<ul class="summary-list"><li>Some ultrawealthy parents are hiring ex-camp counselors and coaches to create private "summer camps" for their kids in their own backyards, two high-end staffing agencies told Business Insider.</li><li>Many parents are wary about sending their kids to sleepaway camps this summer as they typically do because of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-cases-maps-us-world-spread-symptoms-death-rate-2020-1">continued spread of the novel coronavirus</a> — even if the camps do open.</li><li>At-home summer camps are part of a larger movement of wealthy people attempting to recreate social experiences for kids stuck at home, which also includes <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-school-shutdowns-wealthy-parents-hire-private-educators-2020-5">hiring professional educators</a> for homeschooling.</li></ul><p>Parents across the country are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/united-states-is-running-out-of-bikes-during-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-5">buying out sporting goods stores' entire stocks of kayaks and bikes</a> to keep their children entertained over summer break as many summer camps and childcare centers across the country remain closed because of the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword>.</p><p><keyword id="1499124" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Wealthy-families">Wealthy families</keyword> used to shipping their kids off to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/most-expensive-summer-camps-2013-5">elite summer camps</a> are instead trying to recreate those experiences at home, recruiters at two high-end staffing agencies told Business Insider. Some families have hired out-of-work camp counselors to plan elaborate activities, while others are hiring a rotation of sports coaches to keep kids active.</p><p>One Beverly Hills family that contacted Beverly Hills-based staffing agency <a href="https://www.westsidenannies.com/">Westside Nannies</a> is looking to hire a nanny with experience as a camp counselor to facilitate scavenger hunts and run the obstacle course they built in their backyard, <keyword id="9300223" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="westside-nannies">Westside Nannies</keyword> managing director Katie Provinziano told Business Insider.</p><p>Before the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-cases-maps-us-world-spread-symptoms-death-rate-2020-1">coronavirus pandemic</a> took hold of the United States in March, many of Provinziano's clients had packed schedules that included weeks-long vacations to Europe, in addition to time at camp. Now, with certain lockdowns still in place, the kids are left stuck at home with nothing to do.</p><p>"The parents are really feeling like they don't want their kids to be missing out on their 'summer experience,' and they realize that they've been cooped up for months at this point and they just don't want them to miss out," Provinziano said. </p><p>These private, DIY summer camps have become so prevalent that New York-based staffing agency <a href="http://www.hiresociety.com/">Hire Society</a> launched a promotion designed to help families build camp-like schedules to keep their kids busy at home even as parts of New York and California begin to reopen.</p><p>Forrest Barnett, the lead executive of <keyword id="9407747" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hire-society">Hire Society</keyword> Hamptons' division, told Business Insider that the program will allow clients to hire coaches specializing in soccer, lacrosse, tennis, and basketball, and other workers could lead arts and crafts and cooking classes. The agency is also considering a water sports component that would add surfing and wakeboarding lessons to the program — a full <keyword id="18500" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="summer-camp">summer camp</keyword> experience.</p><p>Even as shelter-in-place orders begin to lift nationwide, many summer camps are not planning to reopen as the United States faces a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-cases-maps-us-world-spread-symptoms-death-rate-2020-1">continued surge</a> in COVID-19 cases. New York's Department of Health even banned overnight summer camps from operating, <a href="https://www.syracuse.com/coronavirus/2020/06/coronavirus-no-overnight-summer-camps-for-kids-in-ny-this-year-health-commissioner-says.html">Syracuse.com</a> reported Friday.</p><h2>Summer camp isn't the only thing some wealthy parents are trying to recreate at home</h2><p>Demand for professional homeschooling is skyrocketing as parents grow increasingly concerned about the quality of education their students are getting virtually, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-school-shutdowns-wealthy-parents-hire-private-educators-2020-5">Business Insider</a> previously reported.</p><p>While private educators were typically reserved for entertainers taking their kids with them on global tours or newly wealthy people taking a year off to <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> the world, more and more families among Provinziano's clientele are hiring them out of concern that coronavirus school closures are causing their kids to <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/15/lower-income-parents-most-concerned-about-their-children-falling-behind-amid-covid-19-school-closures/">fall behind academically</a>.</p><p>Some of Provinziano's clients have also explored hiring private educators and tutors to add an academic component to their at-home summer camps.</p><p>"[The right nanny] can have so much fun with kids and totally wear them out," Provinziano said. "That's what parents are used to. You go to summer camp and come home exhausted and dirty. It's the perfect summer day."</p>

Wealthy families are hiring coaches and out-of-work camp counselors for private 'summer camps' to keep kids entertained while they're stuck at home

