The Night Shift: Inside One Provider’s After-Hours Childcare Program
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New York At 10:30 p.m.on a Monday in the Bronx, it’s bedtime for many children.But at Juana Grisel Peña’s apartment, 2-year-old Brandon is just arriving.…
Peña, who goes by Grisel, greets him with a hug as he joins three othe…
(The 74 is using the children’s first names only to protect their priv…
) The four children are spending the evening at Al Despertar, a licens…
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New York
At 10:30 p.m. on a Monday in the Bronx, it’s bedtime for many children. But at Juana Grisel Peña’s apartment, 2-year-old Brandon is just arriving. Peña, who goes by Grisel, greets him with a hug as he joins three other children — 7-year-old Sage and brothers Legend, 2, and Legacy, 1 — who are playing with toys in another room as they wind down for the evening. (The 74 is using the children’s first names only to protect their privacy as minors.)
The four children are spending the evening at Al Despertar, a licensed, home-based childcare program Peña runs out of her apartment, which sits three blocks from Yankee stadium. Their parents are working late-night or overnight shifts: one at the MTA, another at a local grocery store, and a third at Amazon. Some of the children will stay at Al Despertar late into the night, while others will sleep over and get picked up in the morning.
From Monday through Friday, Peña cares for up to six children in her overnight program, which runs from around 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. They arrive and leave at different times, depending on their parents’ work schedules. She has a staff of five childcare providers, three who typically work at the daytime program and two who assist her with night shifts.
When Peña started her program about 10 years ago, it was initially only open during the day, but she quickly noticed demand among working families with jobs that stretch beyond traditional business hours so she adjusted course to meet their needs. Over the years, shehas transformed nearly every corner of her home around the children she cares for. Her living room is filled with learning activities and brimming with toys; bilingual signs about handwashing and nutrition standards hang in the bathroom and kitchen; and a pile of sleeping mats are neatly stacked in a closet of the second bedroom in her apartment, ready to be set up each day for the children.
“I want the parents to go to work and be in peace,” Peña said. “I remember when I had my kids I didn’t feel that peace when they were in someone else’s care and I don’t want anyone to feel that way. I understand it’s not easy.”
Peña’s program meets a significant need for parents. Research by the Urban Institute estimates that 40% of young children under age 6 with working parents spend at least part of their week in childcare during nonstandard hours like early mornings, evenings or weekends. The care can be tough to find though since not all licensed childcare providers operate during those hours. “I went through a lot of trouble trying to find this place,” Sage’s dad said. “There’s not a lot of overnight daycares.”
There are countless small, yet meaningful moments that define the kind of care Peña offers — whispered bedtime stories, shared mealtimes and comforting nighttime and morning routines that help children navigate transitions.
The photographs below, taken at Peña’s apartment during one of her overnight shifts in August, offer a glimpse inside one provider’s experience operating around-the-clock care, revealing a side of childcare that’s rarely seen.
8-11 p.m.
Peńa helps Sage, age 7, with a puzzle. Sage, whose dad works at a grocery store Monday through Friday, typically arrives around 6 p.m., eats dinner and spends the night at Al Despertar. His dad picks him up early the next morning, around 5:30 a.m.Peña looks at Legacy, age 1, in the mirror after changing his diaper and getting him ready for bed. His mother, who works shifts at Amazon and at Yankee Stadium depending on the night, picks up Legacy and his brother, Legend, age 2, around 10:30 p.m. By then, both boys are in their pajamas and ready for bed.Peña cuddles Legend, while Xiomara Núñez — a childcare provider on Peña’s staff — holds Legacy.Sage, still focused on the puzzle, is eager to show off his progress. Peña asks the children to play with one toy at a time, a rule that helps keep the room tidy. Brandon, age 2, arrives around 10:30 p.m. as his mom heads to her shift working for the MTA. “I tell everybody about this place,” she said. “I like the flexibility and he gravitates towards Grisel.”“I miss my brother,” Sage announces while playing with 2-year-old Legend. He explains that his brother lives in another state.Peña serves meals and snacks for the children in her program. She does her grocery shopping on Saturdays and said she spends about $300 on groceries a week.Around 10:45 p.m., while doing some paperwork, Peña gets a call that Legend and Legacy’s mother has arrived to pick them up.With Legacy in her arms and Legend clinging to her leg, Peña takes the boys on an elevator ride from her third-floor apartment to the lobby, where their mom will pick them up.The elevator in Peña’s building lets them out one flight above the lobby. One more staircase to go, hand in hand, before the boys reunite with their mom.After a brief chat about their respective evenings, Legend and Legacy’s mom initials a sign out sheet before the kids hug Peña goodbye. At 10:45 p.m., Sage is ready for bed, without a fuss. Brandon lies on a bed nearby, ready too. “They sleep through the night, which is great.” Peña said.Núñez tucks in Brandon. Peña tucks in Sage.After turning the lights out, Núñez turns around to take a peek at the two children fast asleep.
11 p.m.- midnight
Around 11 p.m., with a quiet apartment for the first time in hours, Peña takes a fleeting moment to herself.With the children fast asleep, Núñez and Peña get to work disinfecting and tidying up every inch of the play space in preparation for the next day of childcare.Peña wears gloves as she swaps bedding from one of the playards in preparation for the next shift. Cleaning a bucket of magnetic tiles one by one, Núñez explains the pride they take in keeping the childcare space clean and recalls Peña’s dedication to disinfecting during the pandemic. “She was crazy, but nobody got sick.” Núñez said they cared for about 14 children of essential workers during that time. “We didn’t take our masks off until 2022.” “This is our time to catch up about the day,” Núñez said around 11:15 p.m., while sitting with Peña in the dining room. They take a beat to catch up about their personal lives. Peña shares photos from a trip to Italy she took with her church, and Núñez talks about her Zumba classes. But only for a few moments before work takes over again. Soon, they’re pulling out paperwork and reviewing schedules for the days ahead before Núñez heads home just before midnight.
5:30-8:30 a.m.
The next morning, Sage’s father picks him up around 5:30 a.m., tired from a long shift at the grocery store but happy to reunite with his son. Before they leave, he remembers he has something for Peña: a bounty of yuca and plantains. Just before 7 a.m., as sunlight begins to fill the room, Peña gently wakes Brandon with a few pats on the back. His eyes flicker open. “Good morning Grisel,” he announces in a small, cheerful voice.First things first: Brandon starts his morning with Peña helping him brush his teeth.While Peña heads to the kitchen to prepare his breakfast, Brandon picks a toy and plays quietly as he stands in a pocket of morning light.Scrambling a few eggs, Peña calls to Brandon, whom she affectionately calls “Brando,” to sit down at the table.Brandon waits patiently at the table, admiring artwork on the wall created by the children in the daytime program. “Oooh a jelly fish,” he said in admiration.Around 7:30 a.m., one of Peña’s staff arrives to work the daytime program. She starts by opening the blinds to let sunlight into the still-dim apartment.After serving Brandon’s breakfast, Peña takes a second to carefully comb his hair into a ponytail. The two sit together in comfortable silence at the table. Coffee for Peña; milk, eggs, toast and oranges for Brandon. When his mother arrives moments later, he’s in no rush to leave. Instead he invites her to join them at the kiddie table, which she does. He finishes his eggs with his mom on one side and Peña on the other.
This story was supported by New America’s Better Life Lab Childcare Reporting Grant.
8-11 p.m.
