VOA健康报道2023--Child Care Disruptions Continue With ‘Tripledemic’

For working parents with young children, it seems like the rest of the world has moved on from the pandemic.

But COVID-19 and other illnesses continue to cause disruptions in childcare. Such disruptions have severely² affected³ these families' lives.

Kathryn Anne Edwards has a 3-year-old son who goes to daycare. He has missed 47 days of childcare in the past year.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID-19 and two outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease struck one after another. The illnesses were so disruptive that Edwards quit her full-time⁴ job. She now does independent contract work, which makes it easier to care for her son and her 4-month-old daughter when childcare is not available.

"The rest of the world has moved on from the crisis⁵ that I'm still in," said Edwards. "That's sometimes how it feels like to me."

In the first and second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, quarantines and isolations were common for many Americans. The arrival of vaccines⁷ for younger children and the end of quarantine requirements for COVID exposure were supposed to bring relief.

Instead, families have faced what some call a "tripledemic." Children's hospitals are filled up with patients with flu, COVID-19 and RSV. The diseases are now threatening the already stressed childcare system. It is also forcing parents to miss a lot of work.

A record-high 104,000 people missed work in October because of childcare problems, passing even early pandemic levels, federal data shows.

Missing work has hurt many parents' finances⁸. Most of those who missed work in October because of childcare problems did not get paid. That information comes from the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank based in Washington, D.C.

Now, doctors are preparing for the number of sick children to rise after families gathered for the holidays.

Illnesses among teachers and children have put pressure on a childcare system that is already short on workers.

"This is the worst year I've ever seen in my entire life," said Shaunna Baillargeon. She is owner of Muddy Puddles⁹ Early Learning Program in Massachusetts. She faces "a constant battle of staff and children being sick with a different virus every day." There is often not even a substitute teacher available if the classroom teacher calls in sick, she added.

Jana Williams teaches at a day care center in Washington, D.C. She said illnesses have caused classroom shutdowns almost weekly since October. Her 19-month-old daughter also attends the day care and has been sick with the same viruses.

You want to stay home and care for your child," Williams said. "But then it's like, you have to get to work."

At the pandemic's peak, more than one-third of day care jobs were lost, Edwards said. Hiring has not fully¹⁰ recovered. As of November, the country had 8 percent fewer childcare workers than before the pandemic, federal data shows.

The current strong labor¹¹ market has driven up the cost to hire new workers. That means childcare centers often cost a lot of money and openings are hard to find. And centers with openings may close when workers or kids are sick.

Disruptions due to illness can affect even very young children. Parents who are worried about their job or money can cause stress for a baby. This stress can in turn cause sleep, stomach and socialization problems, said Dr. Sherri Alderman. She is a developmental-behavioral doctor for children.

The continued crisis for young families causes parents to feel lonely, especially as other Americans' lives have returned to normal, said Lauren Hipp. She is with MomsRising, an advocacy group.

"I feel pretty angry about it," said Hipp, a mother of three. "To feel like society has passed you by is a really difficult and lonely feeling."

Words in This Story

disruption¹ — n. to cause to be unable to continue in the normal way

quarantine — n. the period of time during which a person or animal that has a disease or that might have a disease is kept away from others to prevent the disease from spreading

isolation⁶ — n. the state of being in a place or situation that is separate from others

exposure — n. the fact or condition of being affected by something or experiencing something

relief — n. a pleasant and relaxed feeling that someone has when something unpleasant stops or does not happen

constant — adj. happening all the time or very often over a period of time

staff — n. a group of people who work for an organization or business

advocacy — n. the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal

society — n. people in general thought of as living together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions, and values

1 disruption   

n.分裂

参考例句：

• The state was in disruption. 国家处于分崩离析之中。
• Such storms cause considerable disruption in magnetic prospecting operation. 这种磁暴对磁法勘探产生严重的破坏。

2 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

5 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

6 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

7 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

8 finances   

n.(pl.)财源，资产

参考例句：

• I need a professional to sort out my finances. 我需要专业人士为我管理财务。
• The company's finances are looking a bIt'shaky. 这个公司的财政情况看来有点不稳定。

9 puddles   

n.水坑， （尤指道路上的）雨水坑( puddle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The puddles had coalesced into a small stream. 地面上水洼子里的水汇流成了一条小溪。
• The road was filled with puddles from the rain. 雨后路面到处是一坑坑的积水。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

11 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。