Marijampolė has become the first municipality in Lithuania to keep schools open for primary pupils during the school holidays – offering extended-day groups designed to support families who have nowhere to leave their children while they work.
Pupils will be able to spend the whole day at school, taking part in educational activities and excursions.
Eglė Bendoraitienė, a mother from Marijampolė whose son is in 3rd grade, said she would have to bring him to the school group during the holidays. She explained that she has no one else to look after him – even though she knows it would be good for him to spend time in a different environment.
Finding childcare without nearby grandparents, she added, can be a real challenge for parents.
“It won’t be about academic work – the headteacher told me it’ll be cool, with educational and sports activities,” she said.
At Šaltinis Progymnasium, around a third of the nearly 300 primary pupils already attend extended groups. The school expects the largest number of children to join during the autumn holidays in November – and the winter break in February.
“We’ll be organising excursions, we'll visit cinema, we'll meet pupils from other schools, participate in joint sports competitions and educational events. There are also plenty of museums to visit here in Marijampolė,” said headteacher Asta Kulbokienė.
The school currently operates four extended-day groups. Parents can decide how many hours their child attends – groups will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Meals will be provided for children who stay longer than four hours.
According to the municipality, the new system was introduced to make life easier for families.
“It’s good for children to rest and change their environment – perhaps stay with grandparents or older siblings. But when children are left alone at home or spend all day in front of screens, this service helps ensure they’re engaged in meaningful activities,” said Nerijus Mašalaitis, Director of Marijampolė’s Municipal Administration.
Teachers who run the groups say they usually spend school breaks attending meetings or training sessions – so they’re now looking for creative ways to keep children occupied.
“It’s really a service for parents. In theory, they should be home during the holidays – but in reality, parents often need support,” added fellow teacher Elvyra Butrimanskienė.
The workload for teachers would be manageable, reassured headteacher Kulbokienė.
“We have four teachers, and we’ll organise the groups according to their schedules – no one will have to work more than required,” she explained.
During the upcoming school holidays – from November 3 to 7 – extended-day groups will operate in ten Marijampolė schools. For now, Marijampolė remains the only municipality in Lithuania to offer this service during term breaks.
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