By Katie Fleischer for Ms. Magazine. Broadcast version by Lily Bohlke for California News Service. Reporting for the Ms. Magazine-Public News Service Collaboration

Despite children younger than 12 still being unable to get vaccinated and the Delta variant surging across the country, most schools are opting to reopen in-person classes this month.

In states and localities without mask mandates for students, teachers or staff, youths are at an even higher risk of contracting COVID and transmitting it to vulnerable family members, and as children get sick, parents will be forced to leave their jobs to stay home. In two-parent heterosexual households, data shows mothers are still 10 times more likely than fathers to stay home with a sick child. For moms who are primary or sole caregivers, this creates an acute crisis.

Of course, a second year of remote schooling also presents challenges and its own set of gendered impacts, not only for children but for the caregiver who must stay home with them. During the first year of the pandemic, as schools and day-care centers closed, a disproportionate number of women left the workforce in order to take on child care and schooling responsibilities, averaging 15 hours more than dads per week.

Also complicating this year's return to school are low vaccination rates and rampant vaccine misinformation, leading to increased hesitancy and distrust of COVID vaccines. Even though the Food and Drug Administration has now granted the Pfizer vaccine full approval, more than half (52%) of Americans are fully vaccinated. For many, it can be hard to tell if sources are providing accurate scientific information or peddling an anti-vax agenda, contributing to uncertainty and fear surrounding the vaccines.

In particular, people of color tend to be more hesitant than white Americans to receive the vaccine, and along with women and low-income people, they are also more likely to face logistical problems preventing them from accessing it. Negative experiences with racism and sexism from medical professionals may be contributing to the hesitancy, as well as gendered misinformation such as false allegations of the vaccines affecting fertility. (Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists now are actively encouraging people who are pregnant or breastfeeding to get vaccinated).

I'esha (last name withheld), a pregnant mother of two and recipient of guaranteed income from Magnolia Mother's Trust, said she was hesitant at first about getting vaccinated during her pregnancy.

"I was very hesitant about the vaccine initially, but I got my first Pfizer shot a few weeks ago, and then I'll get my second shot next week, right before I deliver my baby," she said. "I made the choice to get it because my doctor had a patient who was not vaccinated and contracted COVID, and it really complicated her delivery. I decided getting the vaccine was worth any potential risk to protect me and my baby from getting sick."

Now, as schools scramble to deal with the Delta variant, moms -- especially in districts lacking mask and vaccine mandates -- are being forced to make a tough choice: Send their kids to school, knowing that they are likely to be exposed to unvaccinated students, teachers and adults; or continue remote schooling, which contributes to financial stress and inequities.

"I joke that I'm excited for them to go back to school, because my power bill when they started doing remote school went way up since they were home all the time," I'esha wrote in Ms. "But really I am scared about the Delta variant, and the high rates here in Mississippi and how the virus is affecting children. I would rather pay a high power bill than have them at school, honestly. But they are required to be back in school, even though I would love for them to continue to be schooled virtually." (Mississippi now ranks second in the country, behind New Jersey, for most COVID deaths per capita.)

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Education issued a formal warning to leaders in Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah, all states with statewide bans on mask mandates. The department's Office for Civil Rights is investigating whether their bans are discriminatory against students with disabilities, who may be more at risk from COVID-19.

Virtual schooling comes with its own built-in inequities for low-income students and students of color, setting them back in terms of curriculum and increasing existing education disparities. On average, K-12 students now are five months behind in math and four months behind in reading. But majority Black schools are six months behind and low-income schools are seven. One analysis suggested that this learning gap may result in students earning $49,000 to $61,000 less over their lifetime.

During the 2020-21 school year, as both teachers and kids struggled to adjust to virtual schooling, moms disproportionately carried the burden of helping their kids learn. Virtual classes added to their responsibilities at home, leading some moms, such as Chephirah, to leave the workforce permanently to ensure their children could still be successful at school.

"The pandemic really hurt my ability to work," she wrote. "I just couldn't get enough hours. I was getting maybe two days a week, then not getting anything for a week, or I'd get shifts that were just two or three hours. It wasn't enough to pay the bills and it was also during the pandemic, so I decided it was just better to stay at home with my daughter since she was doing online school. She really had a hard time with switching to virtual learning; she is much better and happier doing face-to-face in the classroom."

Similarly, Johnnie was forced to make the tough decision to leave her job in order to keep her family safe.

"When the pandemic first hit, I was working at Koch Foods as an office clerk," she said. "It was stressful during the pandemic, because drivers were coming from all over the country and we stayed open because the food-service industry were deemed essential workers. I ended up leaving my job because it was not safe and my daughter was not able to continue with school without my help. If I could've had somewhere to take her where she could get help with her online school, then that would've allowed me to keep my job. But I didn't have any options, so I had to quit my job to help my baby. I want her to have an education and I couldn't let her fall behind."

For families who dealt with the repercussions of remote schooling last year, programs such as the Magnolia Mother's Trust, which provides $1,000 per month in guaranteed income to Black women-led households living in extreme poverty, have made a huge difference. Guaranteed income involves payments directed to specific groups, such as women living in poverty, in order to address economic inequities.

During the pandemic and beyond, guaranteed income can help impacted communities overcome economic issues caused by systemic racism and sexism, and give low-income women the ability to set themselves and their children up for success. Johnnie explains how a federal guaranteed-income policy would make a huge difference for working moms:

"During the pandemic, it was really hard for me because it was mandatory for me to go to work, but then my daughter was home from school and I didn't have anyone to be there to help her," she said. "I also didn't have internet at home, so I had to pay to get that so that she could do her school work online.

