![]() That’s a lot of hours for a parent to find childcare. Summer break for Missoula County Public Schools runs for roughly 11 weeks between early June and the end of August. Nearly 14,000 children under the age of 12 lived in Missoula as of 2021, according to the most recent data available from the Kids Count Data Center. “We know for most families that it’s childcare. “It is so much more than just enrichment,” said Heather Foster, CEO of the Missoula Family YMCA, the largest provider of licensed childcare in the state of Montana. Many are left without childcare altogether. Parents aren’t just inconvenienced by the lack of ready-made entertainment for their school-age children. This year, 94% of the Missoula Family YMCA summer programs filled up by the end of the first day of registration, which took place in early March. Last year, for every child registered in a parks and rec summer camp, 1.5 children were on a waiting list, according to Whicher. “One of the most painful parts of my job is that registration is such a stressful day for parents,” said Meg Whicher, the recreation program manager for the parks and rec department.ĭemand for summer camps in Missoula has skyrocketed in recent years, city and nonprofit officials said, and providers have struggled to grow capacity quickly enough to keep pace. Though hundreds of parents will sign on to the city agency’s website at 9 a.m., many will be disappointed to find their first, second and even third choices filled in minutes. ![]() If that sounds melodramatic, it’s because the date the Missoula Parks and Recreation Department opens registration for summer programming - this year, it’s April 2 - has become a critical moment for parents who need childcare during the out-of-school months. Summer camp registration day in Missoula is almost here, a day that parents have marked on their calendars and one that stands to influence the course of an entire summer for many families. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |