Latest news with #workingparents
Entrepreneur
a day ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
School's Out — How to Support Working Parents This Summer
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. When school lets out for summer, many parents struggle to piece together childcare, adjust their schedules and stay on top of work responsibilities, often with limited support. Becoming a parent has given me a deeper, more personal understanding of what working parents are juggling, especially when their support systems are stretched thin. I grew up watching two working parents handle it all. Even with just one child, I can feel how demanding it is. That lived experience has sharpened my empathy and made me more aware of how different each family's situation can be. So much of the load parents carry is invisible: coordinating school pickups, managing last-minute sick days, finding childcare or simply staying emotionally present while switching between personal and professional roles. Summer brings a different kind of unpredictability. Camps may only run for half the day. Family travel peaks. Normal childcare routines break down. Research by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that mothers of children ages 6-12 spend 31 more minutes per day, and fathers 18 more minutes per day, caring for their children in the summer compared to the school year. This may not sound like a lot, but consider that extra time over 70 or 80 days of summer and add it to the already time-intensive responsibilities of parenthood. So, how can leaders better support working parents during these unpredictable summer months? Related: How to Create a Supportive Workplace Culture Without Sacrificing Productivity Make flexibility the norm, not the exception One of the most meaningful ways leaders can help parents navigate summer break is by embracing schedule flexibility. For some employees, that might mean working earlier or later than usual. For others, it means shifting to asynchronous collaboration to keep projects moving without everyone online at the same time. Implementing "core hours," a daily block of time set aside for live collaboration, with the rest of the day open for focused solo work, can help to balance team connectivity with individual productivity. Offer team-wide calendar reviews at the start of summer to reduce unnecessary meetings and empower time ownership. Doing meeting-free days, or even weeks, during peak school breaks can also help prevent burnout. These approaches allow people to work in ways that suit their lives while still maintaining momentum. Research from Future Forum supports this, showing that employees with schedule flexibility report 29% higher productivity and more than 50% greater ability to focus. Companies that go further, such as by offering stipends for summer childcare or providing access to virtual summer camps through employee perks platforms, are not just helping parents stay afloat. They're investing in long-term engagement and retention. Related: An Investor Doubted Me and My Business Because I'm a Working Dad — Here's Why You Don't Have to Sacrifice Work or Your Family. Don't assume top performers are fine A common mistake leaders make is assuming high-performing employees will figure things out. They're adaptable, resourceful and driven, so why wouldn't they manage just fine during a hectic season like summer? But that thinking overlooks a key truth: Even the most capable people have limits. And when leaders fail to check in or offer support, those employees may not speak up. Instead, they may quietly burn out or disengage. The better approach is to create space for open dialogue. As a leader, I've learned the importance of checking in proactively, not just to ask about work, but also how people are really doing. Employees who feel supported by their manager are over three times more likely to be engaged at work. That starts with creating space for honest conversations. Encourage managers to normalize conversations about caregiving and offer micro-flexibility (i.e. shifting hours, no-meeting blocks) as a baseline for supporting parents. Broader company-wide conversations can happen through short surveys or structured feedback from employee resource groups. The goal with these initiatives is to listen. Salesforce, for example, found that employees who feel heard are over four times more likely to feel empowered and do their best work. Often, people don't expect you to solve everything; they just want to know someone sees what they're carrying and cares enough to ask. Lead by modeling boundaries and presence Since becoming a parent, I've also had to change how I manage my own time. I've become ruthless about timeboxing. I give each task, meeting or decision a hard boundary and focus deeply within that window. When the time's up, I move on. That discipline has helped me avoid dragging work into every corner of the day and allowed me to be more present both at home and at work. Presence is something we sometimes underestimate in leadership. It's not about always being available. It's about fully engaging in the moment, whether in a one-on-one meeting, a group brainstorming session or at your kid's first swim lesson. Everyone's version of presence will look different, and that's part of the point. When leaders model this, it sets a tone and gives others permission to be human, too. One study found that 96% of employees believe empathy from leadership improves retention. Empathy doesn't have to be dramatic. Sometimes, it just looks like a calendar that reflects your priorities and a culture that supports others in doing the same. Related: You Don't Need to Sacrifice Your Family to Pursue Being an Entrepreneur. Here's How to Save Yourself 500 Hours Per Year. Summer is a chance to rethink what support looks like Every summer, families shift their routines to keep everything moving, and employers should do the same. As leaders, our responsibility is not to expect everyone to adapt to a rigid system but to create a workplace flexible enough to adapt to people's lives. That starts with trust, empathy and a willingness to lead with curiosity rather than assumptions. Parenthood has helped me see all of this more clearly. And while my daughter isn't in school yet, the lessons she's already taught me about presence, patience and what really matters are shaping how I show up for my team every day. When we create room for those kinds of human moments at work, we get better results while building stronger, more resilient cultures that last long after the summer is over.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
How can working parents get 15 and 30 hours of free childcare?
