Parents still paying for daycare centers that are closed during coronavirus pandemic

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) — Daycare and childcare facilities across the state have shut down to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Meanwhile, News4 found parents are still having to pay for childcare they aren’t receiving.

Like so many, Laura Bass is now working from home with her sweet boys Atticus and Bhodi.

Her office and her child care facility are both closed.

“It’s great to be home with them, but it’s difficult to juggle working and parenting because both require 100% of your attention,” said Bass.

Bass has already paid tuition through the end of the school year, and while she knows the school and the teachers have bills to pay, she and others do have questions, like “how long?”

“The longer it goes on, the more of a concern it becomes for, ‘Ok, so we’re budgeting for this, but we’re not able to use it,'” said Bass.

The governor announced $10 million in aid for daycare centers negatively impacted by Coronavirus.

Tuesday, the TN Department of Human Services announced those facilities can now start applying for grants, but when it comes to which daycare centers charge parents and when DHS said that’s up to each individual facility to decide.

“We know there are many factors to consider and each agency’s situation will be different,” said Sky Arnold, the Communications Director for DHS.

So, for now, people like bass will just wait to hear what’s next all while trying to make things as normal as possible for the ones who matter most.

“We’re just trying to have a schedule that we can stick to. We’re definitely having more screen time than we would like, but we’re all just trying,” said Bass.

Because there is such a huge need for child care right now, the state is also now loosening the rules and regulations.

The law states you can’t care for more than four unrelated kids without being licensed. The state is temporarily changing that rule so that places like churches and other family organizations can quickly step in to help.