The week of April 22 to 26 was one of relaxation and fun for many of Santa Maria’s kids, most of whom were on spring break. But for many working parents in the Santa Maria Valley, spring break—and school breaks in general—can bring on different emotions.
It’s not always easy to get time off of work, child care is notoriously costly, and not all children are old enough to stay at home alone. For lower-income families and parents employed as farmworkers, these issues can be even more challenging.
Andrea Hubbard is a Santa Maria resident who works with Lideres Camesinas, an organization that provides farmworking women with the tools needed to better coordinate large-scale efforts to improve the lives of farmworkers. Hubbard, a mother of a 14-year-old, quit working in the fields to study English some time ago, so she was able to stay home with her daughter this spring break.
But in the past, Hubbard had to deal with the same difficult decisions that many local farmworking women still face in Santa Maria today.
“It’s very sad,” she said, “because you need to work.”
Spring and summer breaks in public schools come at an especially bad time for farmworkers, Hubbard said, when there are mass quantities of strawberries to harvest. The spring and summer months bring long hours, and Hubbard said farmworkers often work from 5 a.m. until 7 p.m. to get crops picked. It’s difficult work, but she said it also comes with one of the heaviest cash flows of the year, and it’s a time when many farmworkers are able to save up enough to survive during slower seasons.
It’s not a good time to take a trip or stay at home with the kids, but because child care is so costly, Hubbard said that’s what many mothers were forced to do this year. Others, she said, had their older children care for their younger siblings or left their kids with friends.
The Santa Maria-Bonita School District aligned its academic calendar with the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District’s specifically so that older siblings in high school would be able to care for their younger siblings during breaks, according to Public Information Officer Maggie White.
Although Santa Maria-Bonita doesn’t offer any programs or camps during spring breaks, White said it does offer summer and winter break programs. It also sends out information about various community organizations’ programs offered during the break.
The city offered a two-day career camp and extra hours at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center.
The Boys and Girls Club of Santa Maria Valley offered a camp from early in the morning until late evening all through spring break, and the roughly 80 attendees played games in the gym, and had art, Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM), and library sessions. That camp, according to office manager Brandi Garcia, cost $30 for the week and included two meals. Families had to be members to enroll their children.
The Santa Maria Valley YMCA also hosted a spring break camp, which camp coordinator Alyssa Martinez said included daily swim sessions, art, and STEM activities. It ran from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and while families did not need to have a YMCA membership to attend the camp, it did cost $175, and full meals were not included. A majority of the roughly 25 children who attended, Martinez said, qualified for a 50 percent discount due to financial needs.
Still, she said it’s important for kids to have a safe space to play and learn during breaks from school.
“There are a lot of things kids can get into while on break,” Martinez said, “and having a safe and supportive environment they can come to is something we want to keep going.”
Staff Writer Kasey Bubnash writes School Scene each week. Information can be sent to the Sun via mail, fax, or email at [email protected].