Eligible working parents of children from nine months old can now apply for 30 hours of free childcare a week in England from September. The government hopes the scheme will get more parents back to work, but there are serious concerns about the number of staff and places childcare arrangements vary in other parts of the UK. How expensive is UK childcare? The average cost of full-time nursery (50 hours a week) for a child under two in England is £12,425 in 2025. That's a fall of 22% from 2024, according to the Coram Family and Childcare charity, as the government funded hours scheme is the most expensive place in Great Britain for under-twos, at £15, cost of a full-time place for three and four-year-olds went up in all three nations. How does free childcare in England work? In England, all three and-four year olds are eligible for 15 hours of government funded childcare, regardless of their parents working status. Other help is also available, but this depends on the age of your child and whether you are working or receiving certain parents can get:15 hours of childcare paid for by the government for children aged between nine months and 23 months old (increasing to 30 hours in September30 hours of childcare paid for by the government for three and four-year-oldsTo qualify for the new hours, the majority of parents must earn more than £9,518, but less than £100,000 per on certain benefits can get:15 hours of free childcare for two-year-oldsIf you do not work, you might still be eligible for 30 hours of free childcare if your partner works, or you receive some benefits (for example maternity or paternity leave).UK government: Childcare choicesUK government: Childcare calculator How do you apply for 15 or 30 hours of free childcare? Parents can apply for 15 hours of childcare from when their child is 23 weeks old, and for 30 hours once their child is two years and 36 weeks entitlement starts at the beginning of the term after your child reaches the qualifying government website has details of the deadlines to apply for each age childcare hours are designed to be used over 38 weeks of the year - during school term some providers will stretch them over 52 weeks if you use fewer hours per week. What is not covered by the free childcare hours? The government is increasing the hourly rate it pays childcare providers offering free in many cases, this rate does not cover the full cost of the childcare. So, some providers charge for extras like meals, nappies, sun cream or to research from the Pregnant Then Screwed charity, almost a quarter (23%) of parents it surveyed said they couldn't afford to access free childcare hours because of top-up February, the Department for Education (DfE) wrote to nurseries saying parents should be able to opt out of paying for these extras, "to ensure no family is priced out".However, some providers say they use these payments to subsidise the cost of the free hours for three and four-year-olds. More than 5,000 nurseries have signed an open letter to the DfE asking for the new rules to be delayed. Are there enough childcare places? The DfE says an additional 35,000 staff and 70,000 places will be required to meet demand by September education regulator Ofsted has warned that access to childcare in England has declined since 2020 and improvements have not been evenly spread across the average, so-called "childcare deserts" have lower household incomes and higher levels of deprivation than other government offered a cash incentive of £600 to those who become childminders (or £1,200 for those joining via an agency) which ended in March. Childcare staffing rose by 6% across 2024 as a whole, however the number of childminders - those providing early years care in homes - has continued to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows the total population of zero to five-year-olds fell by 1% per year from 2018 to 2022, the number of childcare places increased by 44,400 between 2023 and 2024, according to DfE figures. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said early years had been her "priority from day one". However, nursery bosses argue the government's updated funding rates for 2025 will not offset rising Early Years Alliance charity said about 185 nurseries of 1,100 it surveyed said they were "likely" to withdraw from the scheme within the next 12 months "due to unsustainable financial pressures".In April, the government announced the first 300 school-based nurseries, which it says will provide 4,000 extra places by September 2025. What childcare help is available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland? All three and four-year-olds and some two-year-olds in Scotland are entitled to 30 hours a week of funded childcare during term time (or 22 hours a week if used across the year), regardless of their parents' working parents in Wales can get 30 hours of childcare for three and four-year-olds, and the government says it is expanding support for Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS) provides a 15% discount on childcare to qualifying working parents with pre-school-age children. The scheme will be extended to include primary school-age children from September. How does tax-free childcare work? Parents may be entitled to other support, including the UK-wide tax-free childcare every £8 you pay into an online childcare account, the government adds £2 (up to £2,000 per child per year, or £4,000 for disabled children).You can use the money to pay for approved childcare, for example:Childminders, nurseries and nanniesAfter-school clubs and play schemesYour childcare provider must be signed up to the who qualify for free childcare hours can save in the tax-free scheme as much is child benefit worth and who can claim it?
