Bridget: A Mother Balancing Work and Childcare

Work was already chaotic for Bridget in March. She worked in resident services at a senior living facility, but when the manager had to leave work because of health issues, she stepped up and took on his work—with the hope of eventually being promoted. 

“I was working a lot more hours once I started working from home in March,” Bridget said. 

On top of working more hours, Bridget was also trying to provide remote schooling support for her son, who was in kindergarten, and childcare for her two year old, whose daycare was closed. 

“I was doing the best I could,” she said of trying to juggle meetings and employee trainings with watching her kids. 

Her husband worked in medical supplies and was deemed an essential worker. So even with a busy work schedule, Bridget became the primary childcare provider. It was rough on her kids to be isolated, especially because they were no longer able to see Bridget’s parents. Her father has early onset Alzheimer’s and has had to be cautious about interacting with others. 

Luckily, over the summer Bridget got the promotion and raise she had been hoping for, and is now the full time Community Manager at the senior facility. When she returned to the office, she took her two boys with her, letting them run around the office spaces while she worked on running the facility. 

Her new job is more important than ever because her husband has now left his job and is focusing on running his property management business. Without his job, they’re relying on Bridget to provide the family’s health insurance. 

Bridget used a $500 grant from SaverLife to send her oldest son to summer camp for four weeks so she could devote more focus to work and he could have some fun after being separated from his friends for so long. 

“He was so happy to get out,” she said.

She found out about the program through her Neighborhood Trust financial counselor, who she has become extremely close to in the past few years. Her counselor has helped her come up with a plan for paying back her six-figure student loan debt, and encouraged her to go for the management position she obtained over the summer. 

“She’s worked with me on budgets and really been an advocate for me,” Bridget said. 

Life has now returned to some form of normalcy for Bridget and her family. Her son’s school didn’t go back in person, so rather than attempt another year of remote schooling, they found a private school he could attend in person, and her younger son is now in preschool. 

Bridget is enjoying her new job, and grateful her kids have been able to get back in their routine.