<ul class="summary-list"><li>With most schools across the US <a href="https://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/map-coronavirus-and-school-closures.html">closed since March</a> to slow the spread of the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword>, some ultrawealthy parents are hiring private<strong> educators to make sure their kids don't fall behind.</strong></li><li><strong>Some of these educators are former teachers or people who have degrees in <keyword id="6355445" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="education">education</keyword>, and they charge between $25 and $60 an hour for their services.</strong></li><li>Some parents may continue to employ these professionals to homeschool their kids even after schools reopen in the fall in case the US experiences a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/second-wave-of-coronavirus-infections-may-peak-in-fall-2020-5">second wave</a> of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-cases-maps-us-world-spread-symptoms-death-rate-2020-1">coronavirus</a>, as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/second-wave-of-coronavirus-infections-may-peak-in-fall-2020-5">some experts expect</a>.</li><li>Educators are concerned that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-school-shutdowns-threaten-to-deepen-us-digital-divide-2020-4">lower-income families' lack of internet access</a> will further widen the achievement gap between rich and poor students when schools eventually reopen.</li></ul><p>Wealthy families have hired private educators to smooth over interruptions in their children's education for years.</p><p>Katie Provinziano, the managing director of Beverly Hills-based staffing agency <a href="https://www.westsidenannies.com/">Westside Nannies</a>, told Business Insider that before the pandemic, the decision to hire private was relatively rare and often tied to extended travel.</p><p>"Initially, we worked with families that were going on world tours or families that were filming on location and wanted to have their children with them, or families that have the means and wanted to take a year off and travel the world," Provinziano said.</p><p>However, as the coronavirus pandemic has swept across the world, education is one of the many parts of daily <keyword id="6360041" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="life">life</keyword> that has faced abrupt changes. And while travel has ground to a halt, the demand for private educators has not.</p><p>Instead, per Provinziano, demand for professional <keyword id="95857" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Homeschooling">homeschooling</keyword> is skyrocketing as parents grow increasingly concerned about the quality of education their students are getting virtually. About two-thirds of parents with K-12 aged children are worried that coronavirus school closures will cause their kids to fall behind academically, a survey from the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/15/lower-income-parents-most-concerned-about-their-children-falling-behind-amid-covid-19-school-closures/">Pew Research Center</a> found.</p><p>Schools in 48 states and the District of Columbia have been closed since March, according to data from <a href="https://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/map-coronavirus-and-school-closures.html">Education Week</a>. While the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/15/lower-income-parents-most-concerned-about-their-children-falling-behind-amid-covid-19-school-closures/">Pew Research Center</a> surveys show that the majority of parents are at least somewhat satisfied with their school's distance learning, many are worried that it's not enough.</p><p>That's where private educators come into the picture.</p><p>"I think what this pandemic has brought on is that there may be other reasons to [hire private educators], like safety for the family and a better educational opportunity given all the limitations and rules that the schools are going to have to have to keep students safe," Provinziano said.</p><h2>Simulating a school day at home</h2><p>Unlike traditional private tutors, the educators, who are often former teachers or recent graduates with education degrees, are typically paid between $25 and $60 per hour to instruct all of the family's children together for four to five hours each day, according to Provinziano — simulating a typical school day. The private educators also receive a paid planning period to write lesson plans and grade papers, like teachers do in conventional schools.</p><p>Provinziano said that Westside received so many inquiries for private educators in recent weeks that it is writing a guidebook to answer clients' most common questions about homeschooling and the process of hiring a private educator. Many of the families who decide to hire a private educator start the process by selecting an educational philosophy such as Montessori and then use a staffing agency like <a href="https://www.westsidenannies.com/">Westside</a> to find candidates, according to Provinziano.</p><p>Forrest Barnett, Vice President of Manhattan, the Hamptons, and Palm Beach staffing agency <a href="http://www.hiresociety.com/">Hire Society</a> told Business Insider that their clients have also started inquiring about private educators and tutors, especially those with backgrounds in mathematics and foreign language. However, Hire Society is only hiring educators to work with children remotely.</p><p>Access to private tutoring is just one of many advantages wealthy students have over their lower-income peers while schools are closed. More than half of upper-income parents told <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/15/lower-income-parents-most-concerned-about-their-children-falling-behind-amid-covid-19-school-closures/">Pew Research Center</a> that their children received "a lot" of online instruction after schools started closing in March, while only 38% of lower-income parents could say the same. Educators across the country are worried that a lack of internet access, schools with limited digital learning tools, and the unavailability of healthy meals at home will widen the achievement gap between America's richest and poorest students, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-school-shutdowns-threaten-to-deepen-us-digital-divide-2020-4">Reuters' Joseph Ax</a> reported.</p><h2>School isn't the only thing wealthy families are recreating at home</h2><p>For the wealthiest families, an educator may be only one of several people employed specifically to keep school-aged kids engaged while at home under coronavirus lockdown.</p><p>Some of Provinziano's clients are also hiring coaches and former camp counselors to create the experience of summer camp even while social distancing. Barnett told Business Insider that Hire Society launched a new program designed to help families build camp-like schedules to keep their kids busy as stay-at-home orders stretch into the summer in New York and California.</p><p>Some public health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/second-wave-of-coronavirus-infections-may-peak-in-fall-2020-5">have warned</a> that the pandemic might not end this summer. In a Senate hearing earlier this month, Fauci said there is "virtually no chance" the coronavirus will be eradicated this summer and that reopening the country prematurely could lead to a second, even more deadly outbreak of the coronavirus in the fall, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/second-wave-of-coronavirus-infections-may-peak-in-fall-2020-5">Business Insider's Aylin Woodward and Ruobing Su</a> reported.</p><p>Fearing this, some of Provinziano's clients are even considering keeping their expanded staffs on to continue homeschooling their children regardless of whether schools reopen later this year, in an effort to keep their families shielded from the virus.</p><p>"Homeschooling is an unknown for a lot of families, and it can also come with a stigma — like what about socialization?" Provinziano said. "But I think if you have the means to make it amazing, then you can truly make it meaningful. So many of the people we work with have the means to do that and hire really wonderful, passionate educators."</p>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-school-shutdowns-wealthy-parents-hire-private-educators-2020-5">Business Insider</a>

Wealthy parents are paying to have their kids homeschooled by professionals for up to 5 hours a day, and it shows how the pandemic is widening the gaps in America's education system