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Why summers are not built for working parents
While most children can't wait for the school year to end, the summer months can be a logistical and financial challenge for working parents. 'It's really tough for your typical working parent to take two months off in the summer,' Vancouver-based financial planner Kelly Ho told 'I'm also in the thick of it myself.' asked readers to share their stories about the challenges working parents face in the summer. They told us about spending thousands of dollars on camps, scrambling to register for affordable options, camp hours that are shorter than their work days, and needing to use vacation days to fill in gaps in their kids' summer schedules. 'Summer is such a stressful time for working parents,' Oshawa, Ont. mom Abbi Longo told 'We have four kids, three in school, and between co-ordinating camps, paying for them, and balancing work – it sometimes seems impossible.' With the summer holiday only a month away, available options right now could be limited. That's why Ho says it's important to talk to friends, family, neighbours and people in your community for help. 'I'm sure that everyone has the same issues and concerns,' Ho said. 'Don't tackle this alone and actually just let people know, here's what I'm struggling with, and you'd be surprised with the amount of suggestions and help that may arise by just vocalizing one's problems and one's issues with respect to the summer.' Campers Campers hang out before closing campfire, Thursday, June 20, 2024, at YMCA Camp Kern in Oregonia, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel) 'Camps just don't align with the realities of working schedules' To many, it seems summers are simply not built for working parents. 'As a single mom living and working full time in a rural area, planning summer coverage for my two elementary-aged kids is incredibly difficult,' Christine Auchinleck told from Ontario's Oxford County. Auchinleck has her kids in camps for part of the summer and plans to use vacation days to look after them at other times. 'Large portions of the summer remain uncovered, and even on days with care, I don't actually have coverage for my actual work hours,' she said. 'This situation affects my job performance, my mental health and my kids' wellbeing.' Emily O'Riordan in Hamilton, Ont. says one of her biggest challenges is that many camps in her area end at 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. and that extended hour options are limited. 'Camps just don't align with the realities of working schedules,' she told 'We're lucky to be able to afford weekly camps for our older child—and soon for our younger one too—but it's a major financial strain.' Daria Kathnelson of Ottawa, Ont. says all of her vacation days and a large portion of her annual bonus go towards looking after her two kids and enrolling them in camps, which are costing her family more than $5,000 this summer. 'These funds would normally be saved for a family trip, which we can no longer afford to take,' Kathnelson told 'Affording summer camp each year for two children is extremely stressful. I have no idea how single parents do it. I am able to barely manage, but what about the rest?' Campers Campers swim in the pool, Thursday, June 20, 2024, at YMC Camp Kern in Oregonia, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel) (Joshua A. Bickel/AP) Like many other parents, Alessandra McIntosh from Caledon, Ont. got up early one February morning to get her two kids into a more affordable municipal camp as soon as registration opened at 7 a.m. At about $300 per child per week, McIntosh said it's still a 'huge expense.' 'If you don't sign up within the first few minutes, the spots are gone and you have no option but to pay for more expensive camps,' McIntosh told 'With the cost of living going up, people are really going to struggle putting their kids in camp.' Perhaps their kids would cringe, but McIntosh and several other parents expressed a desire for schools to operate year-round with a shorter summer holiday. Others suggested that camps and childcare should be exempt from taxes to ease parents' financial burden. 'Personally I feel that primary school summer vacation is purely an outdated traditional practice to allow school-age children to help with seeding/harvest when we were a more agricultural based society,' Saskatoon dad Mark Petrisor told 'Obviously the times have changed so I think it's well overdue to re-evaluate this practice.' 'It's all about being very organized' The financial challenges summer brings to working parents regularly comes up in Ho's conversations with her clients. She said she begins planning summer activities for her 10- and eight-year-old at least one season in advance. 'That's how I've functioned and that's how I've been able to stay sane,' Ho said. 