RESPITE SERVICE: EFFECTIVE CHILDCARE DURING PANDEMIC 1

Child Respite Service Study: An Evaluation of Effective Childcare Services during Pandemic

Grace Walker

University of Cincinnati
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Abstract

This paper follows the progression and development of an exploratory service project aimed at

providing rest to parents. Research of literature is conducted around the topic of childcare and

parenting during the COVID-19 crisis alongside a survey of a childcare coordinator and parents

in the church community. The project itself provides parents with childcare at the church for

several hours once a month, giving them time to rest and recuperate. Relational byproducts of the

service greatly improved the church atmosphere, giving children positive role models among the

high school and college students.

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Child Respite Service Study: An Evaluation of Effective Childcare Services during Pandemic

Introduction

Being busy is no new issue to anyone who calls themselves a parent, but it has become

increasingly burdensome during the instability of quarantine. Many parents are forced to work,

or try to, from home. A few have even lost jobs or have been forced into unpaid time off due

economic decline and mandatory quarantine. This is made more stressful by the chaos of having

children increasingly isolated in the home environment. Holding this background in mind, the

need for moments of relief in families has become incredibly pressing. Hosting a “Parent

Respite” once a month is a means to provide one of these necessary reliefs.

         The objectives of this project are simple. The goal is to evaluate the current needs of

parents and provide them more time to fulfill these needs. The childcare service will

simultaneously give their children time to enjoy much needed socialization. Measurable results

will be seen in children’s behavior during the event and in subsequent months, particularly the

extent to which children get release and enjoying themselves, and parent mentality afterwards,

specifically whether or not parents seem more at ease, enjoyed the event, and are eager to use it

again. The hope is that these answers will be affirmative, improving family coping abilities.

         Research was conducted on human response to quarantine and positive coping strategies,

which proved beneficial to the event itself. Surveys were conducted with parents in the Church

community where this service occurs, as well as with the children’s director on her strategies and

observations in childcare. Monitoring takes place through continued marks of attendance,

reflecting how successful and desired the event is, and satisfaction afterwards, measured by both

spoken and unspoken queuing.

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Research & Literature Review: Effects and Solutions of Quarantine on Parent and Child

Wellbeing

         Family stress is no new issue, but because many parents are now forced to work, or try to,

from home, that stress has become an even more prominent concern. The constant contact with

their children, social isolation, and job alteration or loss are all consequences of the COVID-19

pandemic. My service project involved hosting a “Parent’s Night Out” once a month to create a

moment of relief for parents and much-needed socialization for children in answer to this issue.

This research project, then, will seek to understand parent-child stressors and solutions more

fully, studying the effects of social isolation and the role socialization plays in family stability.

The problem being addressed in this project is laid out in the article, "The Psychological

Impact of Quarantine and how to Reduce it: Rapid Review of the Evidence” from The Lanclet

journal.  The authors examined 3166 papers, including 24 of them in the review and used them to

explore the psychological effects of quarantine. These include post-traumatic stress symptoms,

confusion, anger, boredom, financial loss, and stigma. The authors claim that in the reviewed

studies, “the financial loss as a result of quarantine created serious socioeconomic distress and

was found to be a risk factor for symptoms of psychological disorders and both anger and

anxiety” (Brooks et al. 19). The isolation and stressors prompted by quarantine, though deemed

necessary, create an immense economic and social burden on individuals often out of work,

working from home, lacking normal social releases, and handling all child responsibility with

very little to no reprieve. This is the issue. The writers go on to suggest that “restricting the

length of quarantine to what is scientifically reasonable given the known duration…would

minimize the effect on people” (Brooks et al. 32). This acknowledges a fundamental need of all
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people for something very simple but very pivotal: socialization. The authors claim quarantine

should be limited as much as safety can allow because people are not made for isolation. People

are not expected to go about life without interaction, and there is positive research and evidence

“to suggest that support groups specifically for people who were quarantined at home during

disease outbreaks can be helpful” (Brooks et al. 34). This project simply intended to meet this

need. By providing the socialization and sense of care that is often lacking in times of fear and

isolation, people will have the opportunity to find some of the social release they have been

lacking.

