” It’s such a scramble for families of elem kids to find child care when schools are closed.”
Schools are not free daycare.
Figure it out.
Use the same method that you use every summer.
Actually, schools HAVE been considered and used for free day care (as well as education) for generations now, enabling mothers to join the workforce.
Trump signed an executive order a few months ago stating that teachers are essential workers—there are two reasons why keeping public schools open is in the national interest: 1) the United States needs an educated military, and 2) parents need to be able to report to the front lines of factories and other industries that don’t involve work that can be done from home—when parents quit their jobs to stay home with their children who are doing 100% remote learning, that’s a hit to GDP.