Spring Break is typically depicted as a time to party with friends while having a week off school. While this may hold true for some, for others who need to take care of young children, this break may prove to be more of a hassle than it’s worth.
In the past five years, spring break for the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) and Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) have been on the same week two times, in 2023 and 2020.
Spring break for Pierce has been after the eighth week of instruction for more than a decade. This year, that lands on April 7 and ends on April 13. This differs from LAUSD, which begins its break the week after on April 14, ending April 18 to coincide with Easter.
These breaks not being aligned can cause a multitude of problems for students, faculty and staff.
Pierce community members may rely on their children’s school schedules to take classes at Pierce. Uncoordinated spring breaks may result in children being left without their primary caregiver because they are on campus.
This may result in either causing money to be spent to hire a babysitter or having Pierce students with children miss class for a week.
According to Care.com, the average starting rate of a child care provider is $25 per hour. If a school day is an average of six hours long, for four days, that can total $600 for the week.
For those without children, the break serves as a time for many to get together with either friends or family. But this may prove difficult if two friends or family members go to different schools.
California State University Northridge’s break was held from March 17 to the 23, two weeks before Pierce’s.
The year prior, CSUN’s break and Pierce’s break had a week between the end of one and the start of the other.
To remedy these problems, Spring Break should be centered on the Easter holiday. This way it can accommodate those who celebrate the holiday with family, allowing them more time to travel, while allowing others time to get together with friends and take a break from school.
The standardization of when the break is would allow for both parents and children to be out of school at the same time.
