Election week in any politically mixed community is hard. In childcare, where you serve families across the political spectrum and your role is to be a calm, trusted constant, it has its own particular shape. Here’s how one California provider navigates it, in her own voice.
I run a small program in a community that votes both ways. Some of my families are progressive. Some are conservative. Some are quietly in between. They drop their kids off in the same hallway. Their kids play together every day. My job during election week is not to express my personal views. My job is to hold the space.
What I do.
I don’t bring up politics with families. Not at drop-off. Not in newsletters. Not on social media for the program. If a parent brings it up, I respond warmly and briefly — ‘thanks for sharing, see you tomorrow’ — and move on.
I keep election content out of the classroom for the youngest kids. They have no developmental need to encounter election anxiety. For older preschoolers, if voting comes up because a parent is taking them to vote, I respond simply: ‘voting is how grown-ups help make decisions for their community.’ That’s plenty.
I do not display political signs or hold political conversations in front of the kids. The kids of every family deserve to feel that the program belongs to them.
I prepare my team. A short staff conversation the week before. ‘Some of our families are going to be tense. We hold the space. We keep the room calm. We don’t engage politically with parents. If a parent says something hard, we listen briefly and move forward.’
I expect the day after to be hard. Half the community will be relieved. Half will be devastated. Some parents will be very tired. Kids will pick up the home energy. The classroom routine will be the gift we give that day.
What I don’t do.
I don’t pretend the week is a normal week. Acknowledging the weight without choosing a side is different from ignoring it. The week is heavier; the program is calmer in response.
I don’t engage with political commentary on personal social media using my program’s identity. I keep my professional and personal accounts separate.
I don’t say ‘we don’t talk about politics here.’ That can come across as dismissive. I say, when it comes up, ‘we’re focused on the kids here. Let’s see what they’re up to.’
What I do say.
To families, in a short newsletter line the Friday before: ‘We know this week is heavy for a lot of families on both sides. Our program will be the steady place this week, like it always is. We’re focused on the kids.’ Then nothing.
To my team: ‘Whatever you’re feeling personally, hold it gently this week. The kids deserve our full attention. We can support each other in the staff room.’
To parents who push: ‘I hear you. We have families on every side of this in our program. I focus on the children.’
Why this works for me.
Childcare is one of the last truly cross-political spaces in many California neighborhoods. Parents who disagree on everything else trust the same provider with their children. That trust is worth protecting. The price of protecting it is staying quiet professionally about politics, even when I have strong personal views.
Election week passes. The community remains. The kids return. My job is to be the calm constant on every side. That’s how I run my program. It works for me. Your mileage may vary.