Anonymous wrote:Remember- AP, SAT, ACT tests are administered regardless of the start date of school.

So it benefits the kids to start earlier.

SAT / ACT are aptitude tests, not content tests so that doesn't matter in terms of start date.
AP tests - maybe, but those same kids are the ones applying to college and the common app is released 8/1 every year. I think it's a wash for those kids - then they have less time to work on the common app without school. And less time to visit colleges in session before their own school starts.

Anonymous wrote:It's just too early to start. Can this be changed for next year or is it written in stone?

The early start is perfect.

The issue is FCPS going through mid June.

It's just too early to start. Can this be changed for next year or is it written in stone?

Remember- AP, SAT, ACT tests are administered regardless of the start date of school.

So it benefits the kids to start earlier.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like childcare is a red herring in this conversation. maybe someone can enlighten me - but we are a dual working parent household with 3 kids. There are 180 school days. I have to find childcare for the kids on non school days whether it is summer or not. I feel summer has a better set up camps than finding childcare for random days off during the school year.

It is easier to find summer care than trying to cover a school year with random days off and almost no 5 dsy weeks or full months of school.

But is it really?I mean, SACC and all the after school care programs take care of those days. So whomever you use for winter, summer, and spring breaks usually have coverage availability. Also, you have months ahead to plan. Back a bajillion years ago when my kid was in elementary, I would check the calendar when it was released and plan accordingly.

Yes, it really is

Much simpler than using all you vacation and calling in all your favors to cover tge constant 3 and 4 day weeks that was last year's fcps calendar.

Not everyone has the generous fed leave policies.

What do you normally do for childcare? If you do not use SACC (or similar), then you must be tag-teaming or something with a spouse? One does before-school care and the other does after-school care?

If that is the case, then there are a multitude of cheap drop-off type of places that you can use on days off -- sports places, martial arts studios, and so on. Five random days off can cost pretty much the same as a week-long summer camp. Shouldn't make much of a difference, right?

Spoken like a dcumer wealthy person.

They are right, though. Most of the places that provide after school care also provide care on teacher work days, included in the price. If you don’t use after school care then I can see why it’s a pain to find care on random days off, but the places do exist.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like childcare is a red herring in this conversation. maybe someone can enlighten me - but we are a dual working parent household with 3 kids. There are 180 school days. I have to find childcare for the kids on non school days whether it is summer or not. I feel summer has a better set up camps than finding childcare for random days off during the school year.

It is easier to find summer care than trying to cover a school year with random days off and almost no 5 dsy weeks or full months of school.

But is it really?I mean, SACC and all the after school care programs take care of those days. So whomever you use for winter, summer, and spring breaks usually have coverage availability. Also, you have months ahead to plan. Back a bajillion years ago when my kid was in elementary, I would check the calendar when it was released and plan accordingly.

Yes, it really is

Much simpler than using all you vacation and calling in all your favors to cover tge constant 3 and 4 day weeks that was last year's fcps calendar.

Not everyone has the generous fed leave policies.

We have no family in the area. It's called camps. It's called babysitters. It's called take the day off if you choose not to utilize these two options.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like childcare is a red herring in this conversation. maybe someone can enlighten me - but we are a dual working parent household with 3 kids. There are 180 school days. I have to find childcare for the kids on non school days whether it is summer or not. I feel summer has a better set up camps than finding childcare for random days off during the school year.

It is easier to find summer care than trying to cover a school year with random days off and almost no 5 dsy weeks or full months of school.

But is it really?I mean, SACC and all the after school care programs take care of those days. So whomever you use for winter, summer, and spring breaks usually have coverage availability. Also, you have months ahead to plan. Back a bajillion years ago when my kid was in elementary, I would check the calendar when it was released and plan accordingly.

EXACTLY. You know the schedule MONTHS in advance to line up care. In the 3d/4th quarters you have had 6 months or more to line it up. GMAFB with the child care stuff.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Summer is more like having only 2 months off now.

2 months is a long time though. Long time for working parents to find childcare, long time for teachers to go without paycheck, long time for kids to go without the structure of school and many students fall behind/regress academically and socially over summer break.

Look, I’m a teacher and a parent and this whole “finding childcare for summer is hard” argument is ridiculous. School has ALWAYS been out for summer in the US. It is not a 365 day a year endeavor. You knew having kids, as did I and everyone else, that there are holidays, breaks, weekends, etc. and nobody can provide childcare for you on those days. Ludicrous to suggest this is some sort of new burden on parents.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like childcare is a red herring in this conversation. maybe someone can enlighten me - but we are a dual working parent household with 3 kids. There are 180 school days. I have to find childcare for the kids on non school days whether it is summer or not. I feel summer has a better set up camps than finding childcare for random days off during the school year.

It is easier to find summer care than trying to cover a school year with random days off and almost no 5 dsy weeks or full months of school.

But is it really?I mean, SACC and all the after school care programs take care of those days. So whomever you use for winter, summer, and spring breaks usually have coverage availability. Also, you have months ahead to plan. Back a bajillion years ago when my kid was in elementary, I would check the calendar when it was released and plan accordingly.

Yes, it really is

Much simpler than using all you vacation and calling in all your favors to cover tge constant 3 and 4 day weeks that was last year's fcps calendar.

Not everyone has the generous fed leave policies.

What do you normally do for childcare? If you do not use SACC (or similar), then you must be tag-teaming or something with a spouse? One does before-school care and the other does after-school care?