<ul class="summary-list"><li>There are more than <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm">1.1 million people</a> in the US who work as childcare workers, but that may be an underestimate, considering that many <keyword id="404833" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="nannies">nannies</keyword> work off the books.</li><li>Some nannies were furloughed when the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-live-updates-latest-news">coronavirus pandemic</a> hit, but many were suddenly laid off without any severance pay.</li><li>Nannies in the US who are undocumented are especially vulnerable, since they can't seek out unemployment benefits.</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/">Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul><p>Three weeks after <a href="https://www.insider.com/california-governor-issues-statewide-stay-at-home-order-2020-3">California's stay-at-home order</a> went into effect, Rosalie's boss called her with a proposition. She pleaded with Rosalie to move into her northern California home and resume working as a nanny. Rosalie, who asked to use just her first name to protect her privacy, declined. </p><p>Rosalie wanted to stay in her own home with her husband and son, where she felt safe and comfortable amid the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-live-updates-latest-news">coronavirus pandemic. </a></p><p>Prior to the pandemic, Rosalie worked from 6 am to 2 pm five days a week for her employer, helping with the family's two sons, who are seven and two. After the order went into place, the agreement was for Rosalie to stay home and be paid until April 7. As that date neared, the boss' two other nannies quit and she was getting desperate to get Rosalie back. </p><p>The employer called again, and offered to increase her pay and benefits. </p><p>Rosalie's boss asked her to live in with her son and husband, who had lost his job as a sous chef and was collecting unemployment. The arrangement did not violate California's restrictions. </p><p>Rosalie's boss asked her to watch the two boys and clean the home. The employer raised her rate to $30 an hour from $26, which is on par with the average rate in the area. The boss said she would give Rosalie's husband 10 hours of work a week and also offered them a $150 weekly allowance for food. </p><p>Rosalie eventually relented.</p><p>"Because she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer no matter what reason," Rosalie told Insider, "I said 'yes.'" </p><p>But Rosalie said the deal didn't work out the way it was presented.</p><p>Rosalie said her husband cooked lunch and dinner daily, which Rosalie and her family were only permitted to eat sometimes, but he wasn't paid for that work. Rosalie said she didn't receive the promised weekly allowance. On top of that, she felt uncomfortable in the home, since her son wasn't permitted to play with the boss' children.</p><p>In the US, there are more than <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm">1.1 million childcare workers</a>, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which includes those who work in childcare centers, in their own homes or private households. This could very well be a gross underestimate, considering that many people who do this type of work aren't in the US legally and are paid off the books. </p><p><div type="image" title="coronavirus kids" height="4000" width="5333" msid="75779462" hostid="261"></div></p><p>While some nannies receive generous pay and benefits packages from their employers, many don't. The median pay for caregivers last year was <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm">$24,230 per year</a>, or $11.65 per hour. The median annual wage for all workers is $39,810.</p><p>Both parents and caregivers have been hurled into challenging situations to navigate due to the pandemic. </p><h2>Many families are continuing to pay their caregivers while they stay home</h2><p>Daycares and schools are closed, and families have been advised to furlough nannies until it's safe for them to return to work. That's left parents to juggle homeschooling, watching their children, taking care of their homes all while also doing their jobs. </p><p>Some parents are continuing to <a href="https://www.insider.com/coronavirus-school-closings-parents-rely-on-makeshift-childcare-2020-3">pay their caregivers to stay home</a> and have guaranteed them job security. Some are paying the full, pre-pandemic salary each week, while others have reduced it, for now. Parents who couldn't afford to, or simply didn't want to, have stopped compensating their caregivers. Others have just had to let their nannies go, since they've lost employment.</p><p><div type="image" title="families coronavirus" height="3648" width="4864" msid="75779471" hostid="261"></div></p><p>While organizations exist to advocate for fair pay, benefits, and safe working conditions, the industry has long been without ample oversight. Many caregivers and nannies are not citizens, which means they're more likely to be paid in cash and are vulnerable to their employers' whims. They can't seek much recourse if they're not paid or are mistreated on the job. In the case of the coronavirus, there's not much they can do if they're asked to compromise their safety or personal wellbeing to keep their position. </p><h2>Nannies often have few protections since many of them are in the US illegally</h2><p>"Abuse can take place where nannies aren't legal to work in the US, and they don't have the language skills, and are afraid to speak up because of their legal status," said Katie Provinziano, managing director of Westside Nannies, a caregiver agency based in Los Angeles. "If they're living with the employer, they may not have their own home."</p><p>About <a href="https://nanny.org/production/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Who-is-Minding-the-Nanny-Tax.pdf">95% of nannies are not paid legally</a>, according to the <a href="https://nanny.org/news-media/press-releases/ina-position-statement-on-nanny-tax-compliance/">International Nanny Association</a>. As a result, many nannies who have lost their jobs or who are unable to work due to the pandemic, are not eligible for unemployment, stimulus checks, <a href="https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla/pandemic">expansions of the Family and Medical Leave Act</a>, or other government benefits. </p><p>"Many nannies have been forced into the difficult decision of working under unsafe, or in some states, illegal circumstances or losing their jobs entirely," said <a href="https://www.adventurenannies.com/">Shenandoah Davis</a>, chairman of the board of the <a href="https://www.nannyrelieffund.org/">Nanny Relief Fund</a>, a nonprofit that launched in March to offer support to nannies who are struggling during the pandemic. </p><p><div type="image" title="coronavirus teenagers" height="3840" width="5120" msid="75779475" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Some have continued to commute to work, knowing the risks of infection involved. Others, like Rosalie, have been coaxed into working situations they find unsettling, but can't refuse. </p><p>Two weeks after she unpacked her bags at her employer's house, Rosalie told her boss she could no longer live there, but was willing to commute. The boss agreed to that arrangement, but reduced her salary. Rosalie ended up quitting because she said her boss was making impossible demands.</p><p>"I wish I hadn't said 'yes' to her from the start," Rosalie said. "We should pay attention to how our employers treat us at this time as it speaks volumes to how much they value us."