How one Virginia library is helping moms who work from home

The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a new era of remote work, and while the shift has been a blessing for millions, it comes with its own unique challenges. Working mothers, for example, often find themselves pulling double duty with their jobs and child care.

Fairfield Area Public Library near Richmond, Virginia, provides a special space for parents of small children. 

“At home it’s impossible,” kindergarten teacher T’keiah Woodson told CBS News. “Here, I can kind of, like, turn my head for a second, finish up paperwork, respond to emails and just get things done without the worry of her crawling away.”

Woodson said the library’s designated area for working parents makes things “much, much easier. And they’re close enough where I can just reach over, but I can still do what I need to do on the computer.”

The space is called the Work and Play Station — the brainchild of two working moms.

“I would see moms and parents and caregivers struggling when they needed to do an adult task on an adult computer and they had a little one in tow,” said Barbara Weedman, the Henrico County Public Library director, who oversees all libraries in the county, including the Fairfield Area Library.

When the library opened four years ago, photos quickly went viral.

“It touches me. It really does,” Weedman said. “And I think the reason it has resonated so profoundly is that it visibly shows people that we cared in advance.”

Jan Crawford

Jan Crawford is CBS News’ chief legal correspondent and based in Washington, D.C.