The prospect of frigid vacations effectively froze this option out of most school districts. Families Wealthy ladies of the last century were often sent off, together with their children and servants, to summer homes for months at a time. They were free to take lengthy vacations without worrying about after school programs or days off from work. Most modern American fathers and mothers work year round and scramble to find fun, safe, affordable programs during summer vacations, winter vacations, spring vacations, snow days, and the seemingly endless parade of holidays that schools take but employers do not. Often, the schedules of schools, day camps, child care, and after school programs are not coordinated with each other, and don't match the average work day or year either.
Families can face hours every day and weeks every year with few safe places for their kids to go.
Some families would welcome a shorter school vacation. Others would prefer the long vacations available to whole families in European countries. The current American system is like a scrap bag of time. Perhaps schools and employers can better match vacations and hours to create a quilt to cover kids and families.