ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Ahead of the total solar eclipse in Western New York on Monday, daycare facilities are educating their kids on the, for some, once in a lifetime event.

"It’s not very common for you to see the sun and the moon in the same sky at the same time, so we’re doing that right now just to kind of show them what it means when there is an eclipse. Because for their little heads, it doesn’t make too much sense," Ariana Harrison, a teacher at Home Away From Home Child Care Center, said.

What You Need To Know

  • A total solar eclipse is expected in Western New York on Monday, April 8
  • Some daycares are closing for the event, leaving parents to struggle to find different arrangements
  • Home Away From Home Child Care Center will remain open for the eclipse, and expect nearly all of their 42 children to be in attendance
  • Staff has prepared a different curriculum for the eclipse to educate the kids of the potentially once in a lifetime event

She goes by Miss Rita to her infants. Children under two years old are her speciality. She does arts and crafts with the children every day.

Stephanie Lucas is the owner of the child care center. She has one child of her own, and one on the way. Lucas understands the struggled families are facing if their daycare is closing for the day of the eclipse, and their job is not.

"It’s pretty much been months in advanced. Are you going to be open? My employer is telling me I’m not going to get off. I need to plan ahead for months in advanced," Lucas explained. "I don’t know what I would do if they were like, okay, well this one random day we can’t stay open because of traffic. Obviously, I get it, but parents still have to work so we have to be open."

There are 42 children enrolled at Home Away From Home. On the day of the eclipse, Lucas says all but five are expected to come to daycare. However, having friends of her children, many of their parents have expressed concern to her trying to find coverage to care for their children come April 8. That’s why Lucas is excited to be able to care for her children for that day, on top of making it an educational experience.

"We got glasses for them so they can learn kind of about everything like that. So yeah, we’re definitely educating them on it as much as we can because it is a once in a lifetime activity supported in our curriculum," Lucas said. "Obviously we can’t trust them to keep them on, so we’re going to be staying inside with them and learning from the inside."

All week, the teachers have prepared different activities to keep the kids involved inside. Between moon sand, planet searching in sand and rice, special eclipse drawing actives, finger painting moons and suns, and even eclipse-themed bingo, everyone has been able to enjoy the change of pace.

"I love doing this. It’s like I love working with kids. It’s probably my favorite thing to do," Harrison said. "I would rather be here than outside. Honestly, it doesn’t really both me. I’d rather be with my kids than looking at an eclipse, even if it doesn’t happen very often."