BURLINGTON, N.C. — Over 30 ABSS schools have been impacted by mold, because of this, the start of the school year has been delayed, leaving parents and students figuring out what to do next.
Burlington Parks and Rec, as well as The City of Burlington have stepped in to help with this change in schedule.
"It's been a lifesaver to be honest with you," Parent of ABSS Student, Paul Lineberry said.
Lineberry's son is going into first grade. He says he wouldn't know what to do if it wasn't for Burlington Parks and Rec offering childcare.
"It's just been pretty frustrating. Especially when they do it last minute or over the weekend trying to scramble to see what we can do but luckily we got this to get us through this," Lineberry said.
The low cost childcare program is called 'Rec Days'. It runs from 7:30am to 5:30pm and costs $15 a day per child. Parks and Rec hosted this service last week during the first delay.
"Our summer camps ended did a few weeks ago but when we first got the news about school not starting, we kind of jumped right into action. We got our staff together and our team has been amazing and we've been able to offer this service for the families," Burlington Parks in Rec Youth Programming Supervisor, Leah Poddell said.
The City of Burlington has stepped in too. Burlington's Aquatic Center was supposed to close last week but with kids having more summer than usual, they too have decided to keep things running.
"I employ a lot of high school kids and college kids. They grew up in this area, so when the crisis came, they were the ones that actually stepped up and wanted to help us out and help out their community and so it was really their idea," City of Burlington Aquatic Center, Samantha Karlson.
Burlington Parks and Rec still has spots open for the rest of the week. If you're in need of childcare, you can call their main office at 336.222.5030 to sign up.
Both parks and rec and the city's aquatic center plan to continue providing childcare if there is another delay.