Dear Lakewood, I’m quite sure I’m not the only one looking what to do with the little ones this week and next week while me and my husband work.
Most camps ended around a week ago already, but the school start schedules are badly coordinated, with some girls schools and playgroups not starting until about two weeks before Rosh Hashana – way after the boys.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to have everyone start at the same time, sometime in the first week of Elul?
Thank you.
C.L.
(TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to letters@thelakewoodscoop.com)
This is something that always bothered me. The town we live in is still primarily populated by people who live on a Yeshiva schedule. Why isn’t anything scheduled that way? If Seder starts at 9:30, how can a babysitter feel it’s ok to start at that time? How can schools and babysitters schedule hours and vacations in ways that undermine Yeshiva schedule?
I am sorry but not everyone in this town is part of the yeshiva. The are many babysitters in this town who are more flexible with there hours and someone that are not. Babysitters are people also and before they start there work day they have things that must be done. You don’t own your babysitter and if there hours don’t work for you find someone else. Also everyone is entitled to have some vacation time and if when they take off doesn’t work for you then maybe you should try to plan your time off when they take off.
This opinion is spot on ! In need to pay full tuitions for six kids and they make my wife take off for almost a week to care for the children . We already went on family trip and spend quality time with them over weekends . We would love to have luxufry of doing so over next ten days but we need lay our bills . I just don’t get this town
If you think logistically what it takes to get a school building ready for the new year (especially since the majority are rented to camps), for teachers to be prepared, for rebbeim to catch their breath after the short break they get etc., you wouldn’t have complaints. School isn’t a babysitting service. There are plenty of options for these in between weeks for day camps for your children. And, yes, both my husband and I work. Be grateful and you will see that a positive attitude will take you a lot farther in life.
I struggle with the same thing every year. I would love to spend the time with my children, and yearn for the day when I don’t have to work and can do just that when they are off. However, it is not a Lakewood thing by far. Any parent I know, frum or secular, in the tri-state area and beyond, has their kids off between camp and school sometimes longer than we do here in Lakewood. I don’t know what the answer is.
@malkie has a great point. I work for a school and you have zero clue what stress I go through getting the building ready for the school year. It is rented out to a camp for second half and we have approximately a week and a half to: Paint the entire bldg, Strip and wax all floors (which includes emptying all classrooms), Move around furniture to the appropriate rooms, scrub down every single desk, scrub cubbies, scrub all garbage cans— and that’s all besides the small repairs which are endless–like white boards which get loose, doors need adjusting etc etc…the list is endless and the requests are endless too!! I worked hard and I’m happy to do so but please understand the situation. And please don’t say we shouldn’t rent out the building to camp because besides the fact that we need the money—then your kids camp will not have a place next year. Thanks for understanding.
Most boys schools are starting this week. In Brooklyn all schools including the boys don’t start until after labor day. In this aspect this town is better than Brooklyn.
Bussing is also a major issue
Don’t rent out the buildings to camps
Then enjoy paying higher tuition , since renting out to camp is a big source of income for the school
ibdont understand why the boys and the girls are not on thr same schedule. if some days are needed between camp and school thats fine but the boys and girls start need to be aligned. girls camp ended on thursday and there is no reason why they cant start on wednesday.
If the schools wouldn’t rent out to camps ,they couldn’t pay their summer mortgages,unless your tuition went up a little to cover it. Everybody has eitzos ,but most parents in Lakewood do not pay full tuition. So even if you do pay full ,the school can’t manage with your full tuition when the majority pay much less.
If you rent out your building to a camp then end camp a werk early to get things back together.
That is exactly what currently happens and why there are complaints.
(I am sending to a full summer daycamp, and am not complaining)
There are allot of unsupervised little kids riding their bikes aimlessly, bored in the streets (yes, street, not sidewalks). It is a sakana.
Giving 2,3 days between camp and school is more than enough. After that, everyone is wasting their time.
If the schools would be better coordinated, the parents could work more days and pay more tuition. Then the school doesn’t have to rent out to a camp and start even earlier thereby allowing the parents to work even more and pay full tuition. But then there wouldn’t be enough place for the camps so camp would go up in demand and we’d need to pay higher camp fees. So parents won’t be able to pay full tuition anymore. Wow, money goes round and round.
I don’t care when we start but can we all start the same time!?
Boy one starts Wednesday 1/2 day and thurs 1/2 day
Wife has meetings this wed and Thursday and starts Friday
Boy 2 starts Friday
Girl one starts wed next week
Girl 2 starts Thursday next week
Babysitter goes on girl school schedule so no babysitting till next wed for the baby.
Husband commutes for work so not around to help.
Tell me this is normal!?!
you need a babysitter that is more flexible. I myself am a babysiiter and even though it is very hard now that all my kids are home I am still working. I only take off one week in the summer and it usually works out that the parents take there vacation then too since I give them a lot of notice. One year I even offered to find a sub and no one was even interested. They all said they would figure it out for the one week.
My sis in Brooklyn is complaining that none of her kids start until Labor Day. Why is that easier if boys and girls start the same time? All over th USA schools don’t start until Labor Day. In Lakewood they want the boys to have the extra learning time (I guess?) and therefore give yeshiva before Labor Day. Girls can’t start before that bec they go according to the board of education like the rest of the world. This is how it is.
Not true- many public schools have begun starting as early as August 15. True, they are ending earlier in June, but the idea that public schools don’t start until after labor day is simply no longer true.
There is no one size fits all answer. If it’s good for teachers and rebeim, the it’s not good for office workers and vice versa… So just roll with the punches and take care of the issues day by day so it doesn’t overwhelm you! These weeks btwn camo and school cost me as much as I make but then I get to have a job the rest of the year!!
Every August, the same complaint. Never a solution.
There is no excuse for the girls not starting on tuesday after labor day like the rest of the world and all other frum towns. Excpet the prinicpals and teachers want more time off. And what is with half days?!?! Growinf up when we started school it was a regular full day. Ehy a half day?!?!
Schools like Cheder Bnei Torah and Ohr Elchonon managed to start last Wednesday.(Rosh Chodesh Elul) How do they manage if the schools can’t do it?
Bh you have children. There are plenty of couples out there that would love to have this problem. Stop kvetching and be grateful that you have to worry about these thing. Just imagine how you would feel if you didn’t have children and this problem to worry about. Be happy with this brocha and spend more time being gratefu.
school bus drivers need a break too. we would like to take a vacation.