Charlotte parents forced to find backup plans with schools, day cares closed

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools made the decision to close schools Wednesday, many parents had to figure out a backup plan to care for their children, especially for those parents who have parents with preschool-age children.

Watch the video above to see what parents are doing as schools and day cares close ahead of tropical storm force winds.

Parents had to use an unplanned day off of work to tend to their child while Hurricane Florence was treading water off the coast.

[FLORENCE ARRIVES: Watch these must-see livestreams of the Carolina coast]

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Some day care centers follow CMS’ lead on weather-related, therefore they closed their doors, leaving some parents frustrated.

[15 safety tips that could save your life during a hurricane]

However, not all day cares were closed Thursday.

The child care center at Pritchard Memorial Baptist Church in South End was going full throttle Thursday morning.

It usually does follow CMS closings, but chose to stay open.

"Since the schools were going to be used for evacuees from the coast, that wasn't a weather-related incident, so we made the independent decision to stay open today for our families," director Jennifer Hirst said.

Parents will have to plan their children’s care again Friday, but by that point, Florence may well be knocking on our door and it may be a little easier to see why schools and day cares have closed.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:

• FLORENCE UPDATES: Cat 2 storm's outer bands reach Carolina coast
• RUNNING LIST: Evacuations issued as Hurricane Florence approaches
• CHARLOTTE FORECAST: Florence weakens but flooding remains major concern
• Charlotte school and business closings
• Hurricane Florence live updates: Category 2 storm barrels toward Carolina coast

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