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Over the next few weeks, millions of children across the country will be back home from school, throwing their backpacks in the corner, launching an annual ritual where they can be fun, relaxed, stressful, and confused at the same time.
Of course, I'll talk about spring break. This is a phrase that meant something completely different for college students historically bound to the beach, and for families of young children who face a week (or sometimes two) when schools are closed and jobs are clearly not.
Summer has its own unique challenges for both children and adults alike. However, spring break can make planning even more difficult, just like the myriad other breaks at Pockmark's school calendar. There are few open camps. Summer school is a few months away. Some families go skiing and cruises, but amid rising prices, these options are out of reach for more and more parents.
For many families, “You carbohydrate it together yourself,” said Lauren Smith Brody, CEO of the fifth term, a workplace gender equality consultant.
It's not just an inconvenience. School holidays can mean a day starving for kids who rely on lunch to spend the week relying on school breakfast or lunch. And the surge in juvenile crime between 3 and 6pm on weekdays suggests that unsupervised time may be dangerous for some children.
Some school districts and after-school programs offer free or low-cost spring break camps. This provides “how to reinforce some of the learning that is happening in a way that makes children feel like they're having fun and taking a break.” But these programs were underfunded even before President Trump ordered the shutdown of the Education Department, which manages federal funding for after-school programs.
For now, Spring Break is another reminder of the discrepancy between American work culture and the needs of human life. To help you relax, connect, and sometimes to shake up what you can do with everyday life. Grant said the children's spring break program is “just a chance to do things differently,” Grant said.
If you don't have school-age children, you may not notice that your children are taking days in addition to summer holidays. In New York City, where I live, there are about 20 pieces, including winter breaks. Mid– Winter breaks, spring breaks, and many religious and other holidays in between.
School breaks are intended, at least in part, to give families and staff time to observe the above holidays (in many districts, spring break covers Easter, Passover, or both). Spring break is a popular time of travel, in particular, with 48% of families with children planning to travel during that period, according to a 2023 Trans Union Survey. But it still leaves people with more than half of them (it's not so easy for one or two adults to take a week off in the summer or winter holidays).
When the child is turned off, but the options are somewhat limited when the parents are working. Some camps run during spring break, but the costs that could run up to hundreds of dollars a week are out of reach of many families. Then there is a rounded approach, where parents (and sometimes other families like grandparents) divide the care and work as much as they can.
“There's a lot of juggling,” Brody said, “No one's going to rest.”
But kids really need a break. A student at John Jay High School in Lewisboro, New York wrote in a 2022 school paper that “there are so many responsibilities in high school students.”
Experts agree that there is a reason why children don't go to classes 40 hours a week and 365 days a year. A long student days have been attempted in some districts, and Grant said both the children and the teachers are exhausted. “It's really important that many children have an environment where they are not graded, examined or prescribed.”
So, what should the family do? In Philadelphia, one answer is Spring Break Camp, a free, all-day program run by 22 schools in the district. Several publicly funded programs also offer spring break and other daytime camps, Grant said.
These programs give children the opportunity to hang out with new friends and new educators, make more choices than they normally do during the school day, and sample activities from yoga to weightlifting, from yoga to electric vehicle construction.
Many after-school programs also offer snacks and meals for children. However, publicly funded programs often have limited space, and private programs can be expensive. There are nearly 25 million children across the country who want to participate in the after-school program but don't access it primarily because of costs, Grant said.
As my colleague Rachel Cohen wrote, expanding access to free or low-cost after-school programs can help families deal with 3-4 hours of weekday on weekdays when parents work but school is out. It also provides two-day solutions for two days per grade, leaving many parents to scramble for care.
But federal funds for after-school programs have not kept up to inflation, Grant said. The Trump administration and Doji have not cut back on support for these programs, but their support is managed through the education sector. “We feel the same uncertainty as everyone else,” Grant said.
Without robust federal funding, some states, like California, are stepping up by funding after-school programs from their own budgets. Employers can also help by “fostering a culture that invites people to be open about their care needs,” Brody said.
Of course, at the heart of the spring break challenges. As Brody said, the amount of leave that American parents usually get (taken around 11-15 days for everyone except the senior employees) is “just like the number of weeks that are not in school.”
You can solve this problem at camp or it can solve it with more paid leave. Of course, the latter feels unattainable in the age of workers' instability and revived grind culture. But as kids know, everyone deserves a break from time to time.
The Trump administration reportedly cuts funding for programs that provide legal representation to unaccompanied immigrant children and may force them to represent themselves in immigrant courts.
Last week, Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced “Stork Speed” to improve the safety of prescriptions in babies. Experts say paying more attention to the formula isn't bad, but Trump's cuts in the FDA could hinder safety efforts.
Once a baby brand, Evereden is now trying to give General Alpha Tweens what they want. And apparently, what they want is a fog in their bodies.
My little kid and I are reading Fox and his friendsOriginally published in 1982, it is now a time capsule of the 20th century parenting norms. A school-age child/animal, Fox is tasked with babysitting his sister all day long without adult input. He is awful at his job, and in the end she allows him to scale the electric pole, then bribes her with ice cream for her silence. I don't know if this is an argument to give children more independence or opposition.
Last week I sought your Spring Break experience. Reader Karien H had fewer memories at the YMCA than in the spring of spring as a child.
However, Karien enjoyed a field trip and was awarded the “I'm a 'Best Singer' Award. Because I was singing to myself in the Y-van and came back from a field trip. ”
I don't remember anything I did during spring break as a child, but I'm sure I've never won the “Best Singer” award in any context. As always, thank you for your message and contact [email protected] any time.