Looking specifically at how this problem manifests in children is the Pakistan Journal of

Medical Science article titled, “Psychological Burden of Quarantine in Children and

Adolescents: A Rapid Systematic Review and Proposed Solutions”. Through several

international studies of quarantine before and during COVID 19, Imran et al. presented the

psychological impact in the form of restlessness, irritability, anxiety, inattention, and clinginess,

largely due to increased screen time, parental stress, disrupted schedule, and failures in exercise

and diet. The authors note, “Routines, social interactions and friendships are among the most

important factors responsible for children’s normal psychological development” (Imran et al.

1107). Across Italy, Spain, and China (the main regions of data-collection), results show this to

be extremely pertinent. Data from studies suggest significant emotional and behavior changes,

with younger children becoming clingier and regressing in behaviors, and older children

becoming more anxious, angry, restless, and withdrawn (Imran et al. 1111). The need for

normalcy in socialization is here evident.

However, there is shown to be significant influence on children in the reactions of their

parents. Parental stress seems to correlate and predict stress reactions in children, setting the
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atmosphere of the home. In managing their own stress better, parents can help manage children

stress (Imran et al. 1114). The need is again shown to allow parents rest and relief to help release

the anxiety of not only themselves, but consequently, their children. Also gained from the study

is the negative impact of quarantine on physical health, with less physical activity and more

screen time than is typical (Imran et al. 1112). This project needed to make it a point to create

activities where children could be physically and relationally engaging while still maintaining

safety. This could take the form of crafts, races, and other non-touch games like “Simon says”

that involve interaction without excessive touch.

Psychotherapist Frank Jacobi wrote, "Ride Out Domestic Isolation and Quarantine” in the

journal Psychotherapeut to recommend clear behavioral measures and mental strategies,

scientifically researched and established in psychology that help to overcome this exceptional

isolation. One of these is routine. Keeping consistent expectations and schedules is crucial for

both children and parents, all the while looking for different and new ways to learn and grow

(Jacobi 177). This might mean writing out morning routines, to-do charts, or bucket lists with the

children as an optional craft activity. They can talk about skills they want to learn with the

teenagers and adults, and those caregivers, in turn, can offer fun hobbies and skills they

developed to encourage the children. A major, potentially the most major, concept mentioned in

these health strategies was perspective. Jacobi mentions that it “is not the things themselves that

worry us, but the ideas and perspectives on things”(Jacobi 180). The way people train themselves

to perceive, and it can be trained, it crucial in approaching the stress of quarantine. For example,

instead of being stuck at home for work and locked away, one can see the slow-down as more

quality time with their family and time to look at what matters. One can take it as a chance to

practice patience instead of blaming a person or situation. “Prudence and…’positive framing'

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despite all burdens can make a massive contribution to limiting the extent of the pandemic and

its consequences”, says Jocobi. (Jacobi 180). We as caregivers can institute this brighter

perception to begin shifting the child’s perspectives to value this time rather than dread it.

When considering the parent-child relationship and stress complexes, it can be beneficial to

look directly at parents and their questions.  The journal Mississippi RN uses, “Families Coping

with COVID-19: A Q&A Session”, to look directly at parent problems and questions, proposing

potential options to deal with them. While not all methods work for every family, the question-

answer session gives a good foundation for the areas of need. Answers tend to look at

socialization and safety, recommending a healthy balance of both and not depriving children or

parents of either. One of the most substantial contributions to this service project I found was in

giving children a clear role. Children tend to deal with difficult tasks and changes easier if given

a role or title, since it helps them understand their place in problems. Calabrese et al. mention

that it “helps them to feel empowered and also makes their behaviors more meaningful if they

understand that what they are doing is important for themselves and others”(p. 6). The example

is given of a classroom scenario where, when children have behavioral or academic difficulties,

motivation and focus is inspired by assigning the role of handing out paper or leading activities

(Calabrese et al. 6) This concept applies greatly to children in the uncertain situation today and

with this project. By giving children fun roles in games and activities, and by talking to them

about their roles at home, we can help validate a sense of security and purpose.

The New York Times article ‘I have Given Up’: Parenting in Quarantine gives direct insights

into the struggles parents have been having in Quarantine, similar the previous article “Families

Coping with COVID-19: A Q&A Session.” Harris et al. give direct stories and quotations from

parents, and though subjective, these tell much about what specifically is needed by families in
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relative isolation. There are many reports, but they tended to zero in on lacking time to balance

children, school, and work, and inability to keep up with routine when its usual mandates are

gone. While many adults lament this, Alexandra Leigh from Louisiana notes that “[her] bar is

very low but there is much to be said for children learning self-sufficiency” ( Harris et al. 12).

