By Bracey Harris 

It’s easy to find guidelines for businesses these days, as coronavirus related lockdowns across the country lift: Wipe high-touch surfaces every two hours, place barbershop chairs six feet apart.
 
But for working families in Mississippi facing tough choices about where to place their children during the day there’s no playbook.
 
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves started allowing some businesses to reopen in late April, a little over a week after he announced the state’s schools would remain closed for the rest of the spring semester. About 70 percent of Mississippians with children between the ages of 6 and 12 work. Over the past two months, parents receiving calls to return to work have faced tough questions about handling child care. Even though it’s now the time of year when most Mississippi schools dismiss for summer break, there are few options for parents unable to work from home.
 
Many have found that child care centers that might ordinarily provide care aren’t open except for the children of essential workers. As of mid-May, more than 800 child care centers were closed statewide. Half of those centers accept funds that help low-income families pay for child care. Starting June 1, districts can reopen for summer school. But it’s unclear how quickly that will happen or how many students campuses will accommodate while trying to keep children and educators safe. It’s a troubling predicament for low-wage earners who don’t have the option of working from home.
 
C. Nicole Mason, CEO of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, said these factors have made a difficult time even more challenging for families struggling to put food on the table.
 
“For workers who work in the service industry flexibility is important during this time,” she said. But the reality is “there is no flexibility,” she said. “You either show up or you don’t. There’s no job security.”
 
Alternative child care arrangements, including sitters or family members, are often complicated by the fear of spreading and contracting the coronavirus — or are simply unavailable.
 
Some parents have found it impossible to show up to work at all. For all the talk of getting America back to work, the reality remains the same: Working parents can’t come back if they don’t have somewhere safe to place their kids.
 
There’s some relief available. The federal CARES Act gives paid leave to parents or caregivers who need to stay home while their child’s business or school is closed. But that coverage hinges on the size of their employer. Those who are laid off may be eligible for an extra $600 per week in unemployment benefits — but only to the end of July.
 
Several parents I’ve spoken with this past month, including Sharlotte Stapleton, a hotel worker from Natchez, say they’ve just felt “stuck” as the state declares it’s open even as critical support systems have fallen apart. Stapleton spent years working her way up the ranks at the hotel before she was laid off in mid-March. Her struggle to figure out child care while her 10-year-old son’s school was closed is just one example of the challenges ahead for working families as Mississippi tries to rebuild. Spend some time with her story and let me know how you’ve been faring.

• “Colleges and universities anticipate enrollment changes due to COVID-19,” Daily Journal 

• “College financial aid applications in Mississippi trail most states as coronavirus pandemic persists,” Mississippi Today