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My kids' preschool is having a Halloween party this week, which means costumes need to be ready. (Hello, last-minute scramble.) And we're supposed to bring candy, of course. Is anybody else feeling this weird pressure to suddenly buy only the healthiest, aka most expensive, snacks and candy? You don't want to be that parent handing the whole class junk… but also, maybe you're okay with a little bit of junk? (Just us?!)
Also, I have an important meeting at the exact same time, and it turns out parents are invited to the party. So I'm currently in the process of figuring out how to be in two places at once.
The point is, something is always popping up at school. Even when you think you're prepared, something's going to surprise you. And November is notoriously one of the sneakiest months of the year for days off. So here's your heads-up, how to get it all on one calendar tonight, and how to sort out who's watching the kids before the morning of.
In this issue:
✅ The November day off that isn't actually a day off (plus the other sneaky ones)
✅ Every school and daycare calendar in one place, without retyping a thing
✅ Your childcare options for closure days, sorted before you need them
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🧘♀️ The days off to check right now
👉 If you've ever been surprised by a closure, it's probably because daycare, preschool, and school all close on different days (and also, we have a lot going on, OK??) Here's what to look for between now and New Year's:
Election Day, Tuesday Nov 3. Some schools close, some go remote (which is its own kind of fun with a kindergartner at the kitchen table), and some carry on with business as usual.
Parent-teacher conferences. Lots of schools hold fall conferences in late October and November, often with early dismissal. Check the dates, and make sure you're available, because your presence is required.
Veterans Day, Wednesday Nov 11. This one's a doozy, because plenty of public schools close (but not all!) and most private daycares stay open. If you have a kid in each, congrats, you get both. (And some parents get the day off work while their kids don't, or the other way around. Yea, it’s fun.)
Thanksgiving through New Year's. The day after Thanksgiving is a common closure. A common pattern is closing early (or closing outright) the day before Thanksgiving, on Christmas Eve, and on New Year's Eve, and some centers close the whole week between Christmas and New Year's.
Snow days. This is the time of year winter weather starts showing up in a lot of places, so be ready for an unexpected one.
Tonight: Dig up this year's closure calendar. You probably got it at the start of the year, so find wherever you stuck it and take another look. Ask for it again if you can’t find it (no judgment) and while you're at it, make sure you know how your school announces weather closures.
⚡ Get every calendar into one place tonight
👉 If you have more than one calendar to keep track of (or one calendar and a partner who doesn't read it), the fix is boring and it works: one shared family calendar that both of you can edit, with one color per kid. Then every date from that school calendar PDF goes on it once, and you never have to dig it up again. (We have something very similar set up in our house.)
The annoying part is the typing. Jen Nordhem at Jen Makes Work Work found a way around it: connect your Google Calendar to Claude or ChatGPT, attach every school calendar (PDF, screenshot, even a photo of the fridge flyer), and paste her prompt. It sorts everything into no school, half days, things to bring or wear, and parent events, adds a reminder the night before anything they need to bring, and flags conflicts with what's already on your calendar.
Her full prompt is free on her post. Two of her tips worth repeating: use the strongest model you have for the first run, and read what it built before you trust it. (duh)
💬 Think through your childcare options now
👉 Once the dates are on the calendar, the only question left is who has the kids that day. Nooot at 7am the morning of. Now.
Is one of you taking PTO? If so, which one? Put that name on the calendar event. A closure with a name next to it is a plan. One without a name turns into a scramble.
Trade a day with another parent. You take both kids on their closure day, they take both on yours.
Look for school's-out programs. Some YMCAs and rec centers run them on school holidays, and registration usually has a cutoff, so check yours now.
Ask HR about backup care. If your employer offers it, ask how many days you get and whether school and daycare closures count.
Psst: need someone on short notice? We rounded up the sitter apps that do same-day bookings in this past issue (plus pre-written messages for your boss when it all falls apart at 7am). Worth bookmarking before you need it.
What's the hardest part of a surprise day off?
🧳 This Week's Work WTF
Inspired by real life events.
Slack: "Heads up, all-hands moved to Wednesday 10am. Cameras on!" Wednesday is Veterans Day.
What we wish we could say: "Great, I'll be there, along with a three-year-old and an assortment of coloring books. If cameras are on, she'll be a guest star."
Steal this response: "Wednesday's a school closure for us since it's Veterans Day, so I'll be calling in with my camera off, but I'll be there."
K that's all. You're the best and we love you.
-CK "Part-Time Healthy Snack Leader" Fuller (Editor) & the JB Crew 🫡
P.S. Next week: the immunity routine you start befoooore the sniffles show up
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