Aussie parents everywhere are fearing school holidays, and not for the reason you might think

I have to say, my head is sore today.

Why?

It’s sore because my 4-year-old daughter is completing her first term of preschool, which she attends three days a week. The pain in my head is caused by the impending school holidays, and the fact that I’ll have to work out care for her for 4 days out of those two weeks - and I have absolutely no idea where to start.

It seems my conundrum is not just my own. You see, this is an issue plaguing Aussie parents everywhere - because in a time when you more often than not need TWO full salaries just to put food on the table and a roof over your head, how on earth are we supposed to navigate school holidays and preschool hours?! 

For us, I’m incredibly fortunate that my husband works from home. So he can cater to the 8:30am drop off and 3:30pm pick up. Without him, my daughter would honestly not be able to go to preschool, and that would be such a shame, because just one term in preschool has seen her become more school-ready and confident than I’ve ever seen her. She loves going to preschool - I think it’s the sense of independence and freedom that comes with learning that is catered to your child.

As a parent working 4-days a week, I’ll only need to find care for my daughter for four days out of those two weeks, but with carer’s leave taken up by winter sickness, and only a certain amount of annual leave accrued, it’s not really a steadfast plan for the year. For the moment, we are simply taking it one school holiday at a time.

So, what’s the problem with preschool?

The hours!

Unlike ‘big school’, preschools don’t tend to offer before or after school care, which means that unless you have family on hand to tend to the drop off and pick up, preschool just isn’t an option for many families. This is a huge misstep, as preschool is also subsidised at a higher rate than long daycare, so families also benefit from more money in their pocket.

This issue is also prevalent for school-aged children when the school holidays come around. With 12 weeks of holidays a year, and a third of that going to full time working parents, well… the maths just doesn’t add up. You may suggest school camps? Many of those run the same hours as school, which means that working parents just can’t commit to pick up and drop off times.

Vacation care could also be an option, but committing to two weeks of that is not only expensive, but a lot for the child, especially if they’re in kindergarten and up to year 3 or 4.

You see, this is the upside of long daycare; it doesn’t close for school holidays, and has pre-kindergarten incentives like the ‘Start Strong’ program (providing financial support to parents of children 4 years and above). 

Community preschool is more affordable than long daycare, and has an arguably stronger ‘school readiness’ program, but in a world where interest rates are still climbing and both parents are not only expected to work - but need to work to make ends meet, what choice do most Aussie families have, unless something changes?

Now, in a post-COVID world, you might be lucky enough to have a boss who allows you to work from home, in what’s called a ‘hybrid’ role. This kind of working arrangement is certainly more likely these days than ever before, but what if you don’t have a boss that isn’t so understanding?

You might also be lucky enough to have grandparents close by who can assist with either the pick up or drop off? But again, not everyone has this, and these school holidays I happen to be in the same boat.

School hours are ‘outdated’

As former NSW Premier Dominic Perrotett pointed out in 2022, “The school hours of nine till three, that was set up at a very different time in life … the world in the 1950s is very different from the world we live in today.” 

“We as a government will be looking always at better ways of doing things, of thinking outside the box and striking new directions moving forward.”

As of May 2022, eight schools across NSW took part in a ‘revised school hours’ trial that saw some children experience school days with extended hours. One of the alternatives includes a 7am to 1pm day, or extended after-school care.

The ‘pilot’ ran for 20 weeks, during terms 3 and 4 across the schools taking part, and was set to be used as a way to determine the success of the proposed changes to schooling hours.

“We know it can be a challenge for families juggling the competing demands of work and family life around standard school hours and this pilot is about exploring options to help with that,” Mr Perrottet said.

“We want to offer greater support and comfort to parents, knowing that their kids are safe and happy taking part in a homework club in the school library, a dance class in the school hall or soccer practice on the school oval.”

So, where to from here?

Even with the change in government, it seems the issue of archaic schooling hours is thankfully still in focus. 

Liberal MP and member for Ryde Jordan Lane used his inaugural speech to outline his vision to restructure school days, saying it would ease the load on parents and teachers and produce more-rounded children through after-class activities.

Parents should not be forced to choose between their own career progression and raising children, Lane said.

'The great travesty of public policy will be if the education system of the 2050s looks as it did when it was established in the 1950s,' the Ryde MP said in June,

'It is a relic of a sexist, bygone era, when society assumed women stayed at home and were responsible for the school pick-up.'

The 28-year-old praised the push to keep students enrolled in formal education for longer and the previous NSW coalition government's introduction of universal pre-kindergarten, but pushed for more.

Schools operating until 6pm would become 'a place for extracurricular excellence', with coding classes, culture and language, art, dance, music and sport offered by providers and community organisations.

That would expose more children to 'rounded experiences' and avoid overworking hardworking teachers, Mr Lane said.

As for when we might see these changes take place? Well, I suppose that’s up to the Labour party, right Albo?