Released April 8, 2011
OZARK, Mo. — Working parents often have difficulty arranging suitable care for their school-aged children during the school year.
Finding all-day programs for their youngsters during the summer is usually even more difficult.
"The problem of what the kids will do after school becomes one of what they will do all day, five days a week, for the eight to ten weeks that school is closed," said Renette Wardlow, human development specialist with University of Missouri Extension.
The pressure parents are under depends on the ages of their children according to Wardlow.
The term "school age" usually refers to three age groups lumped together.
Five-to-eight-year olds are one group and this group is considered the most vulnerable to lack of care.
Nine-to-eleven-year olds are another difficult group. Some of these children, particularly in the older age range, will insist that they are old enough to care for themselves.
Twelve-to-fourteen-year olds are simply not candidates for formal programs, but many of these children need to be around adults and to participate in meaningful ways in their communities.
"When making child care arrangements, parents need to consider their own family situations and the individual needs of their children. Another consideration is the community itself," said Wardlow.
Safety and suitable programs
Safety is probably the number one concern for parents of school-age youngsters.
Access to wholesome, interesting, age-appropriate activities for their children is another concern, especially in rural areas where transportation is a problem.
Just finding suitable programs can be a major hurdle.
"Some parents are able to make summer time arrangements for their school agers within their own family or social networks. Other parents fill the summer days with a patchwork of child care arrangements like two weeks at camp, a week with grandparents, a week for the family vacation, and so forth," said Wardlow.
For families with more than one child, these arrangements can become expensive and very complicated.
Family day care is a popular option for many parents during the summer, since the family day care home is usually located in the child's own neighborhood.
"Some communities also offer summertime opportunities for teenagers to get involved with community projects, or to work with younger children in day care settings and youth camps during the summer months," said Wardlow.
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University of Missouri, http://agebb.missouri.edu/news/swnews/queries/showall.idc?story_num=5675
Source: Renette Wardlow, (417) 581-3558
Writer: David Burton, 417-881-8909, burtond@missouri.edu
