Whoop, whoop – school’s out for summer! As much as every parent breathes a sigh of relief after being put through the wringer during the dreaded annual examinations, the euphoria soon turns into despair as we are left wondering what is to become of our children while we work throughout the 100 days of summer.

In Malta, at least, the reality is that mothers have been mulling over summer childcare options as soon as the last Easter egg was scoffed. Working mothers try to sort out scheduling with their partners during the interim period between school ending and summer school options beginning so that there will always be an adult presence in the home to look after the rugrats.

Mothers who do not work outside the home will also be trying to organise some extracurricular activities to stop the children from getting bored, while giving themselves time to run the errands and do the chores without having the children moaning underfoot.

The fortnight gap between school ending and summer schools starting, and again at the end of the season when summer school finishes and the start of the next scholastic year is two weeks away, constitutes a childcare headache for parents who are both in gainful employment.

For those lucky enough to have help from their parents, babysitting may be free, but the realisation that what constitutes a handful for us may be totally exhausting for our pensioner parents should itself be a warning to prevent us from abusing of the situation.

Euphoria soon turns into despair as we are left wondering what is to become of our children while we work throughout the 100 days of summer

State-subsidised options like Klabb 3-16 available to families in which both parents work are located in a wide variety of government schools around the island for a nominal fee of 80c per child per hour. You will need to apply personally at the centre where you wish to send your children.

Since resources are limited, the care is pretty basic – with screen time featuring widely and the average age tending to be below 10. Even so the young, enthusiastic carers do their best to ensure that the children have a good time by organising cooking sessions, such as fruit kebabs (at an additional cost of €2 per child) and water games in the school playground.

Be sure to send a change of clothes (including underwear) and a small towel for your children to dry up, in case water play features in the schedule.

Opening times are from 7am to 6pm during school holidays and the fact that Klabb 3-16 runs throughout the long summer break from June 30 to September 23 makes this a viable childcare choice. Klabb 3-16 provides a useful stepping stone to tide those of us for whom taking annual leave over this period is not an option over the gap both at the start and end of summer, as well as the mid-August week, when most summer schools go on shutdown. If you prefer a more active approach, Skola Sajf starts a little later than Klabb 3-16, from mid-July until the first week of September, but runs throughout the Santa Maria week – so it could be a useful option during this time.

A word to the wise – your child must be independent and know how to shower, dress and use the bathroom as children are expected to fend for themselves in the changing rooms in between activities. Since Skola Sajf costs €25 per child for the entire summer, it is little wonder then that this government-subsidised initiative is generally oversubscribed, so be sure to get in early.

Although core hours run from 8.30am to 12.30pm, extra hours before or afterwards are available at a charge paid directly to the centre concerned. Both options are worth getting in early, as subscriptions close before the end of the scholastic year, and your preferred centre may be fully booked by the time you get around to filling in the online form. Unsurprisingly, there is a ton of bureaucracy to wade through but once you’re in the system it is relatively plain-sailing. The cooperative staff at the Foundation for Educational Services are very good at answering all your queries, via their Facebook page or e-mail contact form, and patiently dole out helpful advice to your childcare dilemmas.

Remember to be practical and save yourself unnecessary commuting by putting all your offspring into the same summer school.

Crysta Darmanin is editorials manager, The Malta Baby & Kids Directory.

The Malta Baby & Kids Directory aims to help families living locally to make the most of their parenting journey, leaving them more time to make their children’s childhood memorable. The directory can be bought through its online portal at http://www.maltababyandkids.com/childcare_malta. One can also join the 7,500 subscribers who get their monthly Malta Baby & Kids Directory delivered directly to their inbox; ‘like’ and rate the Facebook page maltababyandkids and join the Facebook group maltababyandkids.com chat.

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