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Adriana Cortés sat in a swing next to her 7-year-old daughter on Monday morning and watched her 10-year-old son kick a soccer ball against the fence. It would have been a blithe picture in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Queens, except for how the trio came to be there.
The closure of New York City’s public school system had left the children with nowhere to go and Ms. Cortés, 42, unable to take them to her usual job cleaning houses.
“We can make it for at least two months, but just food and rent, and that’s it,” she said.
The fear of the coronavirus has led to extraordinary shutdowns across the New York City region as well as the country. In New York State, New Jersey and Connecticut, officials banned gatherings of more than 50 people and many nonessential businesses were ordered to close.
Perhaps among the most aggressive decrees has been the closure of public schools, sending families scrambling for resources and child care and placing a strain on parents — many of whom are already struggling with changes in their work lives.
The usual options are limited since after-school programs and activities have also been canceled. Employees who have been allowed to work from home must now multitask like never before, while others who continue going into work worry over becoming sick and about who will watch their children.
“It’s very stressful,” said Ava Davis, from Brooklyn, who works for the New York City Housing Authority and has four children. She is also helping raise three of her sister’s children.
“I’m trying to figure out how that goes, who’s gonna be at home watching the kids, who’s gonna pay the bills,” Ms. Davis, 44, said.
Those who rely on grandparents for help are anxious about exposing them to potential germs. Families who can afford to hire a babysitter are unsure whether it’s appropriate to have someone come into their home.
Some continue paying their absent nanny, not wanting to be the cause of anyone’s financial burden.
In New York City, a vast system of 1,800 public schools that serves 1.1 million students — the largest by far in the country — faces its most serious challenge in decades with a shutdown that could potentially last through the end of the school year.
The city’s vulnerable student population, including 114,000 homeless children, many of whom rely on the meals offered at school, are particularly affected.
City school buildings will remain open this week for children to pick up food, and after that alternative sites will be used to continue the distribution.
“We are depending on this,” said Ivonne Flores, 35, as she waited with her 7-year-old son, Obby, for a free breakfast outside a school in the Woodside neighborhood of Queens.
About 14,000 children showed up on Monday for breakfast and lunch, a relatively small number, according to Richard A. Carranza, the chancellor of the city’s department of education.
“Parents are still figuring out their situation, their circumstances,” Mr. Carranza said. “We’re expecting that number to continue to increase over the days and weeks.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio had been under enormous pressure in recent days to close the schools as New York City attempts to slow down the spread of the coronavirus. The mayor said laptops would be lent to students who do not have computers at home, and the city will work on helping families who do not have internet access.
Next week, the city will move to remote learning, with several dozen school buildings used as centers to support the children of essential city workers like health care employees.
The closure has thrown parents’ work lives for a loop, with some receiving the message late.
Steven Wu, 50, arrived at Yung Wing Elementary School in Chinatown in Manhattan on Monday morning only to discover that his 5-year-old daughter had no class. The principal tried to walk him through how to use a phone app that allows parents to communicate with the school.
“It’s a huge headache,” Mr. Wu said in Cantonese.
Shortly afterward, Yan Hua Chen arrived to pick up meals for her two children and the five others in her extended family who live in her apartment building.
She said she had quit her job at a restaurant to care for her children during the school closure.
Those who already work from home still found it difficult to refocus their attention. Ismail Dale, an artist who lives in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, now has to look out for his son, Trabon, a sixth grader at Public School 364. “I had to cancel a lot of things,” Mr. Dale, 60, said.
He planned to keep a close eye on Trabon throughout the day, making sure his son was studying, was physically active and was not spending too much time online.
Trabon, 12, worried that the days away from school could mean that his grades would eventually drop. He hoped to keep up with friends via social media and play his favorite video games, Fortnite and Mario Kart.
At Travers Park in Queens, a group of lanky teens popped ollies, their skateboards slamming against the concrete. Excited about not attending classes, there was one problem that dawned on them. “The coronavirus is gonna kill my social life,” one teen said.
Others worried about missing end-of-year festivities and sports championships.
“I already got my prom dress,” Katherine Guttridge, 18, said. “Not having that final hurrah with your grade would hurt.”
Ms. Guttridge was also anxious about her lacrosse team getting a chance at the title this year. She attends Pleasantville High School in Westchester County, where all schools were ordered shut down by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.
For Sailyn Ramos, 12, the next couple of weeks offer a respite. She lives in the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx and won’t mind sleeping past her usual 5 a.m. alarm and skipping the train ride home from her middle school in Harlem.
“I like the freedom,” she said.
Some parents attempted to set ground rules and implement a daily regimen.
“It’s not like a vacation, it’s a very confusing time,” said Sara Nichols, 42, whose husband, a philosophy professor, made a spreadsheet that attempted to mimic their children’s schedule at school, including time for recess.
“I think it was his way of managing his anxiety about the situation,” said Ms. Nichols, a clinical psychologist.
The couple, who live in the East Village, plan to take turns home schooling their 6-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son. They had been struggling with whether to continue sending their children to school so it was a relief to have the decision made for them.
Teachers, who sent home extra books and now must oversee remote learning, worry about their students falling behind, especially those who were already struggling.
“The gap is going to widen for those with no access to online learning or who are not able to do it on their own,” said Leah Grossman, 46, who teaches at a middle school in Long Island City, Queens.
“We’re finally getting to a place where we know all our students and their needs, and all of a sudden they’re going to be without that.”
Beyond the academics, schools also offer an intangible level of emotional support that some students will miss deeply.
Mariluz Jimenez, 18, is homeless, and had found solace in LaGuardia Community College in Queens. It was a place where she felt in control of her future. She confided in school counselors who not only supported her education goals, but helped her find shelters and LGBT-friendly programs.
“My stability is gone,” she said.
Michael Gold, Rebecca Liebson, Angela Macropoulos, Jeffery C. Mays, Aaron Randle, Nate Schweber, Eliza Shapiro and Anjali Tsui contributed reporting.
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