LAUSD

Parents Scramble for Child Care Options During LAUSD Strike School Closures

A three-day workers strike left many families looking for child care alternatives.

NBC Universal, Inc.

With LAUSD schools closed, parents have made alternative plans for child care and the city of LA is offering their recreation centers as an option for families.

The Echo Park Recreation Center is one of 30 sites open for families. They are already at capacity with 50 students and since the city required parents to register their children they were able to plan ahead for staffing.

The planning ahead allowed parents to know if there was any space left for their child, if not they could choose another location or a different site offering student supervision. The city's recreation centers are providing free programming for first through fifth graders.

Parents shared with NBC4 that the process to sign up was easy to navigate and allowed them to sign up for the entire strike which closes schools for three days.

Rachel Elder told NBC4 that the Echo Park Rec Center was a convenient option near her home for son, Hardy.

The massive three-day strike shut down all LAUSD schools. Alex Rozier reports March 21, 2023.

"It was either working from home with my son playing video games and not have anything to do or it was finding some pod of people that might be in the same boat," Elder said. "Ultimately the rec centers were offering care with limited spaces."

The rec centers are offering group activities, games and assistance with school assignments. Twin brothers Hab and Huck brought their homework packets to work on. The two seemed to be excited for more than their schoolwork.

"So I can make friends," Hab said, a second grader at Clifford Street Elementary School.

All 30 rec center sites are either at capacity or close to it and there are even waitlists.

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