The beginning of this school year is unusual in many ways. Most students are attending school in an online format, and many parents and caregivers are also working from home.
If you’re in this situation, it’s natural to feel nervous about how to manage this juggling act. The Oregon Health Authority suggests some ideas that may help:
- Get familiar with the learning platform your child is using. Many online platforms have reminder and planning tools to help you and your child stay aware and on track.
- Learn your child’s daily school schedule and plan to try to be available for the times they may need support. For example, some children might need help logging in at the start of the day.
- Prepare for interruptions. For example, will your home network handle both you and your children to be working online at the same time?
- Establish a routine. You can write up a schedule that includes wake-up times, meals, breaks, class transitions, times for online versus offline work during your workday so that everyone is on the same page about daily expectations.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has more tips about working and learning from home and age-based tips on how to juggle parenting and working at home during COVID-19.