"If I would've had some assistance from my employer, I also wouldn't have been behind on my rent," she said. "I really think the government needs to have some kind of program to make sure that essential workers are taken care of if there's another pandemic. I really just think that employers and the government need to be prepared better for something like this -- have supplies, have support programs, have a plan in place."

As schools reopen, combating vaccine misinformation is essential to keep families safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19 variants. But vaccinations on their own are not enough to help the country fully recover from the pandemic. The past year of virtual schooling will have a lasting impact -- for the women leaving the workforce in droves, kids falling behind in school and families forced to juggle work, child care and household tasks with lowered incomes.

Instead of continuing to force low-income moms to choose between putting their children's health at risk or being forced to leave the workforce, federal policies such as guaranteed income can provide a financial cushion that empowers recipients to make decisions not out of life-or-death desperation, but instead to protect their health, support their children's education and do what's best for their families in their specific circumstances.

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This story was produced with original reporting from Katie Fleischer for
Ms. Magazine.


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Gov. Janet Mills has signed legislation to increase temporary assistance payments to families experiencing deep poverty.

Payments will increase by 20%, meaning a single-parent family of three will now receive nearly $870 per month.

Ann Danforth, policy advocate with Maine Equal Justice, said the aid will help families get beyond just surviving.

"It enables parents to be able to have child care, to go to work," said Danforth, "and enables kids to grow up in strong families, where they are then able to participate in the workforce, too."

Nearly one in eight Maine children live in poverty. The bill passed both chambers with unanimous support, signaling what Danforth said is a greater understanding that poverty impacts us all.

Childhood poverty in the United States was cut nearly in half during the COVID-19 pandemic, as expanded federal and state tax credits put cash in parents' pockets to help cover their basic needs.

Danforth said Maine lawmakers heard testimony from families utilizing these rebates and temporary aid, providing them with direction on what policies work best.

"All of the research and data from these policies reinforce what people with low income tell us," said Danforth, "which is that when we give people the resources and supports they need and trust them to do what's best for themselves and their families, we all win."

Danforth said she'd like to see a renewed expansion of the federal Child Tax Credit and further consideration of direct cash payments in Maine.

She said these policies not only help families pay for rent and food but help lift the constant stress that comes with poverty, giving parents time to plan for the future.




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Arkansas is taking critical steps to address its high maternal mortality rate, especially among women of color.

In the Natural State, Black women are three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than are white women.

Angela Duran, executive director with Excel by Eight, partners with families and communities to improve health and education outcomes for children up to age eight.

She said that as a result of focus groups and surveys, her organization has developed a new policy agenda that prioritizes maternal health.

"We are looking at is making sure that women have the right health insurance to cover them from prenatal to birth to postpartum," said Duran. "We have met some amazing doulas in the state of Arkansas, who have been very supportive to women, particularly some African American doulas, and been working with Black women around the state."

Duran said Arkansas now offers insurance to women up to 138% of the federal poverty level as a result of the Medicaid expansion.

She added that women at higher incomes can also access health insurance with low or no premiums, co-pays and deductibles.

Duran commended Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' signing the executive order to address maternal mortality and increase access to doulas and various forms of health insurance.

Arkansas has a maternal mortality rate of approximately 44 deaths per 100-thousand live births.

Duran said her group's policy objective centers on examining populations that face disenfranchisement from systems for various reasons, hindering their ability to navigate existing structures effectively.

"In addition to maternal health, knowing that it has a stronger impact on Black women, we look at ALICE families - which stands for Asset-Limited Income Constrained and Employed," said Duran. "So, it's people that are working, doing the right thing, and still don't have enough income to meet their basic expenses."

Duran added that a prenatal care model called Centering Pregnancy helps to improves outcomes for Black and white women.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is launching a mobile version to reach underserved communities. It creates support groups for expectant mothers at similar stages.




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Supporters of a federal pilot program to distribute diapers to low-income families in Massachusetts hope to build upon its success.

More than 1 million diapers, along with wipes and other needed supplies have helped some 1,600 families over the past several months.

Adriana Leo, director of planning and grants management for Community Action Inc. in Haverhill, said the program gives parents with limited budgets a chance to get ahead.

"If a family knows that they have the diaper supply to send their child to care, they also know that they can then go to work, to their school programs," Leo explained. "They're going to be covered and their child's going to be comfortable."

Leo noted enrolled families have received 100 diapers each month, giving them the financial flexibility to cover other basic needs. More than one-third of Massachusetts families said they cannot afford enough diapers for their children.

The Massachusetts Association for Community Action, a coalition of more than 20 community action agencies in the state, was awarded more than 1 million dollars in federal aid to distribute diapers via four hubs across the state and Western Connecticut.

Rep. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst, is sponsoring legislation to create a state fund to keep up the effort, and has held diaper drives at the statehouse to build support.

"The biggest awareness building activity you can do is to hold a diaper drive and have people who haven't experienced the high cost of diapers recently go to the store and see how much they are," Domb asserted.

Domb pointed out diaper distribution is just one strategy to help families make ends meet, in addition to direct cash payments. She noted WIC and SNAP funds cannot be used for diaper purchases. The bill has already advanced to the House Ways and Means Committee.

Mary Marte, housing program director for North Shore Community Action Programs, said it is encouraging news, as parents have reported the challenge of paying rent and going without diapers at the end of the month.

"The clients and the families that we work with, they cannot afford to pay $3,000 rent in the north shore," Marte emphasized. "I think that people really appreciate the help."

Marte added she thinks of a young mother and her one-year-old daughter who have benefited from the diaper distribution program, who told Marte the diapers have brought her a sense of security as she attends college and the confidence to keep going.


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