</p><h2>Many nanny agencies are only placing caregivers with frontline workers </h2><p>A number of agencies that match nannies with families are only working with frontline families at this time. </p><p>Wendy Sachs, CEO of the <a href="https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnannyagency.com%2F&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7Cdf51512ddbb44ff691fd08d7f1ef9714%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637243883637790150&amp;sdata=3vRWdhbQtT8mw6%2FbWSwIMHtaxKAMp%2FR7goNogIx%2FID0%3D&amp;reserved=0p;reserved=0">Philadelphia Nanny Network</a>, which operates in Philadelphia and New York City, said she is only placing nannies in the homes of doctors, nurses, and other frontline workers in New York City. She said she hasn't had what she termed "luxury requests," which is when parents will seek out a babysitter to fill in for date night or when a parent needs a few hours to run errands. </p><p><div type="image" title="coronavirus doctor" height="4912" width="6549" msid="75779484" hostid="261"></div></p><p>The agency no longer provides nannies for families in need of just one day of care. The minimum they'll fulfill is five consecutive days. </p><h2>Nannies are expected to adhere to the CDC guidelines</h2><p>All nannies and family members are expected to follow the <a href="https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fprevent-getting-sick%2Fprevention.html&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7Cdf51512ddbb44ff691fd08d7f1ef9714%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637243883637790150&amp;sdata=PilKl%2FhAhdkgrbmH5QToea0en5H5%2FQULOoPAkuUIpSQ%3D&amp;reserved=0p;reserved=0">CDC guidelines, </a>Sachs said. Based on an honor code, nannies answer questions about exposure to the coronavirus and are expected to frequently wash their hands and wear masks. </p><p>Sachs noted that families are taking some extra precautions. </p><p><div type="image" title="medical coronavirus virus flu sick cold hygiene hand sanitizer clorox hands wash cleaning bacteria cox 6" height="1667" width="2223" msid="75779491" hostid="261"></div></p><p>She said that among the families she works with, many nannies arrive by Uber or Taxi, not public transportation, as a way to protect their employers from exposure. But that mode of commuting still presents risks. Riders can contract the illness from a driver, and if the vehicle isn't properly cleaned, a passenger could potentially catch the disease from an infected surface in the car.</p><p>Westside Nannies, which often works with celebrities, focuses on placing nannies with families they can remain with for many years. The company typically recruits nannies with advanced degrees who are able to command high salaries. </p><p>For now, like other agencies, the company is only placing nannies with frontline workers, people who are vulnerable, or families who are looking for a caregiver to live in. </p><p>Provinziano said she was disappointed to hear stories of nannies being mistreated, saying that employers should continue to pay their nannies through the pandemic, if possible, just as they would do for any other employee.</p><p>But she said so many nannies have been laid off that "applications have gone through the roof" for positions with her company.</p><h2>Many nannies said they were unexpectedly laid off </h2><p><div type="image" title="FILE PHOTO: People who lost their jobs wait in line to file for unemployment following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at an Arkansas Workforce Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, U.S. April 6, 2020. REUTERS/Nick Oxford" height="3738" width="4984" msid="75779497" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Nina Hamrani, a nanny who worked for two families in San Francisco, was stunned when she suddenly lost a job when the pandemic hit. </p><p>Hamrani was employed by two families, and she spent half the month with each. Both families each have one 2-year-old son, and each paid her $3,000 a month. </p><p>She earned $14.50 an hour, a little less than what nannies in the area typically make and slightly less than the state's $15 per hour minimum wage rate. </p><p>The parents of one child, who are both tech engineers, texted Hamrani the day California issued the stay-at-home-order to say that she was being laid off. They advised her to apply for unemployment, placing her among the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-weekly-jobless-claims-unemployment-filings-recession-labor-market-coronavirus-2020-5">more than 36 million people</a> who have lost their jobs over the past two months. It took her three weeks to get approved, and another week to get her first payment. </p><p>Hamrani said this was particularly hurtful, since her employers didn't even pick up the phone to break the news.</p><p>"I worked for them for two years and have a bond with their son," Hamrani told Insider. </p><p>Hamrani is collecting about $4,200 in unemployment a month, a rate that will continue until the end of July, which will then be reduced to $1,800. Her husband, who lost his job as a security guard, is collecting the same amount of money through his unemployment benefits.</p><p>The second family, whom Hamrani had only worked for for six months, sent her $1,000 and has repeatedly texted her offering additional funds. </p><p>A month into the stay-at-home order, the tech engineers reached out to Hamrani to return to work, but she declined, citing the fact that neither parent is an essential worker. She's hoping to find a job with another family once the restrictions are lifted.</p><h2>Nannies who enable frontline workers to do their jobs should be acknowledged, agencies say</h2><p>While people across the country have been eager to praise frontline workers who are delivering groceries and working in ICUs, caregivers who are enabling essential workers to do their jobs have been largely ignored. </p><p>"The nannies are heroes right now and that story is not being told, Provinziano said. "They often get forgotten and they're often unseen."</p><p>Mary Aldridge, who works 12 hours a day, four days a week taking care of the children of two essential healthcare workers in Philadelphia, is one of those nannies. Her employers, however, often express their gratitude.</p><p>Aldridge earns $930 a week, and she said she feels like she's performing an important service by helping her bosses to do their jobs.</p><p>After one of the mother's coronavirus patients recovered, her employer sent a video of the patient in the hospital. </p><p>"She was crying as she showed me the video and saying 'thank you for being here because if you weren't here I couldn't do what I do," Aldridge said. "They appreciate me."</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/coronavirus-school-closings-parents-rely-on-makeshift-childcare-2020-3">Parents are watching kids in shifts and sharing caregivers as schools shut down across the US due to coronavirus fears</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/german-school-tests-staff-and-teachers-coronavirus-twice-a-week-2020-5">A school in Germany is giving free coronavirus tests to students and teachers twice a week</a></li><li><a href="http://static6.insider.com/mom-gave-birth-alone-hospital-what-it-was-like-2020-3">A New York City mom gave birth in a hospital without her partner because of coronavirus restrictions. Here's what it was like.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/homeschool-experts-share-tips-for-teaching-kids-school-closed-2020-3">3 homeschool experts share tips for parents who are burnt out from teaching their kids</a></li></ul>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-its-like-to-be-nanny-during-the-pandemic-2020-5">Insider</a>

