The school closure notification arrives early in the morning. Snow day. For students, it’s welcome news. For working parents, it often means a difficult decision.
While teachers and education staff may have the day off, most working parents still need to report to their jobs. This is where afterschool programs across Missouri are stepping in to provide critical support during winter weather disruptions.
The Challenge for Working Families
Essential services don’t pause for snowstorms. Hospitals, correctional facilities, utilities, and emergency services must maintain full operations regardless of weather conditions. For the thousands of parents employed in these sectors and others, a school closure doesn’t translate to a day off work.
“Unless parents are in education, most still have to go to work on snow days,” says Nancy Burtch, director of Power Up! at North Missouri Center for Youth and Families. “This allows parents to still go to work and not worry about their child(ren) at home alone all day.”
The concern extends beyond simple logistics. 
Depending on a child’s age, leaving them unsupervised for a full workday can pose safety risks. Even older children who may be capable of staying alone for a few hours can face challenges during an entire day without adult supervision.
Multiple Layers of Support
Afterschool programs that remain open on snow days provide benefits that extend beyond immediate child care needs. One significant advantage is helping parents preserve their paid time off.
“This also keeps parents from having to use vacation days to stay home on snow days,” Burtch explains. For many families, those vacation days represent their only buffer for genuine emergencies or planned family time throughout the year. Preserving this time off can make a meaningful difference in a family’s overall well-being.
The community impact reaches beyond individual households as well. When working parents have access to reliable child care during school closures, local employers can maintain adequate staffing levels even during weather events.
“Places of employment like the hospital and the prison have to have workers regardless of the weather,” Burtch notes. “So we try to not only help our families, but the community as a whole by helping keep local businesses staffed even on snow days.”
This ripple effect means that essential services continue operating smoothly, benefiting the entire community during challenging weather conditions.
Operating Under Difficult Conditions
Keeping programs open during snow days requires careful planning and dedicated staff. Program directors must assess road conditions and weather forecasts to determine whether they can safely staff their facilities.
“If we can get staff to our facility on snow days we are open all day,” says Burtch. Last year, Power Up! 
remained open for all but one of approximately seven or eight snow days. The single closure occurred due to extreme negative wind chill conditions that posed serious safety risks.
When programs do open, they often extend their hours significantly. Power Up! operates from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on snow days, covering the full span that parents need for their work schedules. This extended coverage transforms what is normally a before-school program and afterschool program into all-day care.
What Programs Provide
During snow day operations, afterschool programs offer structured activities that balance supervision with flexibility. Children have access to educational activities if parents want them to work on assignments, but the environment remains more relaxed than a typical school day.
Programs provide meals and snacks, ensuring children are well-fed throughout the day. Staff supervision means children have access to help if they need it, and the social environment allows them to interact with peers rather than spending the day in isolation.
For many families, this combination of safety, structure, and social interaction provides peace of mind that extends throughout the workday.
Supporting Community Resilience
Afterschool programs that maintain operations during school closures serve as important community infrastructure. They help families navigate the gap between work obligations and school schedules, particularly during unexpected disruptions.
These programs help parents maintain employment stability, ensure children are safe and supervised, and enable essential services to continue operating. While this work may not attract significant attention, its impact on families and communities is substantial.
“We try to not only help our families, but the community as a whole,” Burtch explains. During winter weather events, this support becomes especially valuable.
Planning Ahead
Parents can take proactive steps to ensure they have support in place before winter weather arrives. Reaching out to local afterschool programs to learn about their snow day policies, hours of operation, and enrollment procedures can prevent last-minute scrambling when school closures are announced.
Many programs prioritize currently enrolled families but may have capacity to serve additional children depending on staffing and space availability. Having these conversations in advance helps families develop contingency plans for when weather disrupts normal schedules.
As winter weather continues to create periodic school closures, afterschool programs that remain open provide essential support that helps families, employers, and communities maintain stability during challenging conditions. For working parents who need reliable child care when schools close, these programs offer more than convenience—they provide critical support that makes it possible to meet both work and family responsibilities
