🎨 But what about childcare?
Creating a flexible childcare schedule that works for the whole family
Traditional schools offer childcare six hours a day, nine months a year, five days a week for 12-13 years, in one location. School reformers pushed to merge the agrarian and urban school schedules in the late 19th century, and despite the significant evolution in family and workforce, the school schedule hasn’t changed since. Oddly, private schools tend to imitate this rigid, 19th century school schedule, even when it doesn’t serve their families well.
This can pose a significant challenge for families who have full-time jobs, non-traditional schedules, work remotely, want to travel the world, like to sleep in, have a child under the age of five - or simply want to spend more time with their kids.
It can also be stressful for children, getting shlepped from activity to activity, waking up at obscene hours to get to school, and losing the consistency of learning during three months of summer break.
Sometimes the only moments families get to spend together is during the big rush to school in the early morning, or when they’re all exhausted after school and work, a quick dinner, maybe together, before it’s time to get ready for bed.
In modular learning, families customize childcare, education and social experiences.
With modular learning, families are not beholden to a standardized school schedule. They can customize their childcare schedule to fit their unique needs and family’s budget. In this post, we talk about how the modern family’s childcare needs are changing, and provide practical tips and real-life examples of how you can create the ideal childcare plan for your unique family - on any budget, whether you’re a single parent, working remotely, or have a full-time job.
Here’s what we’ll cover
1. 👩🏾💻 How remote and flexible work are changing childcare needs
2. ✂️ Solving for childcare and education separately
3. ⚖️ Why & how to do a cost-benefit analysis (homeschool vs traditional school)
4. ⛔️ Don’t neglect childcare, or underestimate its importance
5. 💖 Make time for self-care
6. 🤸🏽 Keep kids engaged while families are working
7. 🎨 Twelve creative childcare solutions
8. 💰 Jobs for modular learning families
9.👩👧How six types of families make it work (two full-time jobs, single parents, etc.)
10. 🇺🇸 Government subsidies, tax credits, and company perks
Creating a flexible childcare schedule that works for the whole family
When thinking about childcare, there are two important considerations:
The needs of the parent (such as earning an income to support themselves, and having time for self-care)
The needs of the child (such as adult interaction, engagement and safety). Part of childcare is also making sure that each child’s basic needs are met (food, shelter and clothing).
One of the benefits of modular learning is the possibility of creating a flexible schedule perfectly aligned with each individual family’s needs.
Unbundling education, childcare, and socialization
Standardized schools attempt to provide parents with an all-in-one academic, social, and childcare solution. However, the 9-3 school schedule with three months off for summer is far from aligned with most families’ childcare needs. Families have to cobble together expensive afterschool programs, part-time sitters, and summer camps.
In modular learning, families can separate academic, social, and childcare needs - and optimize solutions for each need.
It’s undoubtedly easier to homeschool if there’s a stay-at-home parent who is totally focused on homeschooling. But it’s absolutely possible to homeschool as a single parent, two full-time working parents, as a graduate student, or in a co-parenting situation. For obvious reasons, the most challenging setup is two parents working full-time outside the home, but even that is doable.
In this post, we’ll discuss how remote work is changing the nuclear family, the importance of quality care, different options for childcare, and how a variety of families balance work and childcare needs.
How remote and flexible work are changing childcare needs
With the rise of remote and flexible work, the nuclear family is changing.
It’s become easier to live near grandparents and extended family, benefitting from free help and childcare from relatives.
If families work full-time remotely, it’s much easier to homeschool. Rather than worrying about having to hire a caregiver to stay home, parents can focus on finding activities to keep kids engaged while working.
Stay-at-home parents can get part-time remote work to help bring extra income into the family. Homeschooling allows families to travel the world as digital nomads.
Homeschooling families can curate a childcare schedule by hiring a caregiver, doing a childcare swap, enroll in classes, spark independent learning with strewing, take classes, enroll in a hybrid school or work remotely to ensure kids are safe and engaged while they’re working. We’ll discuss all these options, and more in this post.
Solve for childcare, socialization, and education separately
Childcare is important.
The younger they are, the more time children need to engage with a primary caregiver to build a healthy attachment style. Teens do need more independence, but they also need meaningful time with their parents.
When families are considering homeschooling, we often encourage them to solve for their childcare problem, not their education problem.
Schools bundle academics, social skills, and childcare together into one package.
In modular learning, families can customize childcare, customize education and customize social learning to meet their unique needs.