'A lot of parents think I'm crazy, but you need to know exactly when every registration date is for whatever camps you want to go to so that you don't miss the deadlines. So it's all about being very organized, setting calendar reminders, and browsing before so you actually know what's available.' In Canada, prices can range from about $200 per week for day camps run by municipalities or community centres to $1,000 or more per week for specialty and overnight camps. In many places, the more affordable options tend to fill up very quickly once registration opens. Some camps also offer scholarships and subsidies. campers Counselor Kendra Ashong, center, sings a song with other campers, Thursday, June 20, 2024, at YMCA Camp Kern in Oregonia, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel) (Joshua A. Bickel/AP) Although day camps typically operate from about 9 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m., many offer before and after care for an added fee. Ho says it's also a good idea to talk to other parents about registering your kids for the same camp or activity. 'That way if there are scheduling challenges, then you have the option of approaching them to help with pick-up and drop-off,' Ho said. 'And also the benefit for your kid is that they have a friend going into the program.' Parents who are still in a bind should talk to their employers about tweaking their work schedules. 'Even with my staff… if they need some flexibility for a particular period of time, I have no problem with that as long as the work is done,' Ho said. 'I think there's no issue in asking when the intentions are good.' Ho says the summer months are also a time to lean on grandparents, family members, neighbours, friends, student babysitters and the community for help. 'What do we do if people don't have those types of supports? That's when we have to turn to our social networks,' she said. 'It's really about getting creative if camps present a financial burden.' For example, Ho said you could also try to find other parents who are in a similar situation and take turns being off work to look after each other's kids. Ho also cautioned against scheduling too many activities for your kids during the summer months and advised giving them some downtime too. 'They like the ability to have some free unallocated time,' she said. 'If we think back to our own childhood, I remember lots of lazy summer days sitting at home, hanging out with my grandparents, and I thought it was the best thing in the world.'
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
From camps to costs, why summers are so stressful for working parents
While most children can't wait for the school year to end, the summer months can be a logistical and financial challenge for working parents. 'It's really tough for your typical working parent to take two months off in the summer,' Vancouver-based financial planner Kelly Ho told 'I'm also in the thick of it myself.' asked readers to share their stories about the challenges working parents face in the summer. They told us about spending thousands of dollars on camps, scrambling to register for affordable options, camp hours that are shorter than their work days, and needing to use vacation days to fill in gaps in their kids' summer schedules. 'Summer is such a stressful time for working parents,' Oshawa, Ont. mom Abbi Longo told 'We have four kids, three in school, and between co-ordinating camps, paying for them, and balancing work – it sometimes seems impossible.' With the summer holiday only a month away, available options right now could be limited. That's why Ho says it's important to talk to friends, family, neighbours and people in your community for help. 'I'm sure that everyone has the same issues and concerns,' Ho said. 'Don't tackle this alone and actually just let people know, here's what I'm struggling with, and you'd be surprised with the amount of suggestions and help that may arise by just vocalizing one's problems and one's issues with respect to the summer.' Campers Campers hang out before closing campfire, Thursday, June 20, 2024, at YMCA Camp Kern in Oregonia, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel) 'Camps just don't align with the realities of working schedules' To many, it seems summers are simply not built for working parents. 'As a single mom living and working full time in a rural area, planning summer coverage for my two elementary-aged kids is incredibly difficult,' Christine Auchinleck told from Ontario's Oxford County. Auchinleck has her kids in camps for part of the summer and plans to use vacation days to look after them at other times. 'Large portions of the summer remain uncovered, and even on days with care, I don't actually have coverage for my actual work hours,' she said. 'This situation affects my job performance, my mental health and my kids' wellbeing.' Emily O'Riordan in Hamilton, Ont. says one of her biggest challenges is that many camps in her area end at 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. and that extended hour options are limited. 'Camps just don't align with the realities of working schedules,' she told 'We're lucky to be able to afford weekly camps for our older child—and soon for our younger one too—but it's a major financial strain.' Daria Kathnelson of Ottawa, Ont. says all of her vacation days and a large portion of her annual bonus go towards looking after her two kids and enrolling them in camps, which are costing her family more than $5,000 this summer. 