The cost of school holidays for children from low income families

Abstract

School holidays can be stressful periods for children from low-income families. Poor provision of appropriate childcare, limited access to enrichment activities, and food insecurity mean that children’s health and well-being can suffer and their learning stagnate or decline. This article examines and documents the evidence that has emerged on this topic and aims to raise its profile and the impact on children’s lives. It makes the case for further academic scrutiny of this unexamined and neglected subject.

Inequalities in Children's Experiences of Home Learning during the COVID‐19 Lockdown in England*

“…4 Pischke, 2007. 5 See Steward, Watson and Campbell (2018) for an overview. 6 Marcotte and Hemelt, 2008;Marcotte and Hansen, 2010.…”

Curriculum response to the crisis

“…Students’ physical health may be compromised when the school can no longer substantially meet their food and safety needs. This is particularly important for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, many of whom rely on free or low-cost school food services (Forsey 2017 ; Stewart et al 2018 ). School closures also remove the safety net for students who experience family violence, which may result in fewer reports to child protection services, as has been the case in Quebec (Nadeau and Pineda 2020 ).…”

Socio-Economic Inequalities in Adolescent Summer Holiday Experiences, and Mental Wellbeing on Return to School: Analysis of the School Health Research Network/Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Survey in Wales

“…Socioeconomic inequalities in a range of health risk behaviours as well as mental health and wellbeing emerge and widen throughout childhood and adolescence [3,4,5,6,7]. Following the recent international financial crisis and periods of austerity in many countries, food insecurity [8] (i.e., “insufficient and insecure access to nutritionally adequate food due to resource constraints” (p.523) [9]) is a growing problem.…”

“…In many countries, young people from poorer families receive free midday meals during school times and additional meal provision, such as breakfast clubs, have been used in many countries to reduce nutritional inequalities during term time [1]. The absence of these provisions during school holiday periods can add to financial pressures and risk of undernutrition for poorer families [9,12,16,17,18], which have added to difficulties in relation to costs and logistics of childcare [13].…”

“…A growing body of evidence indicates that young people from poorer backgrounds experience a greater degree of learning loss compared to their peers during the summer break [19]. They take several weeks to catch up with the levels of numeracy and literacy that they achieved prior to the summer holidays while also experiencing periods of isolation, boredom and inactivity [9]. Limited affordable opportunities for school holiday activities and the high cost of childcare can inhibit young people’s opportunities to participate in social activities and interactions [12], which may mean that during the school holidays, young people spend increased amounts of time sedentary and socially isolated [13].…”