If you’re looking to optimize your child’s PreK-12th grade education, our complete guide to secular homeschool curriculum is the best place to start.
To curate a healthy social life for your child, our complete guide to homeschooling and socialization will provide lots of insights and practical strategies on how to help kids make friends and build community.
⏰ What does your ideal schedule look like?
Do you want to sleep in until 10 am? Take a walk by the ocean with your family at sunrise? Solve The New York Times Crossword Puzzles with your teen at midnight. How much time do you like spending with your kids? Would you like to travel the world? Modular learning offers you that opportunity.
With Mastery Hours, the 1-1 teaching part of homeschooling only needs to happen 1-2 hours a day. Families can schedule Mastery Hours in the early morning, after work, during 20-minute breaks, or at lunchtime. Once kids know how to read, they can often study while parents work, asking parents questions as needed. As kids grow up, they become even more autonomous in their learning.
Do a cost-benefit analysis
Before we dive into this section, we want to be clear: our position is that free, universal childcare is a human right that should be available to every family.
Given that this is far from our reality in the United States, we’re going to try to provide some helpful strategies for any family to create the childcare schedule that works well for them
.Families might be surprised when they sit down and crunch the numbers for homeschool vs. traditional school.
Make a list of your school-related costs
When considering homeschooling, make a list of all your school-related costs (afterschool classes, private school, back-to-school supplies, part-time sitters, summer camp) and compare that to the cost of hiring sitters, changing jobs, moving near relatives, or living off one income. Keep in mind that homeschool communities are much more organized when it comes to swapping childcare, curriculum and tutoring.
Take into account intangible benefits
Also, take into account some of the more intangible benefits of homeschooling such as spending more quality time together as a family, getting the sleep you need, having a better education for your kids, or traveling the world together as a family.
When you actually do the math, it may be surprising to learn that hiring a caregiver or quitting your job may be less expensive than all those school-related expenses.
Sample expenses
Many a family made the switch when they realized sending three kids to private school (or living in a district with quality public schools) was significantly more expensive than hiring a full-time caregiver and taking a trip around the globe.
Here’s an example of a family with two full-time jobs who discovered homeschooling would be a much more affordable option to them.
Certainly, there are benefits beyond costs to spending more time with kids and giving them a quality education. Even if homeschooling is more expensive for your family, it may be worth it. Money isn’t everything.
Don’t neglect childcare!
One of the best parts of modular learning is the possibility of spending more quality time with your kids, so we hope you’ll carve out time for this.
Children do benefit from more engaged time with an adult, especially younger children. Early bonding in the first five years is crucial to mental health and resilience. Teens don’t need parents to be home all the time, but younger children need a caregiver present at all times to ensure their safety.
As an extreme example, letting a child watch TV alone for hours while parents work is not a good option for nurturing a secure attachment style in your child.
It can be challenging to balance self-care, work, and childcare, but with some intentionality, you can make it work. This will also help family harmony overall - and reduce conflict.
Families can learn more about the vital benefits of family time in our posts on family involvement in education and socialization.
Make time for self-care
Even if one parent isn’t working full-time and focused on homeschooling, they will need time to themselves. Even carving out 1-2 hours a week when parents can focus on their own needs away from kids will strengthen the family and improve homeschooling. When families are struggling with conflicts or constant bickering, the first advice we almost always give them is to take 5 minutes a day to meditate or go for a 20-minute walk.
From a homeschooling perspective, children are susceptible to how their parents feel and will reflect that in their interactions.
But also, life is short. Children aren’t everything:) It’s essential to take care of yourself too.
If one parent is doing most of the homeschooling
For the parent working full-time, it’s crucial that you are proactive about giving the stay-at-home parent breaks from their role as parent and educator (Even if they don’t ask for that) - and also spend time engaging with your kids, even if it’s a 20-30 minute bedtime story or reading the paper together in the morning at breakfast (but hopefully more than that). That will help preserve the harmony of your relationship and show your kids you care by showing your love through quality time.
It will help your kids' development, prevent your partner from burning out and strengthen your relationship with everyone in your family.
If you’re a single parent, cultivating a relationship with another single parent, where you swap childcare and build a healthy bond with each other’s kids can be a great way to get some alone time and also provide your child with another role model with whom they can form a second attachment. A “second mommy” or “second daddy” or honorary auntie or uncle is always a good thing.
Your siblings or parents can also play this role if they live nearby.
How to keep kids engaged while families are working
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