With schools and daycares closed, it’s sometimes older siblings who are watching young children

Read the entire story by Meghan E. Irons on the Boston Globe.

At around 7:30 on a recent morning, Jaliyah Bacchusfelt her mother tugging gently at her shoulder. The 15-year-old Dorchester student lifted a groggy eye and saw the shape of her mom’s face, but says she didn’t move.

“I’m leaving,” she heard her mother whisper.

Soon, Jaliyah felt the bed shift with the tiny weight of her 3-year-old sister Jayda, who grabbed a pillow to snuggle. She curled up close to Jaliyah so they both faced each other and lifted her small hands to pat her big sister’s face. Jaliyah waited until her baby sister drifted to sleep, but soon she will need to rise to prepare for a day of watching Jayda, while her mother works. Her class assignments — again — will have to wait.

To read the complete story, visit The Boston Globe.