Low-income families ‘feel forgotten by the system’ as remote learning forces them to make tough choices

FITCHBURG, Mass. — Remote learning has forced many Massachusetts working families to make some tough decisions – keep working or quit to help the kids with school. For low-income parents who give up work, that loss of income can have devastating consequences.

“I am a home health aide. It’s not like I can call out and they’ll find coverage in one minute,” said Alondra Nieves-Fernandez, Fitchburg mom to two young children. “It hurt me that I had to give those hours to somebody else to be here home with my kid. I love him and I’ll do anything for him. But, you know, I also want to put a roof over his head.”

Alondra says she had no choice but to cut back her hours at work.  Her son with special needs requires her support, she says.

“You kind of feel like, you know, you can’t, you can’t do anything, like you just have to deal with whatever is coming to you. If the plan changes tomorrow, you just have to adapt,” said the Fitchburg mother.

Because of his autism, Alondra says the six-year old requires constant supervision and a distraction free space to learn.  A converted kitchen pantry is his classroom, for now. From 8:30am to about 3pm daily, Alondra is by his side helping him learn remotely.

The decision to reduce her work hours also means her paycheck was essentially cut in half. That’s meant Alondra can no longer afford to pay rent. The 24-year old mom and her children recently moved in with family.  Still, she fears soon she won’t be able to make ends meet for her family.

“I’ve had to apply for welfare, and stuff like that. And I’ve had to apply back for social security for my son,” Alondra said. “I don’t want to depend on government help, and take advantage of programs that somebody else might need.”

Alondra is not alone. Since the pandemic, an additional 69,000 Massachusetts households now rely on government help for essentials like food.  As of August, 518, 652 households were receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits compared to about 450,000 in March, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance.

In Fitchburg, where Alondra lives, the public school district began the school year entirely remote on September 14.  It plans to move to a hybrid model on November 2nd, but hopes to bring back students with disabilities, like Alondra’s son, next month.

While school districts themselves had to make difficult decisions and are still trying to adapt to the new normal, data shows those decisions have hit working women especially hard.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 19.6% of working-age adults said they were not working because COVID-19 disrupted their childcare arrangements. Women between the ages of 25 and 44 are almost three times as likely as men to be out of work due to childcare demands.

“I do kind of feel forgotten by the system,” she said about the lack of assistance available to working parents like herself who are struggling with remote education.

Boston 25 News asked Governor Charlie Baker what resources are available to struggling working parents like Alondra. He pointed us to a new initiative establishing so-called “learning pods” that he says addresses this very issue.

“I’m incredibly excited about the way a number of communities ...you know YMCA’s, Boys and Girls Clubs, in some cases it’s childcare providers, in other cases it’s even local educational collaboratives that are actually taking advantage of that learning pod model,” he said.

The State launched the “learning pod program” in late August. But the Fitchburg schools superintendent says he’s not aware of any learning pods in the city.

We also checked with the state’s Department of Labor to see what options exist for parents who are forced to give up work to help children learn remotely. A spokesman directed us to document that shows a recent federal change extends paid family leave and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance to caregivers affected by the reopening of schools. There are many exemptions to the program, but we informed Alondra about this possible option and now she’s looking into it.

“Until the kids are back in school, then we’re just going to have to keep struggling until they figure out a plan….how to open [schools] up in a safe way,” said Alondra.

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