What it’s like to be a nanny during the pandemic, getting paid $1,000 a week while risking infection and sudden unemployment

<ul class="summary-list"><li>As cities open and more people return to physical offices, parents have to make <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-decide-whether-to-send-kids-back-to-school-2020-6">tough decisions about childcare.</a></li><li>Some families are looking to hire nannies who have already had the coronavirus and tested positive for antibodies, and some are willing to pay more for that reassurance.</li><li>It's not a foolproof plan, since research shows that antibodies <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-antibodies-only-last-months-weaker-in-asymptomatic-cases-2020-6">may only last about two or three months.</a></li><li>Many families are requiring potential hires to get tested regularly for the coronavirus, while others are having their caregivers move in with them indefinitely. </li></ul><p>When Lena Katz gave birth to a healthy boy in March, the first-time mother was relieved, given her fears about <a href="https://www.insider.com/women-who-pregnant-during-the-pandemic-are-urging-others-wait-2020-6">having a baby</a> during the coronavirus pandemic.</p><p>However, bringing the baby home brought on a new set of stressors for Katz and her husband.</p><p>Katz, a casting producer, and her husband, who works in communications, live in Aventura, Florida and both work full time. Katz didn't take maternity leave, and balanced work with caring for her newborn. But after nearly three months, she was desperate for help with her son. </p><p>"We held out as long as we could, but our mental <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> and productivity were suffering horribly and we just couldn't do it," she told Insider. </p><p>The Katzes interviewed a number of qualified candidates. But they ended up hiring a caregiver who already had COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and who tested positive for antibodies. The fact that she also had antibodies — blood proteins that fight off the virus and can prevent reinfection — gave the couple a small added measure of reassurance. </p><p>That was a particularly important consideration for Katz since her son has a slight respiratory issue. </p><p>"That's actually another mark in your favor," Katz told her nanny when she got the test results back. </p><h2>As more parents return to work, families have to make touch choices about <keyword id="27780" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="childcare">childcare</keyword></h2><p>After months of <a href="https://www.insider.com/coronavirus-school-closings-parents-rely-on-makeshift-childcare-2020-3">balancing jobs and childcare</a> — without school, daycare or private caregivers — parents across the US are now making tough childcare choices as cities reopen. Employed parents need childcare in order to work, but bringing a nanny into the home also means bringing in additional exposure to the coronavirus. </p><p>That's why some parents are taking extra precautionary measures, which may mean paying a premium rate. Some families are looking to hire nannies who have already had the disease, but it's not a guarantee of higher pay, said Anita Rogers, CEO and founder of British American Household Staffing, an agency that places caregivers in both the UK and the US. Hiring someone who tests positive is by no means a foolproof plan either, since it's still unknown whether people who have recovered from COVID- 19 can <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/testing/serology-overview.html">get reinfected</a>.</p><p>Other families are having nannies who test negative move in with them and aren't allowing them to leave until there is a vaccine, Rogers said. For that, nannies may be able to command higher salaries. </p><p>"This kind of intense time away from home has sparked requests for a higher compensation from the nannies," Rogers said. </p><p>Some families are requiring frequent testing to ensure that the caregiver is and remains healthy, an extra measure some caregivers can charge more for, said Katie Provinziano, managing director of Westside Nannies — a Los Angeles childcare agency. Provinziano said that nannies who are willing to get tested frequently can get about 10% more than the average rate. On average, nannies in Los Angeles make between $25 and $35 an hour, she said. </p><h2>Coronavirus testing could become a common practice before hiring a nanny</h2><p><div type="image" title="antibody" height="3810" width="5080" msid="76948693" hostid="261"></div></p><p>"There will be a general shift in the marketplace where almost all families will be requiring a negative COVID-19 test prior to beginning a job," Provinziano said. "If you're unwilling to get one then you just won't have access to the majority of jobs that are available."</p><p>Despite the uncertainty, some parents of children with underlying conditions say hiring a nanny with antibodies is a priority.</p><p>This was the case for Jamie Davis Smith, an attorney, writer, and mother of four.  Her oldest daughter has multiple disabilities and complex medical needs. When the pandemic first hit, Davis Smith was especially careful and didn't have any childcare.</p><p>But working full time while also caring for her kids was unsustainable, Davis Smith told Insider. </p><p>In May, Davis Smith reached out to a babysitter who had worked for the family previously. She was relieved to learn that the caregiver had had the coronavirus and recovered.</p><p><div type="image" title="health tantrum spoiled parenting kids family children regression toys autism disability cox 6" height="1667" width="2222" msid="76948694" hostid="261"></div></p><p>"My daughter is high-risk and I want to be cautious," Davis Smith told Insider.</p><p>Dr. Danielle Fisher, vice chair of pediatrics at Providence St. Johns in Santa Monica, California, says the presence of antibodies may offer some reassurance, but no guarantees.</p><p>"If you have exposure to somebody who has previously tested positive, you would hope it's an extra layer of protection," Fisher said. "But I don't know I would necessarily hang my hat on it."</p><h2><strong>Some experts advise parents to focus more on the safety measures nannies take </strong></h2><p>Dr. Whitney Kennedy, of Highlands Health for Life — a family medicine clinic in Denver, Colorado — advises parents who are hiring caregivers to focus more on the precautions a nanny takes — and their level of exposure outside of the workplace. Kennedy says that's more important than focusing on hiring someone who has already had the disease. </p><p>She recommends asking if the candidate works elsewhere, what the exposure level is of the people they share a home with, what the person does in their free time and the measures they take to protect against getting COVID-19. </p><p>"The nannies should be equally able to ask the same questions of the employer," Kennedy said. </p><p>Provinziano also suggests families focus less on COVID-19 immunity and more so on finding the right fit for the family unit.</p><p>"These are unusual times," Provinziano said, "but finding the best caregiver for your children is so much more about intrinsic qualities versus how someone scores on an antibody test."</p><p>But for Katz, the two aren't mutually exclusive. </p><p>"We felt that the perfect nanny would place a priority on health and safety," she said.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-decide-whether-to-send-kids-back-to-school-2020-6">An economist who collected coronavirus data from 841 childcare centers explains how parents should decide whether to send kids back to school</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/coronavirus-school-closings-parents-rely-on-makeshift-childcare-2020-3">Parents are watching kids in shifts and sharing caregivers as schools shut down across the US due to coronavirus fears</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/women-who-pregnant-during-the-pandemic-are-urging-others-wait-2020-6">Women who've been pregnant during the pandemic are advising others to wait: 'I don't think I would have had a third kid. Period.'</a></li><li><a href="http://static.insider.com/riskiest-and-least-risky-activities-do-with-kids-this-summer-2020-6">The riskiest and least risky activities you can do with kids this summer, according to an infectious-disease expert</a></li></ul>

