As many schools remain closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some schools have moved to hybrid or fully online learning models for the 2020–21 school year. This change has affected many AGD members who must manage their office needs while also addressing fluctuating school schedules. We asked some members what they are doing to support their families and staff members.

Q: How many of your staff members, including yourself, are impacted by virtual schooling? 

Arlene O'Brien, DMD, FAGD: I have a very small practice, so, luckily, I am the only one impacted by virtual schooling.

Sheila Samaddar, DDS: Only two of us have school-aged kids, but we are both impacted, since our kids are virtual either full or part time.

Eric Jackson, DDS, MAGD, FICOI, FASD, FICD, FADI: Six [of seven staff members] have children in kindergarten through 12th grade, and one has children in college.

Jeremy Suess, DDS, MAGD: About a third of our office is affected.

Peter Veyanos, DMD: I am fortunate because my wife has been homeschooling for a few years now. Most of my staff members who have kids chose to do virtual learning at home half of the time and the other half in person at school. 

Jennifer Bell, DDS, FAGD: Out of 20 employees, 12 are impacted by virtual school, including our two owner doctors (myself and my business partner).

Sireesha Penumetcha, DDS, MAGD: We are all affected directly or indirectly. Five of eight team members have been directly affected with kids in virtual schools. 

What are some ways you are supporting your staff members who have children during this time? 

O’Brien: Since I don't have any staff members with school-aged children, I find my staff members are assisting me. We are taking longer lunch breaks when I need to run home and are changing the start times of certain days. 

Samaddar: COVID-19 has stretched us in new ways, but, since we have all been malleable, we have been able to manage. Being flexible for our office includes working remotely when possible and alternating days in the office or coming in later.

Jackson: Everyone’s needs are unique and vary from day to day. Variables such as the age of the children, spousal/family availability and urgency of the situation all come into play. Day-to-day issues come up as well, like sudden internet outages where the kids are e-learning. In situations like these, other staff members have been fantastically supportive and have helped to maintain top-notch care for our patients. I am very blessed to have such a great team.

Veyanos: We are more flexible with staff members’ schedules, but, at the same time, we try to create a fair environment within each department. For instance, some staff members have decided to start their day earlier so they can maintain their hours and pick up their kids from school on time. We have also separated vacation time from sick leave so they can specifically decide how they want to use time off. Overall, we understand that the world has changed, including daycare facilities, schools and work schedules. We are lucky that several of our staff members’ spouses are able to work from home, so they can be flexible with school schedules.

Bell: We used to have days that either had very early or late hours to accommodate commuters, but, since COVID-19, we have eliminated those times so our team members can be home more. In addition, we have moved four of our front desk team members with school-aged children to a flexible work-from-home schedule. They still rotate into the office at least once a week but support the office administratively from home three to four days a week. Children of staff members are also welcome in our office to perform their school duties in our spaces. While we know that is not always ideal, it at least gives our team members a secondary option if they are struggling to find support at home. Lastly, we are maintaining as much flexibility with our staff as we can. We receive more requests now to leave early, arrive late or take a day off to manage unique challenges with virtual school. 

Penumetcha: Going with the flow and being very flexible for our team and patients has helped our practice. For instance, my assistant’s son’s online enrichment program is only offered by his school until 2 p.m. but he needed some extra support, so we gifted the family an additional one-year subscription package to ensure he got the support he needed. Small acts like this mean a lot and show we care.

Are any of your staff members unable to return to work due to needing to stay at home with their children during the virtual school day? 

Veyanos: So far, we have had only one staff member who decided to stay home due to health concerns. All other staff members who have kids have been able to balance their kids’ school schedule and work. 

Bell: We have at least one member who will not be able to return to work until schools reopen. Many others have had to reduce their hours to manage their children’s needs. 

Suess: We are still struggling with personnel and availability. This was a previously recognized issue in Oregon, but it has been made much worse in the last six months. Virtual learning and the transition to at-home learning certainly has played a role.

Penumetcha: Yes, three out of eight. Right after the COVID-19 pandemic began, my previous office manager quit because to tend to school-age children at home, and my treatment plan coordinator quit for her child and for her mom, who is a cancer survivor. One employee works only Saturdays to accommodate virtual school for her son.

If you have children whose schools are currently virtual, how are you managing that responsibility in addition to your practice? 

