Highlights
- Dating casual educator si Grace Labucana sa Metro Melbourne.
- Nadanasan niya ang malaking pagkabawas ng kanyang work hours noong mag-Stage 3 lockdown sa Victoria.
- Saad niya na malaki ang nararamdaman nilang guilt dahil hindi sila maaaring tumangap ng ibang bata habang Stage 4 lockdown.
"We made a commitment to care for and educate children, but then we have to tell parents we can't. It makes us feel like we are going against what we promised to do. It feels like we aren't doing our job."
Ayon sa Victorian educator na si Grace Labucana, malaki ang naging epekto ng pandemya sa bilang ng enrollees sa mga centres at sa work hours ng mga educators.
Grace sought support from her family to cope financially Source: Grace Labucana
Stage 3
"I began working as a casual educator for a chain of childcare centres last year. When the pandemic happened and we went to Stage 3 lockdown, my hours suddenly got reduced. Luckily, I lived with my siblings then and they helped me cope financially."
Lumipat na si Grace sa Traralgon, ngunit saad niya na nagsumikap pa rin siya sa pagtatrabaho noong nag-Stage 3 lockdown noong nakatira pa siya sa Metro Melbourne.
"The centres I worked for before started with maybe 50-60 kids a day, then that went down to 30-40."
"The centres I worked for before started with maybe 50-60 kids a day, then that went down to 30-40." Source: cottonbro from Pexels
"This is an industry that presupposes educators sacrifice pay and time. The lockdown required us to prepare and plan online learning and classes [such as yoga] for children who weren't attending care. Sometimes we would get paid extra, but sometimes not; but at least, during Stage 3, kids were still allowed to attend care."
Stage 4
Ngayo'y nasa Stage 4 lockdown ang Victoria, ang mga vulnerable na mga bata at mga anak lamang ng permitted workers and maaaring pumasok sa centres.
Kuwento ni Grace na saad ng mga kasamahan niya dati na mga 20 na bata na lamang ang pumapasok sa centre kung saan siya nagtatrabaho noon.
"It's quite sad - it's hard to turn away kids. Parents are just given suggestions regarding activities they can do at home. I don't know how my former colleagues are coping, but I do know they are there for each other. When I was still working with them, we made it a point to have constant communication with families online or over the phone."
"Parents are just given suggestions regarding activities they can do at home." Source: Sharon McCutcheon from Pexels
"In as much as educators want to help care for the kids, they can't. The penalty for breaching restrictions is huge."
BASAHIN / PAKINGGAN DIN
