Anxious Kansas parents keep kids home from day care

Day cares, at a premium in Kansas in non-pandemic times, are essential businesses that can stay open while the state is under a stay-at-home order. Overall, they’re seeing a drop in the number of kids who show up, but want to be there for health care workers.

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April 3, 2020 - 3:22 PM

WICHITA, Kansas — Day cares, at a premium in Kansas in non-pandemic times, are essential businesses that can stay open while the state is under a stay-at-home order. Overall, they’re seeing a drop in the number of kids who show up, but want to be there for health care workers.

“The nurses. The doctors. Everybody on the frontlines,” Phillipsburg Child Care Center program director Brooke Feik said. “They need somewhere to take their kiddos.”

Meanwhile, some parents who are at home due to social distancing or climbing unemployment are keeping their kids with them while still paying to keep their day care spots for when the virus lifts. And about 7% of Kansas day cares decided it was too risky to stay open, especially with a combination of hygiene-oblivious toddlers and a shortage of cleaning supplies.

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