As every year in this month, Italian parents are facing the problem to manage the stress of their children’s unusually long summer vacation. Public schools in Italy officially closed last Friday, kicking off the traditional three-month break. Kids celebrated with water gun fights and tossing flour over each other — a long-standing end-of-school ritual.

But for parents, the excitement quickly gives way to anxiety over how to keep their kids busy until school starts again in September. With many grandparents still working into their 70s, relying on them for childcare — once a go-to solution — is no longer an option for many families. Italy, along with Malta and Latvia, has the longest summer school break in Europe.