BEVERLY – Like schools remain closed In three Massachusetts communities, some parents are struggling to find childcare for their children due to a teacher strike.
‘We are all overwhelmed’
“We’re all overwhelmed,” said Sarah Roy, a mother of two at Ayers Ryal Side Elementary School in Beverly.
Since last Friday, she has been juggling her full-time job while also caring for her 6-year-old son Owen and her 11-year-old daughter Annabelle.
“It’s hard to focus on one or the other when you’re trying to do both at the same time,” she said.
Teachers came in last Thursday Beverly have announced their decision to go on strike, canceling school on Friday and now Wednesday. Teachers inside Gloucester and Marblehead are also on strike in the hope of getting a new contract with better pay and other benefits.
“This is a great example to my children that you should always stand up for what you believe in,” Roy said. She told WBZ-TV that she fully supports the Beverly teachers’ strike, despite the fact that it is illegal in Massachusetts. “The fact that they are paid so low is so upsetting. It feels like a reflection of our values and I didn’t sign up for that. Those are not my values,” she said.
Hundreds for childcare
In the past week, Roy said she spent $600 on childcare. “That was an unexpected expense that a lot of people don’t have because they have to live paycheck to paycheck,” she said. The mother of two has hired a babysitter, including local high school students, to watch her children while she works. She says she has also taken advantage of free childcare at the Ryal Side Civic Association Center.
“We have 25 kids coming in the morning and 25 kids in the afternoon,” said Meredith Quinn, Ayers PTO president. She organized the volunteer-run childcare sessions at the community center so that working parents like herself and Roy could drop their kids off for games and movies.
“We’re certainly not teaching or learning, but we’re trying to keep the skills sharp while they’re out of school.”
It is still unclear when school will resume for Beverly students. The Beverly Teacher Association and the School Committee are still negotiating a contract. Until they reach a fair agreement, Roy says this is “just a reminder that we can do hard things, and we’ll make it work.”