This twists the typical quarantine mindset slightly. While it is difficult to be driven and self-

sufficient in quarantine, being forced to grows parents and children alike. This seems to be

acknowledged elusively throughout the reports. The adjustment required support, time to simply

“reflect and be thankful”(Harris et al. 18). When this takes place, many can grow under the

strain. Using these insights in light of the project, a lot of good can be reflected on in our time

with the children and the parents time with one another. We can look into what new skills and

traits the children have been developing to, again, shift their mindset to the positive. By the same

token, we can emphasize with the negative to let them know they are not alone

Research Results on Childcare Service

Through this study, it can be seen that quarantine in and of itself is an unnatural experience,

largely because it limits the socialization humankind was made for. Natural reactions to this

containment include stress symptoms, confusion, anger, boredom, and a feeling of helplessness.

The acquired data suggest significant emotional and behavior changes in children, with the

younger becoming clingier and regressing behaviors, and older becoming anxious, angry,

restless, and withdrawn as a trend. This frustration is furthered by the reactions of their parents to

stress, which can quickly harm the home atmosphere. Based on the research are several

solutions. “Positive framing” can be applied in our interactions, as caregivers, with the children,

looking at the good that comes with every situation to alter perspective. Children can be
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empowered and made more intentional in actions by giving them defined roles. The role of the

child will be more meaningful when they understand that their actions are important for

themselves and others. By giving children fun roles in games and activities, and by talking to

them about their roles at home, caregivers can help validate a sense of security and purpose.

Encouraging interactions and relationships while maintaining healthy boundaries is key to

perseverance in such a strange time for the world. Through this child respite project, families

will finally have moments of rest while children have structured and enjoyable time under our

care.

Survey Results and Evaluations

Church Parent Survey

A survey was instituted within the church’s parent community to determine whether the

findings of the literature accurately mirrored real parent experience. Survey questions were

meant to center around how the stress of quarantine has affected the child-parent dynamic, as

well as what parents believe would help in this adjustment. Chosen questions were worded to

uncover what the biggest issue with quarantine and child-care is and what parents would value as

an aid in that important relationship. The survey was dispersed out into the community using

physical copies located where parents drop off and pick up their children at church childcare.

The church elders made an announcement about these surveys in advance so parents were aware.

These surveys took physical form because the church is a very small and targeted audience that

likely would not take the time to go online for a survey, but would take it as they drop off

children. The survey and survey results are below.

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Parent Survey Instrument & Results

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Table 1

Parent interview: Experience of Parenting in Quarantine

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These results indicate in parents a general willingness and even eagerness to have their

children socialize in a currently more isolationist culture. Ninety percent of parents surveyed

strongly agreed that their children would benefit from spending time with those their age while

ten percent agreed. In addition, the results were scattered in parent support from families and

friends. Sixty percent did not feel certain they could use the help of others to get time for

themselves. Seventy percent of parents felt they were not given proper resources to parent during

the pandemic crisis. These statistics show a need for greater services, such as this Parent Respite.

The majority of participants (fifty percent) were neutral in regard to leaving their children in the

care of others. The lack of more radical answers (strongly agree and strongly disagree) assumes

that the decision depends on the people watching their children. This means a trustworthy,

familiar group of caregivers needs to be selected so that this service can be fully and comfortably

participated in.

When evaluating the short answer questions, there was general consensus that in regards

childcare, parents mostly wanted “more of it!”. Six out of ten parents interviewed said they

would love to be able to take more date nights out. Two parents mentioned wishing they had “big

brother, big sister” programs in which a teenager or young adult took their child out for one-on-

one or small group bonding. One of these parents mentioned after filling out the interview that

this would give her child another person to look up to and model after, and she believed a

younger person would be easier for their child to connect those roles to. Overall, the repetition of

wanting more childcare services validated the goal of this project. Childcare is very much

desired. Having teenagers and college students in the church fill a great deal of these childcare

roles allows for the role models a few of these parents sought.
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Expert Interview Results

The interviewee chosen to inform this childcare service project was Mrs. Ms. Puckett Puckett.

Ms. Puckett works as children's minister and organizer at Christ’s Fellowship church, and

because of that position, works with parents and children constantly. My connection to her is

through this service in the church body, particularly in my years serving as a kid’s leader in the

Vacation Bible School she organizes. Ms. Puckett also is a special education teacher and deals

with challenged children through that outlet. Her experience should help me get a fuller

understanding of the needs of the children we are working with, what methods have helped them

in the past, and potential ideas for helping them in this current circumstance.

         Firstly, I asked Ms. Puckett what resources she thought students were lacking in this

current circumstance. This question was intended to look for additional means of assistance we

as community members could help provide families. Ms. Puckett had to think for a moment on

this question. She said that what she found lacking might not strictly be considered a resource,

but public events in general. “I have noticed that kids miss the regular visits with church family

and play-dates with other children,” she told me. Ms. Puckett continued to talk about how

excited kids get just to have that semblance of normalcy again, as was true in our most recent

VBS, which had triple the children as usual. Because this is a faith-based community, Ms.

Puckett thought there was less fear and worry than others might be dealing with. The support that

some might feel lacking is “by no means missing here”, she said. Overall, I got the impression

that increasing safe public events was the help she found most needed. This was encouraging, as

its what the respite cares intend to do.

Secondly, I asked if Ms. Puckett noticed a change in child mood and behavior since the

pandemic started, and if so, how had it affected the church environment. I wanted to use this to
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gauge the extent of behavioral impact on the community. She said much of their interactions

have been very much the same, which is great. However, she did note that in initial meetings,

many children seemed to “forget a lot of social norms, such as how to greet people and taking

turns.” She believed being overly isolated led some to lose sight of rules or calmness that used to

be more natural. She also mentioned that not allowing everyone to see faces, due to mask

wearing, is very difficult for children.  They have to guess at moods and expressions and can

sometimes make them avoid eye contact or fidget. The church is doing very well despite this, she

pointed out. She looks forward to getting the masks off, and believes the fear has gotten a lot

better already. Some of the changes seem natural and will wear away once the situation betters,

but others seem to be fixed, again, with making socialization more normal again.

Thirdly, I asked Ms. Puckett what her approach was to handling agitation, anger, and other

mood changes in the children she works with. This question was meant to add to applicable skills

in childcare regardless of circumstance. She told me “grace and patience is the name of the

game”. In regard to our current times, she said that we have to “explain and verbalize feelings,

take breaks, and reteach normal behaviors when needed”. In general she emphasized the

importance of not giving attention to continued bad behavior. Wait until the child is calm, and at

that point, ask gentle questions about why they did what they did, how did they feel, why do they

think they felt that way, and so on. This gentle approach that does not reflect the child’s emotion

is an effective way to manage this care and life in general.

The last question asked what activities she thinks are most beneficial to children in this setting

and why. This question intended to find applicable games and activities for these respite care

events and those to come. Ms. Puckett’s answer was a simple one. She said that outdoor

activities “that the children are used to” help the most.  Doing normal singing, dancing, playing,
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and learning in class helps immensely. Though not directly stated, a major reason for this, I

believe, is that these activities maintain a pleasant sense of normalcy. Ms. Puckett goes on to say

that parent calmness and “allowing kids to be kids without freaking out about six-foot

distancing” has been beneficial. Safety standards are maintained, but they should not, by her

standards, be tyrannical. “Once we as adults are calm,” she said, “they are calm”. This emphasis

on normalcy and adult calmness validated a lot of my previous research and should prove

effective going forth.

         The information gathered through this interview validated some of my research,

furthering the idea that children often reflect the stress of their parents or caregivers. The last

question gave me insights on just how important maintaining that calmness is. Having this

outlook will teach children not only that they have support from you as an adult, but also that

they can be calm in the face of trial too. Easing children and parents into normalcy has certainly

been started already and can continue. Socialization is a major part of that. This interview

encouraged me to host more events like these, all the while portraying a fun and patient outlook

for the kids.

Service Institution, Evaluation, and Reflection

The process of deciding what issue I would target had begun with two target audiences. I

wanted to choose between going with a service project for foster children or working with

students to some capacity. Having done Christmas and Bible drives with foster families in the

past, I decided to try something new within my teaching major: tutoring. Many students switched

to online learning this year, and since they and their families have not dealt with that kind of
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education, free tutoring seemed be a great opportunity for many frustrated students and busy

families. That audience remained the same because of these needs, but my service switched. It

became apparent that tutoring was no small task, and for many, might be more extraneous that

helpful. Adding something else to the business of these new times was the last thing I wanted to

do. I switched the intent, in a sense. Rather than adding more work, I tried to find a way to

alleviate some.

