Supporting Working Parents Over the Summer

Kids and teens across the Twin Cities are counting down the days until summer break. Meanwhile, their parents are probably bracing for impact (kidding… but not really). Late May/early June can be challenging for the working parents on your team. School-year routines go *poof*, and the odd camp schedules begin.

Here are 5 ways you can help make the summer smoother for the working parents on your team. And 5 ideas for how working parents can support themselves.

5 Ways Employers Can Support Working Parents

Every family’s summer situation looks different. Some have teenagers who are “too old” for camp but “too young” for a job, and others are single parents who are juggling day camps and work meetings. These 5 strategies can help you help all the working parents on your team, no matter their specific circumstances.

1. Offer Flexible Work Options

Summer can throw working parents for a loop with odd camp hours and unexpected schedule changes. Here’s how you can help:

Removing some of that scheduling stress allows parents to focus during work hours. They won’t be constantly checking the clock for pick-up times or mentally mapping which highway has the least construction (the answer is none, but we can dream, can’t we?).

2. Create a Culture of Care for All

When teams normalize supporting each other through life’s challenges, everyone benefits, not just parents. Here are some ways to do this:

This approach avoids singling out parents while still addressing their needs. Plus, the same infrastructure helps when non-parents need flexibility for elder care, health issues, or other personal matters.

3. Show How They Could Use Their PTO Creatively

PTO can be a powerful tool for managing summer childcare when used strategically. Here are a few ideas you can share with your staff:

This way, parents save their vacation days for actual vacations instead of using them just to patch childcare gaps.

4. Create a Space for Support

Working parents often have similar experiences, struggles, and moments of joy in the summertime. Create a dedicated Slack channel, Teams group, or Google chat for the working parents on your team to:

These connections remind working parents they’re not alone in the summer chaos. Sometimes, a simple “my kid had a meltdown this morning, too” message can turn around a stressful day and help people feel more supported at work.

5. Remind Them of Company Benefits

Company benefits can be valuable resources during the summer months. Here’s how you can highlight relevant options for your team:

A quick heads-up about these benefits can make summer much easier on parents’ wallets. Reminding someone they can use FSA funds for that space camp might just save them hundreds of dollars when they need it most.

5 Ways Working Parents Can Support Themselves

Parents, we see you trying to make summer magical for your kid(s) while still crushing it at work. It’s a lot! While your employer can help (see above), here are 5 ways you can make your own summer work-life juggle a bit more manageable.

1. Be Ruthlessly Realistic About Your Calendar

Summer means your carefully calibrated school-year routines are out the window. Here’s how you can adapt:

Being honest about your time constraints helps you avoid the stress of constantly running late or feeling pulled in multiple directions at once.

2. Find Your Summer Parent Allies

You’re not the only one figuring this out. Connect with other parents who understand the struggle:

A parent network like this can be a lifesaver when a meeting runs long, or your kid suddenly needs to be across town for an activity they ‘definitely told you about last week.’ (We’ve all heard that one before!)

3. Lower Your Standards (Just a Little)

Something’s gotta give during the summer months, and that’s okay.

Adjusting your expectations doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re being realistic about what’s possible during a challenging season.

4. Create Clear Work/Parent Boundaries

Help yourself transition between roles with intentional boundaries.

These boundaries help you be more present, whether you’re in work mode or parent mode, reducing the mental load of constant context-switching.

5. Schedule Regular Recharge Time

You can’t pour from an empty cup. Make your own wellbeing non-negotiable.

Even small pockets of time for yourself can help manage the stress of balancing work and parenting through the summer months.

Final Thoughts

Perfectly balancing work and parenting during summer is impossible – even for those Instagram parents who seem to have it all figured out (spoiler: they don’t).

Be kind to yourself, celebrate the small wins, and remember that September will arrive eventually!