Like most businesses right now, childcare isn't exactly booming.
With most kids forced to stay home, Wonderland Montessori, with seven locations in North Texas, has lost 90% of its regular attendees.
"Just to stay open is about a $50,000 loss per center, per month," said Wonderland Director of Community Relations Shannon Blackwell.
For the kids still attending, however, there is a bright side to this painful pandemic.
"It's given the kids a lot of time to work on some different projects, just to say thank you," Blackwell said.
The kids have spent their days making signs, drawing pictures and writing notes to say thank you to essential workers. Of course, they're not able to personally hand them out, so the Wonderland staff is taking pictures and then sharing the photos online for essential workers to see.
It's a sweet gesture, but to most people it may seem more like a school assignment than genuine goodwill. However, these kids very much understand the gravity of the situation, quite possibly more than anyone.
"In almost every location it's exclusively the children of essential workers," Blackwell said.
For the kids still attending Wonderland Montessori, their moms and dads are the ones on the front lines: doctors, nurses, first responders and grocers.
That's why they're taking time to show their appreciation, not only for their parents, but for everyone working to get us through this.
"Just saying thank you to anyone we can is a big thing," Blackwell said. "It's important to all of us to have that connection to the greater community."
It's a good reminder, especially for those stuck at home, that there's no better way to help than letting someone know how important they really are.