Nannies who have coronavirus antibodies are in high demand

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Although not technically essential workers, many <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nanny-for-ultra-wealthy-family-day-in-the-life-2019-11">high profile nannies</a> have worked twelve-hour days throughout the pandemic.</li><li>One <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/single-mom-ceo-job-listing-post-nanny-house-manager-detailed-2020-1">nanny</a> left New York with the family on what they thought would be a week-long Spring Break trip in March and has been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-its-like-working-estate-chef-quarantined-in-hamptons-2020-5">quarantining</a> with them and working for them in a rental house in North Carolina ever since.</li><li>Work days, which she says last "a minimum of 12 hours," consist of cooking, cleaning, and <keyword id="95857" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Homeschooling">homeschooling</keyword>.</li></ul><p>Many of the workers deemed essential during the pandemic ride empty subways or drive down unclogged highways to get to work. But some need only to walk down the hall.</p><p>Genevieve, a New York City-based high-profile <keyword id="67402" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="nanny">nanny</keyword> whose last name we have withheld to protect her privacy but whose identity and employment Business Insider has verified, has spent the past three months quarantining with her employers. She was on vacation with the family when the parents decided it was unsafe to return to their New York City home after their Spring Break trip to Virginia.</p><p>Now, her days — which consist of cooking, cleaning, and homeschooling in the house the family is renting in North Carolina — have stretched to last between twelve and fourteen hours.</p><p>The pandemic has been hard on domestic workers, even highly educated ones that earn in excess of six figures like Genevieve, according to Katie Provinziano, the managing director of Beverly Hills staffing agency <a href="https://www.westsidenannies.com/">Westside Nannies</a>. Many have lost their jobs as families seek to reduce the number of people coming in and out of their homes, and paperwork issues can make it difficult to qualify for unemployment. Others, like Genevieve, have been asked to give up their personal lives and move in with families who are quarantining away from their primary residences.</p><p>Here's what a typical day looks like for a high-profile nanny during the pandemic.</p><h2>Genevieve's workday begins as early as 6 a.m.</h2><p>The two children Genevieve cares for, a three-year-old girl and a five-year-old boy, wake up between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. She helps get them dressed and ready for the day, feeds them breakfast, and then gives them about an hour of free time before they begin their schoolwork.</p><p>"Within that hour I pretty much try and get them moving for a bit, running around playing because I know that they're going to have to sit for school on a computer," Genevieve told Business Insider. "So we do our best to literally keep them moving."</p><h2>At 9 a.m., the school day begins.</h2><p>While the boy and his mother begin working on virtual lessons assigned by his school, Genevieve teaches preschool lessons to his younger sister. Before the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> closed schools across the nation, both children went to school outside the home and Genevieve could use this time to complete other work inside the home. She wasn't responsible for schooling or tutoring pre-pandemic.</p><p>"We're going over letters, numbers, shapes, and pretty much from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. I'm sitting through school or sitting through learning," Genevieve said.</p><p><div type="image" title="distance learning home school private educator" height="1668" width="2224" msid="76121760" hostid="261"></div></p><h2>Around 11 <strong>a.m.</strong>, it's time for a short break before the next school "period."</h2><p>After thirty minutes of rest time, Genevieve sets the younger child up for her virtual class that begins at 11:30, while keeping an eye on the older boy as his various midmorning activities begin.</p><p>"The older one is either doing tutoring or you have like a one-on-one with a teacher, or he has like a yoga class. Or if he doesn't, we're working on assignments that still have to get completed and submitted through Google Classroom," Genevieve said.</p><h2>Genevieve cooks and serves lunch around noon.</h2><p>She spends an hour letting them eat and relax, before putting the younger child down for a nap. </p><p>"The older one gets a bit of an electronic break. Since he's literally been in school since he's woken up, I give him a little bit of a break," Genevieve said.</p><h2>The kids may get to rest during nap time, but Genevieve doesn't.</h2><p>"During that break, I'm ironing, cleaning up, getting the kids' clothes together and doing laundry, and then I go grab [the kids] and then we do more assignments that have to be submitted," Genevieve said. The school day doesn't end until around 3 p.m.</p><p><div type="image" title="Luxury laundry room" height="3837" width="5115" msid="76121764" hostid="261"></div></p><h2>At 3 p.m., Genevieve and the children get some fresh air.</h2><p>"It's great because we're not in the city," Genevieve said. "We're able to go to the beach or we're able to ride bikes. So we're able to just be outside in different ways. I guess people can be [outside] in the city, which is good."</p><p>Genevieve said that perks like access to outdoor space made it easier to decide whether to quarantine with the family or return to her own apartment in New York City when the family opted to extend their Spring Break vacation indefinitely. </p><p>"I was wondering, do I leave them high and dry and just go home?" Genevieve said. "I've never been a nanny for, like, just the surface level, just the money, just the perks. I genuinely care about these kids. I do care about the family. It takes a village, and I'm a part of that village."</p><h2>Genevieve tries to wrap up what she calls "the usual nighttime routine — dinner bath, story time, bed," by 7 p.m.</h2><p><div type="image" title="woman cooking" height="3667" width="4889" msid="76121769" hostid="261"></div></p><p>"I do the usual house clean-up and then my day is over by eight in a perfect day," Genevieve said.</p><p>At the end of the day, Genevieve credits her experience with getting her through the day — and dealing with the fact that she still has no idea when she'll get to go home.</p><p>"[Nannying for so long] and working for the wide range of people that I've worked for, it really takes a lot for me to not be able to manage," Genevieve said, "but it is hard being away from my [own] family. By the time I can get a two-week break in New York, it'll have been months since I was last there. So it's hard, but honestly, it's part of the job."</p>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/high-profile-nanny-coronavirus-pandemic-day-in-the-life-2020-5">Business Insider</a>

What it's like to be a high-profile nanny quarantined with your boss during the coronavirus pandemic

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5dcc87c27eece559e10c4359-2400/gettyimages-503115432.jpg" alt="nanny with kids" /><p class="source"><span>CREATISTA/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Interviewed nanny not pictured.</p><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/nanny">Nannies</a> who work for rich and powerful families often work 13-hour days filled with household chores and outlandish requests from parents.</li><li>Business Insider spoke with several nannies across the US to find out <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nannies-for-wealthy-families-share-worst-experiences-job-2019-11">what kinds of things they've been asked to do on the job</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nannies-rich-powerful-families-secrets-wish-bosses-knew-2019-11">what they wish their bosses knew</a>.</li><li>One nanny, who Business Insider is keeping anonymous to protect their identity, noted that their responsibilities include far more than just shuttling the family's children to their afterschool activities. </li><li>The nanny also said that diapers, tantrums, and long hours aren't the most difficult part of the job - it's the parents.</li><li>Business Insider is refraining from publishing the nanny's name or specific details about the family in order to protect her identity. </li><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></strong></li></ul><p>Being a nanny for an ultra-wealthy family may seem like a glamorous job - in reality, it's anything but.</p><p>The days are filled with household chores and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nannies-for-wealthy-families-share-worst-experiences-job-2019-11">outlandish requests from parents</a>, one Durham, North Carolina-based elite nanny told Business Insider. She takes care of a four-year-old boy and his infant brother, having been hired by the family through an agency when the older child was born four years ago.</p><p>However, the perks and pay are unparalleled. Elite nannies can make up to $150,000 with full benefits, according to Katie Provinziano, the managing director of Los Angeles staffing agency Westside Nannies - but the costs are steep too. As a result, many elite nannies change careers after three to five years, Provinziano told Business Insider.</p><p>Keep reading to learn what life as an elite nanny is really like.</p>

