‘8 for April’: How to ‘Cope’ with the school holiday juggle

Working parents can start tackling the school holiday juggle by using a “C.O.P.E.” model. Photo / 123rf

April is a challenging month for New Zealand’s working parents. Their children will be in school for eight days thanks to the timing of Easter, Anzac Day and the school holidays. But it doesn’t have to be all bad.

Media coverage and parenting groups on social media have focused on parents’ concerns over what to do with children while trying to work. The catchphrase “8 for April” has taken off.

None of this is helped by the general silence in wider society about how working parents and organisations might better manage school holidays.

But there is a different way to look at this problematic month – and any other period when school holidays require parents to juggle childcare and work. It just requires a bit of planning and cooperation between individuals, their support networks and organisations.

The work-school mismatch

The “8 for April” dilemma is really an issue parents have faced quietly for decades. Under the Holidays Act, all workers are entitled to at least four weeks’ paid leave. But primary and secondary school-aged children have at least 12 weeks of holidays each year. You do the maths, as they say.

Little is really known about the solutions working parents use to organise children during the school holidays. Nor do we have a clear understanding of how organisations’ flexible work initiatives could be used to help employees cope with school holidays.

These gaps in research are surprising given the number of working parents, frequency of school holidays and the growth of organisational initiatives to support work-life balance, wellbeing and flexible employment.

While it may take time for research to catch up, parents can start tackling the school holiday juggle by using a “Cope” model.

Learning to ‘Cope’

The Cope model - construct, optimise, perspective and evaluate - could help parents sort school holidays in an organised and calm manner.

Construct – plan early what will happen for children for each day of the holiday.

Optimise – try to develop a solution that meets the wants of children, needs of parents and demands of employers. It may not be perfect for all, but should be helpful and liveable.

Perspective – while holidays are a challenging time for parents, children are resilient and won’t necessarily even recall the solutions found for all holidays.

Evaluate – consider what worked and what didn’t and use this information to plan the next holidays.

Have a plan for each day of the holidays and understand what activities your child would enjoy. Photo / 123rf

Success starts with a plan

Potential fixes for the holiday juggle tend to be pitched at individual households, including school holiday programmes. The cost of these programmes can vary from $15 to more than $100 a day.

While we need to develop a better understanding of how to help working parents,there are some things individuals can do to help the juggle.

• Voice your expectations as early as possible with managers to see if work can be organised to accommodate the holidays (not having major projects due during the holidays, for example). Don’t assume your employer won’t try to be supportive.
• Understand that one size does not fit all. You are the best judge of what would work for your children. Consider factors such as time, logistics, cost, enjoyment, restoration, technology, friends, exercise and home dynamics.
• Choice matters. Formulate a jigsaw of approaches including using annual leave, work-from-home days if possible, paid and unpaid options for childcare. The jigsaw may well be different for each holiday period.
• It takes a village. Share care with other working - paid and unpaid - parents, grandparents, neighbours, friends and supporters.
• Give yourself a break. Try to find time for rest and relaxation. Children won’t be young forever, so the pressure of school holidays will likely diminish as they age.

Grandparents, neighbours or friends may be able to help with care during the holidays. Photo / 123rf

Employers can help

While parents will take the lead in planning for school holidays, organisations can also step up and help.

• Support staff. Accept the school holiday may not affect all employees, but for those it does, the impact could be significant. Consider also that other employees such as grandparents may value work flexibility during these periods.
• Changing conversations in society about hoalays, accompanied with practical solutions could help alleviate parents’ fears. As CovidOVID-19 lockdowns proved, work and parenting can be combined when required. Broader conversations are also needed to find solutions for parents whose jobs simply cannot be done at home.ome.me.e.
• Link flexibility to recruitment and retention. Promote the fact you are “school holiday friendly” as an employer, which can help with staff recruitment and retention.
• Bring kids in. If staff must be on site, explore whether they can bring the kids to work at certain times. Consider if a workplace school holiday programme for employees’ children could be offered – or at least a room with WiFi.
• Clarify work expectations. When discussing flexibility, also agree on the key work expectations during holiday periods.

Being school holiday savvy would recognise that perhaps different ways of working could be used for that quarter of the year taken up with school holidays.

* Candice Harris is Professor of Management at Auckland University of Technology.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence.