Your support made pandemic child care possible
Enyo Dzata, a pediatric nurse practitioner, and her husband Sasha Smith who works at Slocum Center for Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, needed to find care for their 2 young children in order to continue working when school and their daycare abruptly closed in Spring 2020.
Because of the childcare collaboration between the Y, the city, Lane County and local school districts, Zoé, age 4, was enrolled in Y care for the first time.
“Our family hadn’t used Y child care before,” Enyo says. “It was a little challenging at first for me knowing that I was dropping off my child in a new environment and, because of COVID restrictions, I couldn’t see her classroom.”
In order to limit the spread of the virus, families left their children with Y staff at the door. Parents communicated with teachers through Zoom, email or phone calls.
“Zoé loved it,” Enyo says. “She always talked about Miss Debbie and the walks they would go on. I know how much work it is to take care of kids, and the Y staff did an exceptional job— they are gifted caregivers. It was amazing to see how people’s expertise, knowledge and gifts came out during this crisis.”
They were so impressed with the Y’s compassionate care that they’ve continued Zoé’s enrollment since those first critical weeks—and added her sister Mercy for summer camp.
“Zoé always felt welcomed and excited,” Enyo says. “Y staff understood her energy level and what she needed. They nurtured her at a time when we all needed support.”
When Enyo looks back on this pandemic year, she says she feels gratitude.
“It was such a scary time and yet it was beautiful to see how people came together to support each other,” she says. “The Y took on this new role out of love for the community. The staff’s expertise and knowledge about caring for kids during difficult situations meant that this past year has been a joy for Zoé.”
