In the Balearic Islands, summer is the busiest season for many families and, at the same time, the longest holiday period for children. It is a contradiction that each year forces thousands of parents to juggle to be able to go to work while their children have not yet returned to school. The problem becomes particularly evident in September, when summer schools begin to close, but the regular school year has not yet started. During these days, families have to rely on relatives, private activities, and improvised solutions to cover a gap that, according to the Federation of Families of Mallorca (FAPA), continues without a stable response.

When Mari Carmen starts her shift at the supermarket first thing in the morning, she knows her five-year-old son Enzo, who has autism, is in good hands. At 7:00 AM, he is already at the early care program of thesummer school from Algar, where a counselor accompanies her specifically throughout the day. "If there were no summer schools, I would have no alternatives. I would have to work only in the afternoon or evening, because I cannot stop working," she explains. "The children are much better here than with their grandparents. They do activities, they continue learning, and they are among other children. The children are ours, not the grandparents'," she explains.