During severe winter weather, there has been a lot of discourse amongst parents about school closures—including concerns about last minute child care, the timing of when the school district announces delays and thoughts on parents getting reimbursed when daycares closed. We compiled some of your questions and thoughts below, with some input from local parents.
Why so many cold/snow days?
Children don’t usually walk to school anymore. Most children ride the bus or are driven to school. This puts more vehicles on the road for school routes, which means there will be more accidents in snowy and icy conditions.
These conditions also make it harder for staff to commute to school. AAPS has already reduced its staff, so if staff aren’t able to make it to the school, classes aren’t getting staffed. Many teachers don’t live near the school they teach at; anecdotally, many don’t even live in Ann Arbor because of rising prices. Which makes it harder for them to get to school. And AAPS takes the safety of its staff into consideration as well when making these calls.
They also calculate the snowiness of neighborhood roads. Sometimes the main roads are able to be cleared, but the neighborhoods where families live still aren’t.
Why are these decisions often made at the last minute? Because school officials don’t take closing lightly: they know it inconveniences many families and staff. Also, because sometimes road conditions do improve overnight based on the plowing and salting schedule.
A working parent of one child, who asked to be identified as such, stated, “Delayed school, including buses, for hazardous conditions to get cleared up could be done on some days rather than entire days closed.” This could potentially ease the burden on parents taking PTO to care for kids.
State funding
If 75% of students aren’t at school, the state doesn’t count it as a school day. That means even if the district doesn’t call off school, it still has to make up that day. And regardless of whether the district calls school off, if weather conditions are dangerously cold and icy, many students just won’t come anyway. Many schools build in extra days to their schedule because of this.
Concerns about last minute child care
This is a real tough one for many families, who are left burning through PTO when schools cancel, or have to scramble to find a last-minute sitter. It’s tough; there’s no way to make this one easier. Schools have to close when the weather reaches certain conditions.
Leslie S., a business owner and general contractor with two school-aged children, said, “We live in an economy where many families have to have two working parents to just get by. When schools close day after day, it means a huge scramble for parents to figure out who is going to take their precious PTO time to care for them, and fall behind at work. One day once in a while isn’t a problem, but extended spurts of time can cause disruptions in pay, and can, in some cases, create job insecurity for parents.”
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When Leslie’s kids were younger, the childcare shuffle became a major source of stress. “It was a contributing factor to me starting my own company,” Leslie said, “so I could have the flexibility I needed to raise my kids and handle childcare, doctors’ appointments, field trips, etc.” So many employers just don’t provide the flexibility that parents need today.
Some suggestions for trying to find last minute child care:
A) Network with fellow parents to swap care.
B) Check out resources like the YMCA or Little Break Cowork for last-minute drop-in care.
C) See which of your daycare’s staff is available for babysitting during school closures.
D) Connect with a teen in your neighborhood–when your school or daycare is closed, it’s because theirs is too!
E) Check on your employee options and if you can work remotely during these days.
F) Plan proactively: if a winter storm is expected, try to line up childcare in advance rather than scrambling morning of, which is always more stressful.
Why do daycares close as often as public schools?
Many daycares follow their local public school closing schedule. Yes, they don’t have children riding or waiting for buses, so that’s not a factor. But the concerns about poor road conditions and lack of staff remain the same. If any staff at the daycare have children in public school, they likely need to call off anyway when schools close. Daycares have strict staff to student ratios, and if they’re out of ratio, they need to send children home anyway. Sometimes daycares will delay opening for several hours to allow the roads a chance to get plowed and staff to make it. Some daycares will follow AAPS closures for snow, but not for cold. It all depends on the policy of your local daycare.
Should parents get reimbursed when daycares close?
This is a question that parents ask frequently when daycare closures stack up. These policies are always up to the individual daycare, so whether it should happen is a different question than whether it does happen. A few things to consider:
A) Daycares have fixed expenses regardless of attendance. Many costs (like staff salaries and rent) don’t go away just because the center closes for a day.
B) Many closures are unrefundable, such as anticipated holidays, professional development, and some amount of snow days. When an unanticipated, longer term closure happens (like issues with the facility), this may lead to credits or refunds. It just depends. It’s unlikely that snow/cold days in Michigan will qualify as refunds, but once again, it’s up to each individual center.
If your daycare contract is unclear, feel free to speak to the center for clarity.
Disruptions to schedule
And of course, any school days cause a disruption in routine for children. Many children can cope with a disruption in routine, but for many other children, this can be extremely difficult for them–both on their day at home and on starting school back up again.
Katy Lind, single mom to one, a kindergartener, pointed out the concerns that school closures can cause children who receive special education services. “School closures can mean not receiving services like occupational therapy or speech therapy, which are critical to their success.”
Their child needs structure and routine, so a random day off school results in real challenges when school resumes.
What are your thoughts on repeated school closures? Any suggestions for making it easier for families to manage? Let us know!
