It's hard, OP. My DH and I map all the days off onto our calendar before the school year starts (they usually confirm/release the calendar sometime in August).

We figure out what will work. We both do get Columbus Day off, but neither of us gets Veterans Day. So one of us plans to take that. The two days in October & the two days in March are sometimes an issue. Usually one of us can swing taking off the day before Thanksgiving.

We did use Lola's Lab once last year (for a day). It was fine; DD would have preferred to be at home, but she lived with it. (She was in K then)

I've seen other options for days that schools are closed - someone in Arlington does a little cooking school for kids, there are some theater/art/sports stuff you can find. But, of course, it's $$$$$.

I"m hoping, as DD gets older, we can sometimes schedule a playdate for all or part of the day. I've made friends with a few of the other moms at her school and some of them are SAH (and sympathetic to those of us who WOH). Or I also think maybe we could do something reciprocal w/another family with two working parents.

Hope this helps.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP = Welcome to school where working parents come last!

any schools that puts the children before parents are a good school in my book.

Are you a SAHparent or a working outside home parent?

Not pp, but a wohm. Only a clod thinks parents should come first.

Clearly, the 1st poster is this quote meant "welcome to school where working parents come last OVER SAHParents." Not over children. Geez.

Just don't forget it's the SAH parents who are picking up all the volunteer slack at school while you go to your office. Your school wouldn't function without them.

Just be glad you're not in DC. We had far more days of there than we do in Arlington!

Growing up in the northeast there was also a week off in February...

Hate to break it to you, but it is pretty standard to have Thanksgiving break, Christmas/New Year break, and spring break in any school system in America.

So basically you are bitching about federal holidays and a few teacher prep/conference days, which are also standard. Which believe me, the teachers don't spend sitting around on their asses eating bon bons.

Every other working parent family has managed to deal with this. Here are some suggestions. Camp. Telework. Trade off days with other working moms. Take a long weekend and go visit your family. Hire a babysitter.

I've worked every day since my kids were babies and I certainly don't expect the public schools to be my childcare source. What on earth do you plan to do those 10-11 weeks when school is closed during the summer?

I would look into camps. You might also want to talk to your employers about doing partial telework days on some of those days, if your work supports that. That's what I do when daycare is closed or my child is sick and I have a deadline. (I can't work a full day with her around, but I can generally put on a movie and get stuff done.)

Anonymous wrote:Wow. DC goes to K next year and I surely do not have 27+ days off work. Damm.

Here's how you can apply:
http://www.apsva.us/domain/22

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP = Welcome to school where working parents come last!

any schools that puts the children before parents are a good school in my book.

Are you a SAHparent or a working outside home parent?

Not pp, but a wohm. Only a clod thinks parents should come first.

Clearly, the 1st poster is this quote meant "welcome to school where working parents come last OVER SAHParents." Not over children. Geez.

I am the first poster and thank you, you got what I meant. It was meant to be tongue in cheek. Of course my child comes first, not me and my job. That's why in the rest of my comments I said I learned how to deal with it.

I would suggest making plans now for those days off. If you have a spouse you can split them. If you have another family you are close to you could split the days with them watching both sets of kids. As someone else pointed out, the calendar has been out for months and shouldn't be a surprise...I am a working mom and it is a pain but everyone is in the same boat.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are school closing camps (some by extended day, others by the YMCA, art camps, sports camps, and so on).

I'm not sure why you have quotation marks around grade preparation, but if you cannot be respectful of the teachers, you have a long 13 years ahead of you.

i have immense respect for teachers but don't understand why elementary school teachers need two full days (without students) twice a year to do grade preparation.

thanks for the information on options.

They hold the parent-teacher conferences those days. 20-25 kids per class...each family gets a slot...it goes two days back-to-back. There is maybe only two single days the entire year for grade prep.

I'm looking at the calendar and there are four days noted as Grade Preparation/Teacher work days; four more are teacher/parent conference days. I do understand that teaching is hard work and important and I want plenty of time for my kid's teacher to give feedback. But eight days of no school, in addition to some holidays that seem unnecessary (Columbus Day, Veterans Day, day before Thanksgiving) and uncommon in the private sector, seems like they are putting teachers first -- working or single parents are at the end of the line.

Thanks for the suggestions about what to do if we have to work those days -- it is good to know we can look for information from the school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP = Welcome to school where working parents come last!

any schools that puts the children before parents are a good school in my book.

Are you a SAHparent or a working outside home parent?

Not pp, but a wohm. Only a clod thinks parents should come first.

Clearly, the 1st poster is this quote meant "welcome to school where working parents come last OVER SAHParents." Not over children. Geez.

Schools are all about children and teachers which I guess is how it should be, but it's no wonder that more women are dropping out of the workforce. There is a lot to juggle. That's why my working women friends were all surprised by this article as if a couple of months extra off would solve all of the problems working women have managing childcare and a career. It's a help to have paid maternity leave for several months, but I think working environments need to change more than the schools to allow the flexibility needed through the years. If I was a teacher I wouldn't want to have as regular of a schedule as well.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2012/08/28/google_maternity_leave_key_to_keeping_women_.html

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP = Welcome to school where working parents come last!

any schools that puts the children before parents are a good school in my book.

Are you a SAHparent or a working outside home parent?

Not pp, but a wohm. Only a clod thinks parents should come first.

There are many camps that go on during teacher work days and holidays. Lola's is good but on the pricier end. I think it ends up to be just over $100 a day if you need morning and evening extended day. Also try the Martial Arts camps. They tend to be less expensive.