Jennifer Simpkins of Downingtown had hoped that the nationwide focus on child care during the pandemic would usher in a much-needed change for many working mothers, writes Sydney Ember for The New York Times.

She, like millions of parents across the U.S., is finding out otherwise.

The preschool teacher had always acted as a primary caregiver for her two children. She rushed from work to get them, made them dinner, and taxied them to extracurricular activities.

During the height of the pandemic, however, the breakneck pace of her life slowed.

She got a new job, one that she could do remotely. Her partner, a restaurant chef, was furloughed, making it possible for him to shoulder more of the child-care duties.

Even when she returned to onsite work, the child care arrangement seemed more manageable.

But once her partner went back to his professional kitchen, things changed again.

“It has been right back to the juggling act that I felt before the pandemic,” she said. “The things that I thought were going to change in terms of maybe some more work flexibility to work from home some days or having that extra support financially or whatever it may be — we’re back to the grind.”

Read more about the return of child care pressures in The New York Times.