The State of Daycare

What is it with the state of daycare? At least in my part of the country. For one thing they are open limited hours so that if you work a regular 40 hour week it is very difficult to get there in time to pick your child up after work, and heaven forbid if your boss needs you to do overtime, or if you work nontraditional hours.
The biggest puzzle to me is how often they are closed. In our county most daycares are closed EVERY time that the public schools are closed. Holidays, snow days, vacations, parent-teacher conference, etc. Just at the time when the need for daycare swells, most of the daycares close, and most employers will not let you bring your child to work with you, often for good reasons.
Now how many people can take off that much time from work? Even if you used all your sick, optional and vacation days? Not to mention that you would then not have the days to use if you or your child are sick.
This has become a major problem for my children since Gandma and Grampa don't live in the same town anymore. The kids try to swap off as much as they can but that puts a strain on the one who works nights, as she can nap when her own child is home but not when both kids are there.
The schools have after school programs but not enough to cover all the children who need them, and that does not help with the days school is closed.
Are there communities out there who have solved this problem? I'd like to hear about them

Fuzzy Logic

As you can see I have not been on-line for a while and have fallen behind on my writing. I haven't exactly started my new life either. A bout with a particularly nasty bacteria requiring an incision and potent antibiotics and pain killers has left me struggling to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes at a time. I managed to literally plow my way through a couple of easy books, but that's all. Yesterday was the first day I didn't sleep most of the afternoon away.
I really can't complain much. I received very good emergency health care from some wonderful people who helped me to relax and get through some painful experiences. Being sick while away from home brings it's own concerns but I must say everything went very well and they even handled my insurance company.
It is interesting how bad an antibiotic can make you feel. There is of course the upset stomach, but also tiredness and a foggy brain. I'm not sure how much of that is from the infection and how much from the drugs.
I do not have experience with recreational drugs. I am too afraid of losing control. I do have experience with prescription drugs for depression. I can't recommend any of them. They all seem to make me sleepy. I always tell the doctor ," I can be lazy all on my own, what I need is something to get me going". I have a feeling I would love uppers, but so far have not tried them other than being a coffee freak, and an adrenalin junkie. I always wait til the last minute and then the pressure of a deadline usually gets me going.
So here's to good health and clear thinking, may you have it and enjoy it.