Susan Nielsen of The Oregonian is right to point out the summer conundrum that working American parents face every year when trying to responsibly provide and care for their children (“After hunt for summer child care, I need a vacation,” April 8, 2013). She quotes Nancy Hauth, who oversees after-school care and other programs for Portland Public Schools: “Parents do keep working during the summer. It’s frustrating that we haven’t figured this out.”
Another quote from a recent Oregon ASK report sums it up well, “The disparity between school schedules and typical family work schedules is challenging and costly for families. Parents must choose between loss of income and inadequate supervision of their children.” Neither of which is acceptable.
We think we can do better.