Are You A First Responder, Health-Care Or Transit Worker Who Needs Child Care?

In order to successfully fight COVID-19, first responders, health-care and transit workers and other essential personnel must be able to come to work. But what happens when these key people have kids at home? 

The New York City Department of Education has created Regional Enrichment Centers — places where the children of front-line workers can be safely cared for while their parents continue to serve the city in this time of need.

Staffed by DOE employees and community-based organization partners, the centers provide children with three hot meals daily, remote learning time with their teachers and activities such as art, music and physical education. The centers also provide social and emotional support. 

The centers adhere to social-distancing rules by maintaining six feet of distance between people, limiting classroom sizes to fewer than nine students and conducting regular cleaning and disinfecting of the sites. 

Starting this week, Regional Enrichment Centers are opening across every borough, with at least two sites in every school district. If you want to see if your kid qualifies, you can fill out this survey. 

photo: iStock