It's not every year that a school holiday slows down business for Debbie's Care Center in Evansville, but the recent three-week holiday break for Natrona County's students has done exactly that.

Owner Debbie Bloxom said several of the children she regularly cares for have been at home with their parents, who have taken time off to care for their older children.

"It's actually affected my business greatly," Bloxom said. "A lot of parents have had to arrange to take vacation time because the break is so long."

The long break has also prompted parents to ask their current child-care providers if there's any way an older sibling can tag along with their younger brother or sister.

Jackie Kautzmann, the director of Learning Junction Children's Center, had to turn down those requests from parents because of space issues. Currently, only children not enrolled in school attend Learning Junction.

"Child care is in really high demand," Kautzmann said. "It's not just during the school year."

And at Kids Works in Casper, owner Cheri Corbett estimated an additional 50 children had been dropped off at the center during the first week of the holiday break.

"Most everybody we get back are kids that grew up here," Corbett said. "It's a great reunion time for us."

The increase in children going to Kids Works is something Corbett and her staff members plan ahead for each year. They create games, crafts, plays and other activities to keep the children engaged and busy while they're at Kids Works.

"It's kind of a curriculum for them too, so their brains don't forget what they've learned in school," she said.

Corbett said she hasn't heard a lot of parents concerned about finding child care for this year's three week holiday break. Planning for a random half-day of school or a day off mid-week seems to cause the most headaches, she said.

"I think that this is a little bit easier for parents to plan long-term, either to take vacation or set up long-term child care," Corbett said.

Reach education reporter Jasa Santos at (307) 266-0593 or at Jasa.Santos@trib.com.