As a child care provider on behalf of students, I support families in need by doing diligent searches for resources. I find resources, make lists of government websites, COVID-19 updates, and financial, food, clothing, and utility allocations due to the pandemic. I seek out educational supports, counseling, virtual learning sites, technical services, and information that shows how to practice health and safety.
Community Connections has also found that Detroit childcare providers serve as family support persons – central figures families listen to and trust. They are a hub of support and information for Detroit families.
We get calls for informational support from families who need to feel connected. Just having access to in-person or virtual communication can help calm behaviors, particularly during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is clear to Community Connections that Detroit childcare providers are often unrecognized community leaders. Each childcare provider represents a dedicated link in a network of families of young children, adding to the security and well-being of the families they serve and together supporting the first crucial years of the children of Detroit.
A final word from Anna Turnley:
I never learned how to swim, and yet COVID-19 has thrust Early Harvest into uncharted waters. Like many of my comrades in early childhood education, we are learning together that we hold the anchor that helps keep a small part of America together.
Stayed Masked and Stay Informed.
Anna Turnley.
Early Harvest CLC
Are you a home or center childcare provider in Detroit? Would you like to tell your story? Give us a call at 313-782-4042.
Community Connections Grant program administers the Bridging the Gap Rapid Response Covid-19 Fund and Child-Centric Hope Starts Here grant opportunities through our grantmaking platform for early childhood providers and those supporting families of young children in Detroit. We provide resources for cleaning, disinfecting, technology, and narrative experiences surrounding Covid-19. Please call us for more information about these grant opportunities.