Kids CITE CAREGIVING Disturbance
Families who CNA spoke to expressed concerns about how mandated Monday closures may affect their ability to control care, especially when different treatment options were limited.
Mr Rachel Lee, a full-time officer,  , said she would have been less affected as she has a private companion, but she sympathised with families in more perilous caring conditions.
Her 22-month-old boy goes to kindergarten at a school every day. Ms Lee takes him that two to three days a year, and if she is absent, her home helper takes him to college.
” If we did not have home aid, we did not have a caretaker… things could be very difficult for us, because we still need to work”, said Ms Lee.
In daycare, children fall ill often and for long periods of time, said the 35-year-old.  , Most working parents currently use many of their childcare left when children are away from school due to illnesses and do battle with more disruptions if preschools were to shut on Mondays, she added.
Mr Tan Jian Rong, who has three kids aged three, seven and 13, echoed related issues.  ,
His youngest child is in Hospital 1, while his older children recently attended child care and kindergarten.  ,
Most families would prefer to keep their leave time for more important occasions, the 39-year-old added.  ,
” For workers, parents who have planned discussions that cannot be changed on Monday, and in the event that their work do not have covering … due to the nature of the work, then that would be extremely impactful”, said Mr Tan.  ,
Not all families opposed the idea.  , Ms Felicia Ang, who has two babies in child care and hospital, said she supported the proposal.  ,
Both Ms Ang and her husband job full-time, and the community has no domestic helper. But as the couple may depend on extended family for help, they would be able to manage school closures.  ,
If the ECDA had implemented it, she or her father would make caregiving plans with their families – equivalent to when their children fall ill.  ,
” It’s fine for them (teachers ) to have a break as well, because they really work long hours and it’s not an easy job”, Ms Ang said.
Many preschool teachers are passionate but leave the industry because their jobs are too taxing on them and their families, she added.  ,