If that is the case, then there are a multitude of cheap drop-off type of places that you can use on days off -- sports places, martial arts studios, and so on. Five random days off can cost pretty much the same as a week-long summer camp. Shouldn't make much of a difference, right?

Spoken like a dcumer wealthy person.

I use SACC. It is pretty cheap childcare. What do you use?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like childcare is a red herring in this conversation. maybe someone can enlighten me - but we are a dual working parent household with 3 kids. There are 180 school days. I have to find childcare for the kids on non school days whether it is summer or not. I feel summer has a better set up camps than finding childcare for random days off during the school year.

It is easier to find summer care than trying to cover a school year with random days off and almost no 5 dsy weeks or full months of school.

But is it really?I mean, SACC and all the after school care programs take care of those days. So whomever you use for winter, summer, and spring breaks usually have coverage availability. Also, you have months ahead to plan. Back a bajillion years ago when my kid was in elementary, I would check the calendar when it was released and plan accordingly.

Yes, it really is

Much simpler than using all you vacation and calling in all your favors to cover tge constant 3 and 4 day weeks that was last year's fcps calendar.

Not everyone has the generous fed leave policies.

What do you normally do for childcare? If you do not use SACC (or similar), then you must be tag-teaming or something with a spouse? One does before-school care and the other does after-school care?

If that is the case, then there are a multitude of cheap drop-off type of places that you can use on days off -- sports places, martial arts studios, and so on. Five random days off can cost pretty much the same as a week-long summer camp. Shouldn't make much of a difference, right?

Spoken like a dcumer wealthy person.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like childcare is a red herring in this conversation. maybe someone can enlighten me - but we are a dual working parent household with 3 kids. There are 180 school days. I have to find childcare for the kids on non school days whether it is summer or not. I feel summer has a better set up camps than finding childcare for random days off during the school year.

It is easier to find summer care than trying to cover a school year with random days off and almost no 5 dsy weeks or full months of school.

But is it really?I mean, SACC and all the after school care programs take care of those days. So whomever you use for winter, summer, and spring breaks usually have coverage availability. Also, you have months ahead to plan. Back a bajillion years ago when my kid was in elementary, I would check the calendar when it was released and plan accordingly.

Yes, it really is

Much simpler than using all you vacation and calling in all your favors to cover tge constant 3 and 4 day weeks that was last year's fcps calendar.

Not everyone has the generous fed leave policies.

What do you normally do for childcare? If you do not use SACC (or similar), then you must be tag-teaming or something with a spouse? One does before-school care and the other does after-school care?

If that is the case, then there are a multitude of cheap drop-off type of places that you can use on days off -- sports places, martial arts studios, and so on. Five random days off can cost pretty much the same as a week-long summer camp. Shouldn't make much of a difference, right?

Childcare on TWDs and 3 day weekends has not been an issue for us. We don’t use SACC, but for those one off days there are a dozen martial arts places, code ninjas, high school babysitters shared with a neighbor family, or numerous other camp options. When grandma wants to come visit for a weekend we try to align it to a 3 day weekend. And yes, both DH and I try to take off at least one of them each semester too because it’s kind of nice to get a bonus day with the kids.

The long summer is hard because my kids are exhausted from full day camps by week 3, so we piece together morning camps and WFH afternoons or afternoon babysitters, but it’s very piecemeal.

But whatever, we knew childcare was something you deal with if both parents choose to work. So we make it work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like childcare is a red herring in this conversation. maybe someone can enlighten me - but we are a dual working parent household with 3 kids. There are 180 school days. I have to find childcare for the kids on non school days whether it is summer or not. I feel summer has a better set up camps than finding childcare for random days off during the school year.

It is easier to find summer care than trying to cover a school year with random days off and almost no 5 dsy weeks or full months of school.

But is it really?I mean, SACC and all the after school care programs take care of those days. So whomever you use for winter, summer, and spring breaks usually have coverage availability. Also, you have months ahead to plan. Back a bajillion years ago when my kid was in elementary, I would check the calendar when it was released and plan accordingly.

But it seems like 6 of one, half a dozen of the other - so childcare shouldn't be an argument for a shorter summer break either.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like childcare is a red herring in this conversation. maybe someone can enlighten me - but we are a dual working parent household with 3 kids. There are 180 school days. I have to find childcare for the kids on non school days whether it is summer or not. I feel summer has a better set up camps than finding childcare for random days off during the school year.

It is easier to find summer care than trying to cover a school year with random days off and almost no 5 dsy weeks or full months of school.

But is it really?I mean, SACC and all the after school care programs take care of those days. So whomever you use for winter, summer, and spring breaks usually have coverage availability. Also, you have months ahead to plan. Back a bajillion years ago when my kid was in elementary, I would check the calendar when it was released and plan accordingly.

Yes, it really is

Much simpler than using all you vacation and calling in all your favors to cover tge constant 3 and 4 day weeks that was last year's fcps calendar.

Not everyone has the generous fed leave policies.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like childcare is a red herring in this conversation. maybe someone can enlighten me - but we are a dual working parent household with 3 kids. There are 180 school days. I have to find childcare for the kids on non school days whether it is summer or not. I feel summer has a better set up camps than finding childcare for random days off during the school year.

It is easier to find summer care than trying to cover a school year with random days off and almost no 5 dsy weeks or full months of school.

But is it really?I mean, SACC and all the after school care programs take care of those days. So whomever you use for winter, summer, and spring breaks usually have coverage availability. Also, you have months ahead to plan. Back a bajillion years ago when my kid was in elementary, I would check the calendar when it was released and plan accordingly.