Parenting during the pandemic ain’t easy.

Theresa Hegel and Christopher Ruvo know that firsthand.

The ASI editorial staffers are working parents who, like thousands of other professionals in the promo products industry, now daily perform the juggling act of meeting job responsibilities and caring for/educating their children during COVID-19.

A fairly standard workday at the Ruvo residence.

As school resumes around the United States, the challenges for working parents are intensifying. In this Promo Insiders podcast (recorded during a Facebook Live event on Aug. 25), Chris and Theresa share strategies that will help parents navigate the obstacles that back-to-school presents, whether you’re sending your kids for in-person instruction or having them educated at home through cyber learning.

Podcast Chapters:
1:33: The pros, cons and decision-making that goes into choosing to send a child for in-person instruction or keep them home for cyber learning.
7:34: Best practices if you’re sending your child for in-person instruction.
17:42: Best practices for in-home cyber school.
35:10: Mental health tips for workings parents.

Looking for a few quick takeaways? Here are some highlights. For all the insights, listen to the podcast or watch the video.

Smart Steps For Parents Sending Kids Back For In-Person Instruction

• Have a good in-depth discussion with your kids about the importance of wearing a mask, washing hands frequently and social distancing. Consistently revisit this subject as the school year gets underway. Help children develop strategies for how they can social distance.
• Get children outfitted with a comfortable, cloth mask that properly fits the face. Take the time to get the mask fit right; they’ll be more likely to wear it. Mask hooks can help make masks more comfortable, so consider investing in them. Also, have your children practice mask wearing for extended periods of time in advance of their return to school.
• Send your children to school with hand sanitizer that’s at least 60% alcohol. Ensure the sanitizer does not contain methanol or other harmful substances. The FDA has a list of sanitizers it considers toxic and/or ineffective.
• If possible, drive children or walk them to school and pick them up. It’s harder to social distance on the bus.
• Regularly check in with teachers and administrators, and attend/virtually watch school board meetings to stay on top of how things are going. Also, join local parent groups on social media platforms like Facebook, but take information in these forums with a grain of salt: Misinformation spreads fast.

Sound Strategies For In-Home Cyber Schooling

• Have a discussion with your children in which you set expectations and give them time to ask questions and voice their concerns. Be empathetic to their concerns and calmly explain how matters might be addressed.
• Create a schedule and stick to it. Some will have this dictated by the fact that a teacher may be streaming live classes during certain times, which helps provide structure and around which you can build the rest of the day. If the learning is self-guided though, then it’s especially important to have a planned out daily schedule to provide a framework.
• Build in physical activity to the daily schedule.
• Set daily goals and offer rewards for hitting them.
• If two parents are both working from home, equitably split up the homeschooling tasks so one parent is not overloaded.
• Talk to your work about options for flexibility that enable you to best juggle your job and your in-home instruction time.
• Some of this assumes at least one parent is home with children. If work commitments make that impossible, see about having your child join a socially distant study group or pod and/or paying a vetted reliable unemployed family member, friend or colleague to help with oversight of the kids and cyber instruction.
• If schooling in the home, create a comfortable work space for your kids. Make these inviting places.
• Reduce screen time as much as possible. If there are assignments the kids can do with pen and paper, have them do it. Reading real physical books will help too.