b"thekindofwagesthatarenowbeing Louise Dunhamwebinaronworkingfromhomewithasked.Andthesecondthingthathas So,mydaughtertookhersonoutof childrenwithsomebodyI'veworkedwithbeen happening with us in the last week is childcare because he was sick with colds before, and he has two small children. Hisour federal government and their response all the time. And there was so much panic. kids kept running in. We all used to see thisto the pandemic. I'll be interested to see All government-approved childcare had to as unprofessional but we both just had tohowtheyaddresstheunveilingofhow provide free childcare and the government laugh.Alreadythatnotionofmany people in this country, particularly in subsidized that. They thought all the long professionalism has changed. Kids are partthe countryside, have au pairs that they've day-care centers were going to collapse. of our lives.beengettingtolookaftertheirchildren Well,forus,anannyagency,wewereunder five and paying about $3 an hour. subsidized at such a low rate and we had Kathy Webb todividethatupbetweenallour There's the challenge for the families that,Kathy Webbgovernment-approvedfamilies.Sowe with both parents still working in the home,Right. decided we could only help our vulnerable butthere'sanevenworsechallengeforfamilies and they all got very much reduced thoseparentsdeemedessentialworkersLouise Dunhamhours. They were grateful for that. Whereas who have to continue to report to work andWe have prospects ringing up wanting an for my daughter, it worked the way it was whotypicallywouldhavetheirchildrenaupairorananny,thinkingthatthey're meanttowork.Shecouldsendherson going to school and enrolled in an after-interchangeableandbeinggobsmacked. back into childcare and it cost her nothing. school or before-school program. There isWe start with the minimum wage rate and no such thing anymore. Who is supervisingtheawardrates,whichis$19.49for Kathy Webb the children, how do you juggle it all? permanent staff. HereintheUSthereisdefinitelyaKathy Webbchildcarecrisis.It'scompoundedbythe Louise Dunham I know, we're having a similar issue because factthatmostoftheschoolsarestill Isentyouacopyoftheprofessionalthe au pair visa is one of the visas that's closed. It's decided very much at the local development we ran on Advanced Healthbeen suspended here in the United States. level by state or county. And it is in fact and Safety and Risk Assessment in COVID-Iknowfirsthandofanaupairwhose county by county. The county next door to 19times.Essentiallyitcomesdowntocontract was ending and she wasn't even usinVirginiajustannouncedthatcome hygieneanddeepcleaningandhonestysureshecouldgethome.Sheendedup Septemberwhenschoolrestarts,families andintegritybetweenallparties.Ithinkgetting48hoursnoticetogettoDulles haveachoiceoftwodaysofin-person radicaltransparencyisaninterestingAirportinDCforaflightthathadbeen instruction,orfourdaysofremote concept. We already know that a couple ofchartered by her government.instructionfortheirchildren.Theschools things we've put in place for our nannieswill not open as normal. And there's panic are going to become integral to how weLouise Dunhambecause,asyouknow,theparentsare runthisbusinessforever.IfusingtheSo, she did get home? tryingtoworkfromhomebuttheydon't agency, we're insisting on the phone callnecessarily have homes and facilities that the night before and radical transparency.Kathy Webbweredesignedforthat,liketheywere Isthenannywell?AreyouandyourShe did get home and then she had to stay expecting to get up in the morning and go childrenwell?Hasanybodytraveledtwo weeks in quarantine. They put her up in to work. They might have a three-bedroom anywhere? Have you been in contact witha resort hotel. But she couldn't leave the townhome like we have, with three children anybody? And taking the shoes off at theroom. You know, food was being delivered. in it. And where do you find a place for two door, washing your hands as you come in.She was getting her temperature checked parents to go to work in the house and stilltwice a day. It was, she said, very lonely. supervisedistancelearningforyour Kathy WebbYou know, being stuck all by yourself like children? We've actually written some blog posts, likethat,butshegothome.Hersisterwas going back to work in the age of COVID. Igoing to come and take her place, but she Louise Dunhammean, there's the hygiene aspects that thecan't come now and she quite possibly may Andthereisanassumptionthatparents nanny and the family have to be 100% onnever be able to come because the J1 visa are willing and able to pick up where the thesamepagewith.Manypeoplefeelis being looked at. teachers and childcarers have left off. uncomfortableeventalkingaboutit.ThenanniesareuncomfortablethattheirLouise DunhamKathy Webbbosses are going to coffee shops and stillWell, my experience of when I worked with Right. Right.meeting people when they want the nannyAuPairAmericaisthattherewasalot tonothaveanysocialinteractionswrong with the visa. And yet when it works Louise Dunhamwhatsoever. That dad boss is still going towell for families with school-age children it So, we had an extended time at home. We his gym, for example.workswelland,andit'stheeternal were thrown into online learning very, verydilemma of parents, make no mistake, who quickly. A lot of teachers felt undervalued Louise Dunham can't afford the cost of childcare.and that their health was at risk of being Wehaven'theardanyofthat.Whatweforced back into the schools. I have also hear are the clients getting cross when theKathy Webbseen some wry moments. I did a LinkedInnanny gets nervous. We have one nanny Right. NannyMag.com| 11"