Tantrums, rude parents, and meal prepping: Take a look inside the 13-hour day of an elite nanny for the ultra-wealthy

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5dc051002f364a6b04670017-2400/gettyimages-746031673.jpg" border="0" alt="man changing diaper" data-mce-source="Jessica Peterson/Getty Images" /></div></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Business Insider spoke to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/nanny">nannies</a> who work for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/wealthy">wealthy</a> families across the United States to find out what their jobs are really like.</li><li>As it turns out, the job isn't always as glamorous as it may seem.</li><li>Several of the nannies interviewed were asked to do things well beyond their job descriptions - like cleaning out a rat's nest or sorting M&amp;Ms by hand.</li><li>Many elite nannies get to travel the world for free in addition to getting paid as much as $150,000, but the job's high personal costs cause many to change careers after three to five years, Katie Provinziano, the managing director of Los Angeles staffing agency Westside Nannies, told Business Insider.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet"><strong>Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</strong></a></li></ul><p>Traveling all over the world to care for the children of the rich and powerful may seem like a glamorous job, but it's not as easy as it looks, seven nannies who work for wealthy families across the US told Business Insider.</p><p>The nannies agreed that the perks and pay were unparalleled. Elite nannies can make up to $150,000 with full benefits, according to Katie Provinziano, the managing director of Los Angeles staffing agency Westside Nannies - but the costs are steep too. As a result, many elite nannies change careers after three to five years, Provinziano told Business Insider.</p><p>Keep reading to learn more about what it's really like to be an elite nanny.</p><p>Note: Business Insider was able to verify each nanny's identity, but we refrained from publishing some of their full names to protect their privacy.</p><p><em><strong>Do you nanny for a wealthy family and have a story to share?</strong> Contact the reporter via encrypted messaging app Signal at +1 (646) 768-4725 using a non-work phone, email at <a href="mailto:trogers@businessinsider.com">trogers@businessinsider.com</a>, or Twitter DM at <a href="https://twitter.com/TaylorNRogers">@TaylorNRogers</a>. (PR pitches by email only, please.)</em></p>

7 nannies who work for the rich and powerful share the worst things they've ever been asked to do on the job

