Precious Edmonds Calls for Us to Reimagine How We See Children and Childcare

Story By: Bruce Poinsette

Illustration By: Desarea Guyton

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Precious Edmonds was traveling for work significantly and her 10-year-old daughter was enrolled in an afterschool program in Ashland that ended at 6pm. As a single mother, Edmonds didn’t have a large childcare network, but she could rely on a friend to take her daughter to school and pick her up consistently. Now she spends pretty much every day from when she wakes up to when she goes to sleep with her child. While the new setup brings challenges, Edmonds appreciates the ability to be more present in her daughter’s daily activities.

“When she’s home, it’s my preference that I can be active and present,” she says.

Being present has been particularly important to help her daughter with the transition to online school. Edmonds says her daughter gravitates towards the social aspect of school and dealing with the absence of that has been especially difficult.

“I know the challenge of having to sit 3 for hours straight is hard and I’m an adult,” says Edmonds. “I can only imagine it’s a super challenge for a 10 year old.”

Beyond the curriculum, Edmonds has also had to adjust to providing food. Prior to the pandemic, her daughter’s school provided multiple meals per day.

“All she does is talk about what she wants to eat,” says Edmonds. “To move from being responsible for one meal a day to three meals a day and snacks is a lot. It’s a lot financially. It’s a lot in terms of capacity.”

Edmonds is particularly worried about the possibility of an emergency situation. The one friend she has been counting on to take her daughter to school is getting ready to move and Edmonds doesn’t engage with her daughter’s father except when exchanging her.

She would love to take advantage of daycare options but costs are a major obstacle.

“If I don’t have a systematic, institutional childcare provider, I don’t have options,” she says Edmonds contrasts this both with her daughter’s daycare situation when they previously lived in Atlanta and her own experience growing up. In Atlanta, she says the teachers and caregivers became like family. Edmonds could rely on them in emergency situations.

When she was growing up, her caregivers were her family. Raised in Chicago, Edmonds’ mother and older sisters looked after her and also recruited neighbors to help when they weren’t available.

Those dynamics don’t exist for her in Ashland and the pandemic has made it significantly harder to meet new people. She worries about her daughter’s ability to receive culturally relevant teaching and support with the lack of Black educators.

“If you’re doing something with whom you’re actually in community with, you can at least be more clear about values that are being shared and taught,” says Edmonds.

In an ideal world she envisions childcare providers who have flexible hours and are available to anyone. She also believes employers should provide support, including on-site daycare. Another thing she would like to see is more accessibility to caregivers who can assist in the home and be part of the “village” model of raising children.

“We need to reimagine how we see children and reimagine how we see the care of children,” says Edmonds. “Children are a necessity for the advancement of our society. We can’t treat them like they’re a problem, but that they’re important. And from birth. Not just when they’re adults and can do work.”