ABC7 caught up with a few families on this stressful day.
If anyone's feeling defeated by the strike, it may be parents. Some sympathize with teachers at Armstrong Elementary on the North Side in Rogers Park while others showed up with their children, not quite sure that the strike was real.
"I heard it on the news, but said let me come and verify it myself. So seeing is believing," said
"There are a lot of parents that still don't know what's going on," said Beatrice Garcia, parent. "They are uncertain of how long this is going to take."
And as long as it takes, parents will have to juggle.
McKay Elementary near Marquette Park is one of the city's Children First sites where parents can drop off their children at least until 12:30 p.m.
"I'm trying to get to work. I have no one to care for them until after the12 o'clock hour. That's what I'll do today," said Lillie Dean, parent.
On Tuesday, she'll juggle some more.
Stela Kandros is a single mom, living in the city with a job in Naperville.
"It's devastating," Kandros said. "It's like - what's going on? As a single parent, there's no alternative. What are you going to do?"
So stela's made the choice to take her daughter out of Chicago Public Schools. And instead, she and her brother will go to a private Christian school.
"My kids come first, and their stability their security. I just have to meet their needs," she said.