<ul class="summary-list"><li>As officials determine <a href="https://www.insider.com/im-a-teacher-id-like-school-reopen-not-like-this-2020-7">how they'll proceed with classes in the fall</a>, many families say they don't want to risk sending their kids to school, but also don't want to homeschool.</li><li>Instead, some families are forming private school pods at home and are hiring teachers to run them. </li><li>A private teacher can cost anywhere from $60,000 to $125,000 a year, according to Katie Provinziano, managing director of Westside Nannies in Los Angeles.</li><li>Parents who work full time say it's a worthwhile investment, but educators worry these boutique pods could cause an even deeper divide between high-income and low-income students.</li></ul><p>As schools scramble to figure out how — and if — they'll reopen in the fall, parents who don't want the coronavirus risks of in-person learning but are fed up with teaching their kids at home are pursuing a third option: Education pods with privately-hired teachers. </p><p>Research shows that <a href="https://www.insider.com/pediatrician-reopen-schools-even-if-it-leads-coronavirus-outbreaks-2020-6">keeping children from a formal educational environment</a> can have potentially damaging effects, including <a href="https://www.insider.com/quarantining-may-lead-higher-levels-of-depression-in-kids-study-2020-4">depression and anxiety</a>. <keyword id="95857" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Homeschooling">Homeschooling</keyword> children during the pandemic also <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/03/business/economy/coronavirus-working-women.html">disproportionately impacts working mothers</a>.</p><p>Parents of younger children are particularly apprehensive about more Zoom-based learning, since it's difficult for them to focus on a screen for extended periods of time</p><p>At the same time, there are looming questions about <a href="https://www.insider.com/third-of-florida-children-tested-for-covid-19-tested-positive-2020-7">how children contract and spread the coronavirus</a>. </p><p>That's why parents who have the funds, and the space, are developing their own boutique education pods. They're working to recruit small groups of children, who are close in age, live near one another, and whose families are taking similar quarantine measures. Parents are hiring teachers to run the private groups, which could take place in a family's playroom, basement, or guest house, which will be turned into defunct classrooms. </p><p>Exposing children to the same group of students every day could help minimize exposure to the coronavirus. With just a handful of children, parents can keep close tabs on kids who exhibit symptoms or who travel to a location that's high risk. </p><p>"[Children] desperately crave the socialization that comes with seeing their friends each day," said Jessica, a resident of southern California, who requested to use her first name to protect her family's privacy. "Distance learning is all the boring aspects of school — worksheets, Zoom — without any of the fun."</p><p>Jessica, who works in finance, is in the process of organizing a private pod for her first grader, which will consist of a handful of children who were in the same grade at her child's small public school. </p><h2>Developing private schooling pods at home may be alluring to families in states where schools may not reopen </h2><p>Parents in California may feel especially pressed to come up with alternative learning models after Governor Gavin Newsom's recent announcement that<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-remote-classes-school-districts-covid-19-watch-list-2020-7"> students in 32 of the state's 59 counties </a>will be required to conduct classes remotely this fall unless they see a decrease in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.</p><p>By contrast, states like<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/508105-heres-your-states-plan-for-reopening-schools"> Alabama, Florida, and Texas</a> are pushing for at least partial in-person schooling. But many families say they will only be satisfied with a full-time learning option.</p><p>That's likely why requests for <keyword id="1128422" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="private-tutors">private tutors</keyword> to run education pods have "skyrocketed," according to Katie Provinziano, managing director of Westside Nannies, a Los Angeles-based caregiver agency. </p><p>Over the course of one day this week, Provinziano said her team had 30 calls scheduled with families who were each interested in hiring private educators.</p><p>Pre-pandemic, Provinziano said her company would get requests for private tutors about a handful of times per year, mostly for high-profile clients, like celebrities filming on location. </p><h2><div type="image" title="homeschooling coronavirus" height="3456" width="4608" msid="77134033" hostid="261"></div></h2><p>Jenni Mahnaz, a homeschool consultant, said she's also seen a surge in interest from parents. </p><p>"I used to get a new client here or there," Mahnaz said. "Now, I'm getting contacts every week and I'm answering questions for what seems like all day in online forums."</p><p>The reassurance of having a consistently-scheduled and relatively safe school pod also comes at a steep price.</p><p>Hourly rates for private teachers range from $30 to $60 per hour, according to Provinziano. Yearly rates start at $60,000 and go up to $125,000, depending on the candidate's experience and the number of children and grade levels represented, she said.</p><p>Jessica and her pod members considered 25 candidates for the teaching role and settled on a credentialed teacher with eight years of experience. It will cost the families about $7,600 a month. Each family will have to pay somewhere between $325 to $400 per week, per child. Jessica said she knows of families who are also offering <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> benefits on top of the salary. </p><h2>Parents are willing to pay thousands of dollars for private tutors to help protect their own jobs </h2><p>For some families, the rates are on par with what they were paying in tuition for private school.</p><p>But even for people like Jessica, who will be spending significantly more on education, it may be worth it. Jessica and her husband said they'll be working from home "indefinitely" and the only way they foresee being able to balance their work obligations with their childcare demands is with a private tutor. </p><p>"We cannot be homeschool teachers and fulfill our professional responsibilities," she said.</p><p>In creating a learning pod for her two children, Tesse Rasmussen, a consultant in El Segundo, California, is also thinking about protecting her and her husband's jobs. Rasmussen is formulating a pod of between four and six kids, and it will cost about $40 to $60 an hour.</p><p>"It's going to be an investment," Rasmussen said. "But the alternative is for one of us to stop working, and I can't see that happening either."</p><p>Rasmussen hopes to hire someone to cover at least four hours of the day. The other parents, who all work full time, plan to do childcare in shifts. </p><h2>Some families are hoping to hire a retired family member to serve as the head teacher of a pod</h2><p><div type="image" title="homeschooling" height="3264" width="4352" msid="77134043" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Some parents may be fortunate enough to tap a family member to serve as a teacher for a private pod. This was the case for Lizzie Goodman, a Chicago-based writer.</p><p>Goodman's mother, a retired early education teacher and reading specialist, volunteered to lead a pod for her grandchild who's in first grade.</p><p>"I was super relieved to hear my mom was eager to step up to the plate," Goodman told Insider. </p><p>For most families though, these hyper-focused learning pods will be costly and could exacerbate an already deep divide between high- and low-income families.</p><h2>The shift toward private schooling pods could exacerbate an already steep divide between high- and low-income students</h2><p>Even when schools first closed across the board at the start of the pandemic, there were already stark inequities taking root. This was the case for children who didn't have access to WiFi or computers and whose parents who worked outside the home weren't available to oversee their lessons.</p><p>The educational system at large could potentially be impacted, since it <a href="https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R45827.pdf">relies on per-pupil funding</a>. If families pull children out of public school en masse, smaller classes could mean fewer resources in the future.</p><p>"I completely understand that parents are panicked," said Tasha C. Ring, founder and director of Ohio-based Meridian Learning, which serves as a resource for microschools. "But mindful, sustainable solutions will benefit more people longer term."</p><p>Ring said she's heard of parents who are offering pod spots to lower-income students. But Ring is concerned that this will translate into "pseudo-charity." It will likely only help a few students and she wonders how those children will get services like meals that they'd normally get in public schools. </p><h2>Parents are recruiting students and teachers in Facebook groups devoted to the pod concept</h2><p>Facebook groups are playing a crucial role for parents who are searching for pod members to join up with and educators to hire. </p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/pandemicpodsf/">Pandemic Pods and Microschools</a>, which has more than 8,000 members, is one of those Facebook groups. Families share tips on finding teachers, information about compensation rates, and tips on organizing such extracurricular activities as gardening and cooking. </p><p>Facebook groups for parents who are Black, indigenous, and people of color have also sprung up to support a similar purpose. One group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/876843739507884/?multi_permalinks=880595972465994%252C880580855800839&amp;notif_id=1595207738721650&amp;notif_t=group_activity&amp;ref=notifmp;ref=notif">BIPOC-led pandemic pods and microschools</a>, is helping parents develop private pods. </p><p>In the group, members focus on creating a curriculum that centers on equity and justice. Non-BIPOC parents "committed to liberation" are welcomed.</p><p>Vicki Keire, a biracial mother and teacher based in Florida, said well-meaning white parents often discuss plans to add BIPOC students to existing pods, but she encouraged parents to not "tokenize" people of color.</p><p>"I would not want to join a pod as an afterthought. I would not want to be 'included' in a system I did not help create," Keire said. "I'd want to feel as if I had been able to help craft the pod's rules, goals, expectations, and that my voice had been valued."</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/pediatrician-reopen-schools-even-if-it-leads-coronavirus-outbreaks-2020-6">I'm a pediatrician and I think we should reopen schools, even with the risk of coronavirus outbreaks</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/im-a-teacher-id-like-school-reopen-not-like-this-2020-7">I'm a public school teacher and I want to return to my classroom. But not like this.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/third-of-florida-children-tested-for-covid-19-tested-positive-2020-7">Nearly a third of Florida children taking a coronavirus test are positive — and no one knows why</a></li><li><a href="http://static.insider.com/how-the-ymca-childcare-centers-prevented-coronavirus-outbreaks-2020-7">How YMCA childcare centers prevented coronavirus outbreaks</a></li></ul>

You Searched For "westside nannies" and got 8 results

Wealthy families are hiring coaches and out-of-work camp counselors for private 'summer camps' to keep kids entertained while they're stuck at home

Taylor Nicole Rogers

Wealthy parents are paying to have their kids homeschooled by professionals for up to 5 hours a day, and it shows how the pandemic is widening the gaps in America's education system

Taylor Nicole Rogers

What it’s like to be a nanny during the pandemic, getting paid $1,000 a week while risking infection and sudden unemployment

Jaimie Seaton

Nannies who have coronavirus antibodies are in high demand

Nadine Jolie Courtney

What it's like to be a high-profile nanny quarantined with your boss during the coronavirus pandemic

Taylor Nicole Rogers

Tantrums, rude parents, and meal prepping: Take a look inside the 13-hour day of an elite nanny for the ultra-wealthy

Taylor Nicole Rogers

7 nannies who work for the rich and powerful share the worst things they've ever been asked to do on the job

Taylor Nicole Rogers

Parents are spending $125,000 a year on at-home education pods to protect kids from coronavirus risks at school

Nadine Jolie Courtney