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Some daycare centers still open
Colleges and public schools are closed but some daycare centers remain open.
LONGWOOD, Fla. - Few get past the front doors at Ladybird Academy of Wekiva Springs in Longwood these days.
Since the COVID-19 scare began running wild over the past few weeks, they’ve stopped letting most parents go into the student area of the building.
Not even the students can simply walk back.
Staff now requires they pass a temperature check before they can enter for the day.
"Typically our school runs about 196-198 children and right now, this week, we've been running in the 50s,” said Director Angela Bombardo Rivera.
Staff at the daycare understand the dramatic drop in students.
After all, it’s become the "duty" of most Americans to simply stay home and self-isolate right now to help slow the virus' movement while it runs its course.
However, Rivera said for her staff and those working at still-open daycares throughout the area, it’s become their duty to keep caring for the kids whose parents are currently caring for everyone else.
"We have parents that are healthcare workers. We have parents that are first responders and they need somewhere to take their children right now,” she said.
During a press conference last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis said part of the reason he was allowing daycares to stay open during the scare is so those essential workers in the community can keep working without having to worry about their children's well-being.
Ladybird’s staff said they’ve even opened their doors to essential working families whose usual daycares elected to shut down.
Rivera said the parents still dropping kids off have been very grateful to have some sort of option, and she said staff members are working continuously to keep everything clean and safe for those kids.
However, Rivera said they like everyone else, they are struggling right now.
Their attendance is nearly a quarter of what they’re used to, she said.
They’ve had to cut hours for a lot of staff.
However, she said they’re trying their best to off-set that where they can.
"We have increased the pay of our teachers because we've lowered their hours and we kind of want to give them some kind of incentive to still be here, and we want to give them more hours but we just, we just can't right now,” Rivera said.
Staff at Ladybird said they plan to keep opening their doors each day for as long as it’s possible.
They hope it's all the way through the COVID-19 crisis.
After all, Rivera said as far as she’s concerned, her staff members are absolutely essential workers right now.