A city-run program is helping parents divide child care more fairly, after a six-month found that families who shared daily tasks reported less stress and more time for work. The program offers free planning sessions and small payments to families who attend them. City officials said they will decide this month whether to continue it.
一项由城市运营的项目正在帮助父母更公平地分担育儿工作，此前一项为期六个月的试验发现，分担日常家务的家庭报告的压力更少，工作时间更多。 该项目为参加规划课程的家庭提供免费课程和少量补助。 市政府官员表示，他们将在本月决定是否继续该项目。
At the sessions, parents list the week’s tasks, from school pickups to doctor visits, and agree on who will handle each one. The meetings are led by trained advisers, who encourage families to reach a rather than rely on old ideas about which parent should do what. “We often hear the that one parent is naturally better at caring for children,” said program coordinator Lena Ortiz. “But families can make their own choices.”
在课程中，父母会列出一周的任务，从放学接送、看医生，并商定由谁来负责每一项。 会议由经过培训的顾问主持，他们鼓励家庭达成共识，而不是依赖关于哪个父母该做什么的陈旧观念。 “我们经常听到这样一种刻板印象，即某个父母天生更擅长照顾孩子，”项目协调员 Lena Ortiz 说。 “但家庭可以做出自己的选择。”
The small payment, an of up to $100, is meant to cover travel and child care during the sessions. In a survey of 120 participating families, 72 percent said the plan improved their at work or at home. Some also said that talking through the schedule helped prevent arguments. One father, Daniel Price, said he and his partner used to settle a disagreement about weekend care. Their teenage now helps with one school pickup each week, though Price said the adults remain responsible for the plan.
这笔小额补助（最高 100 美元的奖励）旨在支付课程期间的交通和育儿费用。 在对 120 个参与家庭的调查中，72% 的人表示该计划提高了他们在工作或家庭中的生产力。 还有人表示，通过讨论行程安排有助于避免争吵。 一位父亲 Daniel Price 表示，他和伴侣通过协商解决了关于周末育儿的分歧。 他们的青少年兄弟姐妹现在每周帮忙接一次孩子放学，尽管 Price 表示成年人仍然对该计划负责。
The program began after local clinics reported that stress over family duties was affecting parents’ health. A doctor’s may help with some health problems, but city health staff say it cannot solve every cause of stress. The trial has not yet been compared with a larger study, and officials say they need more evidence before expanding it. For now, the city plans to ask families and advisers what worked and what should change.
该项目是在当地诊所报告称家庭责任带来的压力正在影响父母的健康之后启动的。 医生的处方或许有助于缓解某些健康问题，但市卫生官员表示，它无法解决压力的每一个起因。 该试验尚未与更大规模的研究进行比较，官员们表示在扩大规模之前需要更多证据。 目前，市政府计划询问家庭和顾问哪些做法有效，哪些需要改变。
