Year-round schooling disrupts “family time” and finances

Schedules vary from school to school, but the common trend among year-round schools is that students attend classes for two to three months then have between one to three weeks break before the cycle starts again. While students in a year-round school attend the same number of days as those on traditional schedules, the format can make it difficult for families to spend quality time together. Education News suggests difficulty in planning family vacations and the fact that two children within a household could be on different school schedules puts a strain on family bonding time. Teachers may also lose valuable time with their immediate families since their children may not be on the same school schedule.^[1] With frequent breaks comes frequent holidays. Parents might have to take time off from work every so often to keep their children company during breaks. Also, those who don’t have relatives or friends to watch over their children have to find childcare solutions. Even worse, some kids are left alone at home just so parents can continue to work. The Congressional Research Service discusses how shortened summer breaks limit the number of job opportunities for teens.^[2] These jobs offer older kids a way to contribute financially to their families and provide opportunities to gain firsthand experience with important life skills. Local, seasonal businesses like amusement parks or campgrounds may also be disadvantaged from losing these valuable employees during peak tourist season, which could hurt the whole community. For older students, breaks mean a time to earn income from a full-time summer job. However, with short breaks, that might not be possible as some businesses might not be willing to take on someone who will most definitely leave after just a few days.

[P1] Family time and finances will suffer if year-long schooling is implemented throughout the U.S.