O’Brien: My district is 100% virtual at this time. My husband cannot work from home either, so we have decided to send our children to a daycare center that has set up a virtual learning room. It is an added monthly expense that we were not anticipating, but it gives us peace of mind and is much less stressful than the alternatives. 

Samaddar: My spouse and my coworker’s spouse have flexible work situations right now, so that has been a huge benefit. They are able to work from home and also attend to the children for meals, schoolwork and homework projects. It is double duty for sure, but this pandemic has shown that being flexible with work hours, family time and other responsibilities is paramount for success.

Jackson: Like my staff, I am very fortunate to have both spousal and familial support to make the best of this difficult educational situation. 

Suess: This has been a challenge. We are fortunate to have family members taking some of the burden. We have also coordinated with another family to hire a recent graduate interested in education to act as a proctor during school hours. This brings our kids together in a more structured learning environment but with limited exposure to other classmates.

Veyanos: I am very fortunate in that my wife is a schoolteacher by trade and has been homeschooling our three kids for the past four years.

Bell: We have hired additional support at home to help with my three children. I have also had to reduce my clinical hours in order to be available for my children; they need emotional and instructional support that is difficult to impart through hired help. 

Penumetcha: I have four kids, ages 4, 6, 10 and 14. I am a small private practice owner and the only dentist in my practice. Believe me, I never thought I would have to homeschool my children. For my four-year-old, a parent is mandated to be online for two-hour virtual lessons, four days a week. Imagine my shock after learning this during the back-to-school Zoom meeting; I only had a week to improvise. My husband is an engineer and works from home but can’t do virtual school at the same time. So, every day, I take my four-year-old to “school” at my dental office. I moved some things out of my private office, set up a toy chest desk and changed my office’s hours so I can start my workday as an official preschool aide. During the last 15 minutes of preschool, patients are being checked in. Then, when the clock strikes 10 a.m., Teacher-Mommy suddenly transforms into The Dentist, complete with her superhero costume (PPE from head to toe). I have patients from 10 a.m. on, and I work a straight seven to eight hours to make up for preschool time. But there have been positive, healthy outcomes, too. I’ve learned to slow down every morning. When my four-year-old takes a whole week to learn one part of the alphabet, I wonder: Why did we rush so much before? 

Do you have any advice to share with others in similar positions? 

O’Brien: As a mom, a dentist and a practice owner, I was running myself ragged trying to figure out how I could do it all, but, in the end, I realized it just couldn't work. If family members can help, that’s great, but we ultimately decided it was too much to ask my in-laws. Having a facility for my children to go to relieves a lot of stress for the entire family. Also, the girls have a more structured day and are more attentive to virtual school outside the home. 

Samaddar: My main bit of advice is to lean on family and friends and combine tasks when possible. This could be learning pods, shared dinners with people close to you, or being open to new schedules and structures. Talking to loved ones near and far is important, too. You don’t know who in your circle could need help, and, conversely, hearing their voices could help you. Things look completely different than they did this time last year, and if we can move forward with grace even when times are increasingly difficult, all of us — including our kids — will come out stronger in the end.

Jackson: Be flexible and supportive. I know it sounds odd, but treat these difficult times as a team-building exercise. Use this as an opportunity to show your staff you’ve got their backs, because each person is an invaluable member of the team. 

Veyanos: My philosophy is that we cannot work successfully without our staff’s help. We need to be understanding of their specific needs. There might be parents who are single or who do not have family nearby to help. We need to be lenient with those types of situations, especially if we truly consider them valuable within our organization. This pandemic has also helped our organization see who will be by our side long term and who will not.

Bell: It is difficult to share advice with others, as we are still actively engaged in the battle. I know I have found comfort in being open and honest with other parents about my struggles, which helps maintain a sense of community. We continue to celebrate our great days and try to grow from our difficult days. We are also open books with our patients and often ask for grace when we cannot immediately meet their needs.

Penumetcha: Go with the flow. Look at challenges not as hurdles, but rather as opportunities to do things you never imagined possible. Look at life as giving you “surprises,” and remain enthusiastic and eager to live the best you can, one day at a time. I am using this opportunity to reconnect to the little things that give life meaning. It’s made me slow down and hug my kids more. I even started to enjoy cooking for the first time in my life during the shutdown, and I strive to earn the title of “Best Chef in the House.” I’ve also earned another LLSR this year: the “Live Life in Simple Reality” award.