The summer holidays are a carefree time for children, but for many Polish parents they are the most difficult period of the year, both organizationally and financially. The lack of a systemic state childcare framework, the astronomical prices of commercial day camps, and chaos surrounding holiday duty shifts in kindergartens are pushing families to breaking point. Desperate adults are increasingly resorting to bogus sick notes. Hubert Kowalski writes about why summer leisure has become a logistical nightmare in the latest issue of the weekly “Gazeta Polska.”
The Polish state does not guarantee childcare during the summer holidays, and the organization of activities rests almost entirely with local governments. Unlike in the communist-era Polish People’s Republic, when trips were organized widely and systemically, including through workplaces and scouting organizations, today this burden falls on families. Affordable day camps disappear in the blink of an eye, while commercial options are extremely expensive. A week of activities costs around PLN 700-1,200, while overseas camps can cost as much as PLN 6,500. Worse still, a trip solves the problem for only a fraction of the two-month holiday period.
Caring for the youngest children is an enormous challenge. In Łódź, the holidays have been divided into three sessions, meaning children may be forced to move constantly between different facilities. “Under the previous rules, it was easier for us to organize everything, and the children could cope with it. Now it is a logistical challenge, and not only that,” Ms Klaudia, the mother of a preschooler, told “Gazeta Polska.” An anonymous teacher summed up the situation bluntly:
“The number of places is set on the basis of forecasts, but sometimes the forecasts prove inaccurate and the actual demand in a given year differs from what had been assumed. Officials are supposed to respond to needs on an ongoing basis, but in practice chaos emerges, along with stress for both parents and children.”
Hiring a nanny, with rates reaching PLN 50 per hour, can cost several thousand PLN over the course of the summer. Faced with a lack of alternatives and institutional support, parents are turning to a last resort: fictitious sick leave. This is perfectly illustrated by the words of Ms Katarzyna, the mother of a four-year-old girl:
“We will go to the seaside together for two weeks, and for part of the holidays my sister will be able to look after my daughter, but after that I have no idea what to do. I will take sick leave, or my husband will. We do not want to use up our annual leave because we have no one to leave our daughter with. That is not what annual leave is for.”