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NILES — Michigan parents awoke to the reality of a new challenge on Monday morning as schools K-12 were shut down across the state.

“As a single income household having to pay unexpectedly, daycare bills are very difficult. We have to worry about what our kids are being exposed to at daycare around the other kids, so what is the difference?” asked Niles resident Shanda Ezell.

As schools followed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s order to close down from Monday through April 5, some parents have expressed concern as they seek childcare solutions. With large gatherings discouraged by both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the White House, parents are scrambling to determine what closures will mean as their work schedules are altered and childcare options become limited.

Ezell expressed that the financial aspect of daycare would be a burden for families.

Ezell’s mother can help watch her daughter, though she knows that she cannot count on that every day.

“[I’m] not sure how people are supposed to survive,” Ezell said.

Another Niles resident, Kristen Nelson, also expressed concern about finding care for her children.

“Not only is it hard to find a sitter in general because of what’s going on, but I have five kids between ages eight months to 10 years. No one can add that many, and I don’t want to split them,” Nelson said. “I am limited on family that can help.”

Nelson’s grandmother is able to help, but she knows that she cannot manage that many children for extended periods of time.

“To be honest, daycare for five kids, five days a week is completely out of budget,” Nelson said. She also cited the risk of catching an illness at a daycare being similar to that of catching it at school.

“I’m sure other parents have had to cut down on [work] hours. I’m already only part-time,” Nelson said.

Childcare providers also faced new sets of challenges as decisions were made.

The Niles-Buchanan YMCA closed its fitness facilities on Monday afternoon under new mandates from Gov. Whitmer, but kept its ChildWatch program active.

Zechariah Hoyt, director of early childhood education at the Niles-Buchanan YMCA, commented on the program’s offerings emphasizing that things were subject to change rapidly.

“This year, we put into effect our emergency care so that we could offer spots for care if school was not in session,” Hoyt said. “We currently have that available, so those are the things we are currently involved in.”

The ChildWatch program started as an emergency care for children, kindergarten through fifth grade, who would typically be in school. The idea was to have a safe place and care during snow days.

Hoyt said that there had been no increased interest in the program since Whitmer announced the school closure mandates.

“We have a team that’s willing to work. As long as we have a team willing to work, and we have a need, we want to staff that need,” Hoyt said. “We want to make sure we are doing our due diligence. We need separation space to keep kids healthy and safe. That’s what we could do with the staff we could allocate.”

Hoyt is working hard to make sure they stay in compliance with announcements as they are made, he said.

In-home family daycares are also working to stay operational at this time.

Heidi Moore, a licensed home childcare provider in Niles, weighed in on some of the differences and challenges in home care offerings

“I am an in-home family daycare,” Moore said. “Family means you are licensed to care for up to six children that are not related to you, with ratios of certain number of children of certain ages.”

Moore said that she generally works with children from infants to age five, but has also worked with school-aged children.

The limitations on how many children can be watched at once had started conversation between providers. Moore said that licensed providers in Michigan had been discussing how they hoped that they are given some room to fluctuate on their childcare limits, so that parents may more easily find care.

“In Michigan, it is against the law to care for children in your own home without being licensed, but there are a lot of people offering care who are not licensed,” Moore said. “I have a lot of friends who have needed care via Facebook, but they know that I am full so they haven’t asked me yet.”

Being at capacity for children to watch in her home already, Moore has not been able to extend her services to her friends.

“It’s a business where you accept kids when a spot opens up,” she said.