Parent Perspective: Being a Parent and an Aspiring Entrepreneur During COVID-19
MEET ALICIA MCKEAN AND HER FAMILY
We are sharing first-hand accounts from some of our parents during COVID-19, who, like all of us, have each faced their own challenges and opportunities during this unusual time.
This week, we spoke to Alicia McKean, who has two children enrolled in The Primary School. Her oldest, Bruce, will be entering third grade at The Primary School this fall. Her youngest, Laila, will be entering kindergarten. Before COVID, Alicia was working on starting her own business while also balancing her regular job and being an engaged parent.
When the pandemic hit, Alicia’s already full plate started to overflow; she was suddenly balancing work, starting her own business, supporting Bruce and Laila with remote learning, and generally making sure that the whole family was staying mentally and physically healthy. On top of that, she had to deal with the rising costs of food, which made it more challenging to feed her growing children (with growing appetites!). She’s found comfort in the support of her parent wellness coach, Cristina Matthews, who calls Alicia regularly to check in on her and her family, share community resources, and help her set manageable goals to keep moving her business forward.
Despite the challenges, Alicia has seen several positive outcomes from the pandemic. For one, she no longer has to spend the time commuting to and from school; the family moved from East Palo Alto to Tracy in 2018, so during the regular school year, Alicia had to spend significantly more time on the road. With remote learning, she has been able to regain that time and energy. It’s also given her a chance to be more engaged with her son’s learning; she likes being able to have more hands-on time with his schoolwork and see him interact with his teachers. She has also enjoyed going on morning runs around the neighborhood with Bruce and Laila to get out of the house and stay healthy.
Read more about Alicia’s experience during COVID-19 in the interview below.
How have you and your family been practicing self-care during COVID-19?
I’ve been taking my kids out on morning runs around our neighborhood. Partly because I want to make sure my son is healthy, but also to get out of the house when it’s safe. My child has been eating a lot at home recently… which surprised me. It’s so funny because sometimes after he finishes dinner, he would ask for a snack. And I’m like, you just ate dinner!
How has it been transitioning into remote learning?
I kind of like being able to peek in during his Zoom meetings and see him interact with his teachers. It feels more hands on, so I have more engagement with his schoolwork. Like I’m there to witness it myself, and I can see what he’s struggling with.
What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to face during COVID-19?
The downside has been that the price of food has been going up. I’ve tried applying for other resources like Pandemic EBT but I never heard back from them. So many people are applying, too, and from what I’ve last heard, they might not finish processing the applications until December. Fortunately, [my parent coach] Cristina has been helping a lot.
How else has your parent coach been supportive during this time?
Cristina has been very helpful in walking me through my goals. I’m in the middle of creating my very own natural hair business, so she’s able to help break everything down to smaller, manageable goals. “By this day, you want this done? You think you can get it done?” She helps me break it down, step by step. Aside from my goals, too, she’s been very encouraging. Whenever I feel down or think that I’m not the best parent, she’ll always tell me, “Girl, think about what you’re doing!”