Posted on 12/27/2006 2:05:31 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
(With schools closed between Christmas and New Year's, Mom and Dad are forced to find child care alternatives)
Kids are on vacation this week, but many working parents aren't.
School and work schedules misalign for snow days, teacher conferences, random holidays and, of course, summer, but the mismatch is at its worst between Christmas and New Year's.
West Allis resident Jeanne Rohde considers herself lucky to be a regular at one of the few programs that bridges the gap - vacation camp at the West Suburban YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee in Wauwatosa.
Daughters Stephanie, 10, and Michelle, 8, usually can be found in the Y's pool and gym with newfound friends when school's out but Mom's not.
"At Y camp, one of the rules was, no GameBoys or iPods. I don't want them sitting down, I want them active. And they can see some of the same friends that they see in summer," says Rohde, a process improvement specialist for Direct Supply Inc. in Milwaukee.
Christmas vacation camp starts filling up the day that registration opens in September, says Christine Larson, coordinator for teen, youth and family programs at the West Suburban Y.
S. C. Johnson & Son Inc. in Racine is officially closed this week, but its Child Development Center is open and has 10 to 30 children attending each day this week.
That's down from the non-vacation average of near 350, but it underscores parents' need for child care to fit their work schedules, not those of employers, says Kelly Semrau, vice president of global public affairs and communications.
She uses the center for occasional backup care for her own two children, ages 4 and 7, for the odd school holiday.
A study released in mid-December by Catalyst, a New York-based research and advocacy group for working women, estimates that nationally at least 2.5 million parents worry about kids' after-school care while working, affecting productivity and concentration. It found that nearly as many dads as moms - 44.7% and 55.3%, respectively - reported extreme worry about the out-of-school activities of their school-age children.
The study advocates for greater "understanding" from supervisors, paired with as-needed flexibility, to equip parents to care for school-age kids when classes are out. Among the flexibility tools most popular with parents, according to Catalyst: telecommuting, backup care and "bankable hours," which let parents spend accumulated paid time off when they most need it.
Backup care for vacations and emergencies is a safety net that catches kids when parents' daily arrangements aren't there, says Katie A. Keil, an associate with Catalyst's consulting arm. And that translates to employee loyalty.
"Companies are seeing this as a competitive advantage. It enables them to keep talented parents," she says.
They're also realizing that the mere presence of programs doesn't guarantee that managers let employees use them. Programs have to be complemented with training for supervisors so they develop an "informal culture" that supports flexibility, she says.
A culture change is exactly what's needed, says David A. Riley, professor of human development and family studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Extension.
"The problem for school-agers who are home alone, and for all children during school holidays, is that we have these two major institutions that are out of sync," he says. "The school day and school year are exquisitely designed to match the work needs of families - 19th-century agrarian families."
I am a single father that raise 2 girls solo from the time they were 1 and 4. That was 18 years ago. Cry me a river. The key to making it through the tough times is not to dwell on the fact they are tough but just work through the problems one at a time. Before long things get easier. When you look back you will be shocked at how far you made it.
well....what does the lib/dems and msm want ...oh that's right...moe money from the tax payers to pay for child care centers during out of school time.....after all...per the piaps.....it takes a village!!
it's not too tricky for us. i teach so i have off holidays
just as the kids do. for the professional days, our little
one goes to her afterschool childcare and the boys are
old enough to stay home now. dad can also work from
home at times there is a schedule conflict.
Children require additional time and commitment. Who knew?
I'm left wondering what a "process improvement specialist" is.
My daughter is a very lucky lady. I get six weeks vacation each year and I'm always off with pay for these two weeks. I have the joy of keeping the granddaugter. My daughter works the same place I do but she only has four weeks. The longer you are there the more vacation you get. Thirty years gets you six weeks paid vacation plus all holidays paid. :-)
God Bless You! I married a man who was a single father. Best decision I've ever made. He made it clear to me that they were a "package deal" and that I would be staying home to help raise his son, if I were up to the challenge. I was. ;)
I can't stand these whiners, either. Why are people so far removed from the idea of having one parent at home for their children?
I don't buy the line that it takes two incomes to support a family. We've always gotten by on one, though sometimes one and a half. ;)
The solution? Well, cradle to grave socialist "Day Care" for anyone and everyone, paid for by taxpayers like you and me who managed to raise our kids "the old fashioned way" by doing whatever needed to be done. Yeesh!
My Mom babysat when I was still a youth at home. She'd only watch Teachers' kids so she'd have the summers and holidays off.
She was one smart cookie. ;)
Here in Sacramento, California my kids get THREE WEEKS off for vacation. This is because the school district has found that many of the Latino children's families would go to Mexico for the holiday's and not come back in time when school started up again after the new year. So the district extended the vacation to accomodate them. Luckily I only work part time as a property manager, and my boss (my husband!) is very flexible with my hours.
I used to work in a day care center. We always were prepared to take extra kids during vacations. I do not see why this week is any different from spring break or those ridiculous teacher convention weeks. The cost was prohibitive for me when my son was younger and I worked a different job, but we got by.
Maybe like the old time and movement guys that plagued us blue collar workers, only for suits.
I'm left wondering what a "process improvement specialist" is.
_______________________________________
Similar to "Facilitator" The absolute embodiment of evil with a soft squishy name.
People that do not have the talent to otherwise accomplish anything, but hide behind fancy titles to wield power over the people that actually get things done in an organization
We were very lucky to have a Grandma near-by too, in emergencies. Our boys have an excellent relationship with their Grandparents. I highly recommend it! :)
I was pretty much raised by my Grandma & Grandpa. My Dad was in college and getting his apprenticeships as a plumber, steam fitter and carpenter. (He was rather ambitious, but he did it for us!) Mom worked in a factory to support us for the time being. We all lived together during those years. By the time my sister came along, Dad had a great job, we had a house of our own WITH a garage and a dog and bikes and all that "American Dream" stuff. D@mn their hard work and sacrifice in their youth, LOL!
I wish more people had the brains to live "generationally," at least for the short term. It really sets you ahead in life.
But of course, since socialism and being "PC" is woven into our every move these days, we must blame every shortcoming of our own on our Mothers, then abandon them in their old age to nursing homes or to the street. ;)
Someone that holds meeting on top of meeting to "improve the process", thereby keeping productive people from getting real work done.
"Luckily I only work part time as a property manager, and my boss (my husband!) is very flexible with my hours."
You've got the best of all situations! We're now self-employed, too. Why we didn't take the plunge years ago escapes me. ;)
If I worked we could have a nicer house, nicer cars, more money for nicer things like nice furniture in the house, new name brand clothes for the kids, but since I don't the kids get clothes from Target, hand me downs from my sisters kids, small bedrooms, and less stuff as some other kids. But they have me at home with them and I have to say that is a whole lot better than them sitting in day care on their Christmas break cause they would be missing out having fun together today playing with their new stuff and hanging out together.
Boo-Hoo! When both parents are working, they should use a little foresight and arrange vacation days so that one of them is at home with the children over winter break.
Is this so hard to do?
I suspect most of these two-income households are led by parents who would rather NOT have to deal with the kids 24/7, especially in the wintertime, when the kids can't go outdoors.
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