'These funds would normally be saved for a family trip, which we can no longer afford to take,' Kathnelson told 'Affording summer camp each year for two children is extremely stressful. I have no idea how single parents do it. I am able to barely manage, but what about the rest?' Campers Campers swim in the pool, Thursday, June 20, 2024, at YMC Camp Kern in Oregonia, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel) (Joshua A. Bickel/AP) Like many other parents, Alessandra McIntosh from Caledon, Ont. got up early one February morning to get her two kids into a more affordable municipal camp as soon as registration opened at 7 a.m. At about $300 per child per week, McIntosh said it's still a 'huge expense.' 'If you don't sign up within the first few minutes, the spots are gone and you have no option but to pay for more expensive camps,' McIntosh told 'With the cost of living going up, people are really going to struggle putting their kids in camp.' Perhaps their kids would cringe, but McIntosh and several other parents expressed a desire for schools to operate year-round with a shorter summer holiday. Others suggested that camps and childcare should be exempt from taxes to ease parents' financial burden. 'Personally I feel that primary school summer vacation is purely an outdated traditional practice to allow school-age children to help with seeding/harvest when we were a more agricultural based society,' Saskatoon dad Mark Petrisor told 'Obviously the times have changed so I think it's well overdue to re-evaluate this practice.' 'It's all about being very organized' The financial challenges summer brings to working parents regularly comes up in Ho's conversations with her clients. She said she begins planning summer activities for her 10- and eight-year-old at least one season in advance. 'That's how I've functioned and that's how I've been able to stay sane,' Ho said. 'A lot of parents think I'm crazy, but you need to know exactly when every registration date is for whatever camps you want to go to so that you don't miss the deadlines. So it's all about being very organized, setting calendar reminders, and browsing before so you actually know what's available.' In Canada, prices can range from about $200 per week for day camps run by municipalities or community centres to $1,000 or more per week for specialty and overnight camps. In many places, the more affordable options tend to fill up very quickly once registration opens. Some camps also offer scholarships and subsidies. campers Counselor Kendra Ashong, center, sings a song with other campers, Thursday, June 20, 2024, at YMCA Camp Kern in Oregonia, Ohio. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel) (Joshua A. Bickel/AP) Although day camps typically operate from about 9 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m., many offer before and after care for an added fee. Ho says it's also a good idea to talk to other parents about registering your kids for the same camp or activity. 'That way if there are scheduling challenges, then you have the option of approaching them to help with pick-up and drop-off,' Ho said. 'And also the benefit for your kid is that they have a friend going into the program.' Parents who are still in a bind should talk to their employers about tweaking their work schedules. 'Even with my staff… if they need some flexibility for a particular period of time, I have no problem with that as long as the work is done,' Ho said. 'I think there's no issue in asking when the intentions are good.' Ho says the summer months are also a time to lean on grandparents, family members, neighbours, friends, student babysitters and the community for help. 'What do we do if people don't have those types of supports? That's when we have to turn to our social networks,' she said. 'It's really about getting creative if camps present a financial burden.' For example, Ho said you could also try to find other parents who are in a similar situation and take turns being off work to look after each other's kids. Ho also cautioned against scheduling too many activities for your kids during the summer months and advised giving them some downtime too. 'They like the ability to have some free unallocated time,' she said. 'If we think back to our own childhood, I remember lots of lazy summer days sitting at home, hanging out with my grandparents, and I thought it was the best thing in the world.'
CTV News
27-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Do summer camp costs and vacation time create challenges for working parents?
While most kids can't wait for the school year to end, for working parents the summer months can be a logistical and financial challenge. If you're concerned about the cost of camps, needing more vacation time, or keeping your kids busy this summer, wants to hear from you. Do you worry about being able to afford summer activities, camps or daycare for your kids? Do you have to save up or cut back on other expenses like family trips to pay for your kids' summer activities? Are affordable options getting harder to find? How much vacation time do you get each year, is it enough, and what do you do for childcare when you're not on vacation during the summer? Will limited camp and daycare hours stop you from working a full day? What other affordability or summer concerns do you have as a parent? Share your story by emailing us at dotcom@ with your name, general location and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your comments may be used in a story.
