Parents share their childcare plans for end-of-year school holidays

It's almost a wrap on the school year for 2024 with most schools around the country breaking on December 18 – smack-bang in the middle of what is most parents' working week.

Private school students finished up even earlier, leaving parents across Australia scrambling to come up with childcare plans while they continuing working in the leadup to Christmas.

For most families it is at least seven weeks to plan for between now and when school returns on February 6.

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Most Aussie workers are lucky to get the two-week Christmas break off, unless they have banked all their annual leave for this time of the year.

This leaves weeks and weeks to fill with appropriate childcare plans as mums and dads juggle jobs and bored children once the excitement of Christmas is over.

9honey Parenting asked parents what their plans are for the next couple of months, and it is quite the mish-mash.

We posed the question: "Mums of primary school age kids, what on earth do you do for these long school holidays while trying to work?"

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One Sydney mum explained she takes her son "into work with me a few times and vacation care".

"Inspire has a great program running first week January to first week February 2025," she added.

"A mixture of vacation care, juggle annual leave days with my husband (never, ever take the same days off) and lose my mind," another mum answered.

For others, it is more costly.

"Pay a lot for school holiday care programs mixed with taking a lot of annual leave," one parent shared.

Another mum relies on a local school holiday camp called Camp Blue in Manly on some days, and on others will "struggle, shout, have meltdowns and wishing I was a millionaire and/or retired!"

One lucky family has a cruise planned but will still have some weeks left to fill with "beach, pool, chilling at home."

"I fear the electricity bill might skyrocket by using technology, aircon, and charging devices!" they admitted.

Then there's this mum, who wins the award for planning ahead.

"Have a new baby, get mat leave, accidentally extend the nightmare that is school holiday care for another decade," she said.

Another said they use "vacation care", which can prove expensive.

Vacation care programs linked to schools can cost as little as $13 a day all the way up to approximately $75 for out-of-school programs.

Families who are eligible for support from Centrelink can have part of the cost covered which is normally paid directly to the provider.

Other parents rely on family for help, including grandparents.

Australian grandparents are contributing the equivalent of $3.94 billion annually in childcare costs by minding their grandchildren according to Mozo.

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Finder.com.au reports grandparents are saving parents over $6,000 in childcare annually per family.

"My sister and I share care during the holidays," another mum explained. "We are lucky, our kids are similar ages, so we split the week and that means we can both take turns working and the kids are happy because they can play with their cousins.

"This is also so affordable for us."

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