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Parents across Alberta are waiting to see if kids will be heading back to school at the end of the month, or if teachers will walk off the job.

In June, teachers voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike, with 94 per cent of the 39,000 votes cast in favour of strike action.

Teachers had 120 days to take action after the vote, making the deadline for a possible strike Oct. 7.

That could leave a lot of families scrambling for childcare.

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A statement from the Ministry of Education and Childcare said provincial licensing regulations do allow OSC programs to provide all-day childcare when classes are not being offered as long as they continue to meet legislative requirements.

“This means that OSC programs are free to extend their hours to provide full-time care to accommodate families whose children are affected by a potential teacher strike,” said an emailed statement from the ministry’s press secretary Garrett Koehler.

“Programs can always reach out to their licensing officer if they have questions about extending their hours.”

For parents who don’t have an OSC, options could be limited.

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