I began to shift my focus from tutoring to child services. This way parents could get a break

to spend time with one another and destress from quarantine. There were great successes in this

simpler idea of organizing a "Parent's Respite". The first process I took to inform this was

research. It advanced my project by developing my understanding of stress in quarantine and

methods for effective childcare. I learned that frustration in children is increased by the reactions

of a child’s parents to stress, which can quickly harm the home atmosphere. A solution I

discovered was “Positive framing”. This is looking at the good that comes with every situation in

order to improve perspective of both children and parents. A goal was formed of encouraging

interactions and relationships while maintaining healthy boundaries. The next progressive step

was the interview. It showed me that despite quarantine, a lot of what children struggle with are

issues they have already been struggling with. While many parents lose routine and are

struggling with working from home, predispositions in children can be quite similar to what they

have always been. The difference is mainly a greater need for love and attention, so that was the

need I wanted to meet. These informative processes were effective in shaping the Children’s

Respite project and how my group as caregivers approached it.

The project itself was very effective when instituted. It involved taking care of children after

church at Christ’s Fellowship for around four hours while parents took time to rest. This service
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took place at the church building, mostly on the land outside of the farmhouse (a redone building

from the 1800’s where we do our youth and children’s groups). I gathered church-approved

teenagers and adults who were willing to volunteer in the childcare, reserved the church for the

event, set the time (after church at noon), and publicizing the event through announcements from

the elders in advance.

I hoped to give parents a respite with this event, which was evidently achieved. This was

measurable in the turnout on the November 27th event, with eleven children coming representing

six families, and the positive feedback from both the children and parents. However, as this rest

was temporary, I planned on doing one of these events every month to make this a frequent aid

to families. The second event was set for October the 25th. Unfortunately, a recent corona

outbreak hit our church earlier that same week, infecting many of our families including my

own. The church responsibly cancelled all large group events for the month, including this one.

While this hinders my ability to hold another Child’s Respite in the near future, there was more

benefit than the respite that I had not fully considered. This takes the form of deeper

relationships formed between the children and teens, as well as the teenagers and parents in our

church family. Many of the teenagers and adults who were helping, myself included, bonded

with the children. This caused many of the young adults to be much closer to the children

whenever we see them at church. These relationships mean a lot in terms of the support and love

shown to our families, and those expressions of support, both long-term and short-term, gave this

project great benefit.

Conclusion
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While this project met its goal of alleviating parent and child stress short-term, it also had

long-term benefits in creating positive relationships between people in the church body that

would not otherwise have met. These relationships are giving the youth positive role-models to

look up to among the teenagers and young adults, which was expressed as a desire of parents in

the survey. Though I did not expect these results in relationships to be as strong as they are, I am

thrilled with the outcome. In the future, I want to focus more on giving other service projects this

integral relational aspect. In fact, despite all of this learning, one of the most integral parts of this

project was the relationships it created. While this project met its goal of alleviating parent and

child stress short-term, it had better long-term benefits.  It created positive relationships between

people in the church body that would not otherwise have met. Service is not merely about

headcount or who can put in the most work or resources. While these are beneficial, it is the

impact on people that will be remembered. With the support and relationships built throughout

the Child Respite program, I believe that goal was met. I hope it will continue to be.
 Works Cited

Brooks, Samantha K., et al. "The Psychological Impact of Quarantine and how to Reduce it:

Rapid Review of the Evidence." The Lancet, vol. 395, no. 10227, 2020, pp. 912-920.

Calabrese, Patricia, and Christina Williams. “Families Coping with COVID-19: A Q&A

Session.” Mississippi RN, vol. 82, no. 2, June 2020, pp. 6–7.

Harris, Rachel L., and Lisa Tarchak. ‘I have Given Up’: Parenting in Quarantine. New York

Times Company, New York, 2020.

Imran, N., et al. "Psychological Burden of Quarantine in Children and Adolescents: A Rapid

Systematic Review and Proposed Solutions." Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, vol.

36, no. 5, 2020, pp. 1106-1116.

Jacobi, F. "Ride Out Domestic Isolation and Quarantine." Psychotherapeut, vol. 65, no. 3, 2020,

pp. 176-180.