New to the Triangle?
Here's how child care works here.

What is Track-Out?

Many Wake County and surrounding schools run on a year-round calendar. Instead of the traditional September–June school year with a long summer break, year-round schools divide the year into approximately 9-week instructional sessions, each followed by a 2-week break. Those breaks are called track-out.

This means your kids may be out of school 4 or 5 times a year — not just in summer. Track-out weeks hit at different times depending on which "track" your child's school is on (Track 1, 2, 3, or 4), and not all schools track out at the same time.

For working parents, this is the biggest logistical challenge of living in the Triangle. Camp programs fill fast during track-out weeks — sometimes weeks in advance. That's exactly why this site exists.

Track-out tip: Book 3–4 weeks ahead.

Popular programs — YMCA, Mad Science, museum camps — often fill before the track-out week even starts. The newsletter sends reminders 3 weeks out.

What is a Teacher Workday?

Teacher workdays are 1–2 day breaks scattered throughout the school year when teachers are on campus for professional development, planning, or administrative work — but students stay home.

They show up 8–12 times per year on the school calendar, often on Mondays or Fridays. Because they're short and spread out, they're easy to miss until the night before. Many parents find out the hard way.

Some day camps offer single-day bookings specifically for teacher workdays. Filter the directory by "Day Camp" or check the newsletter for teacher workday coverage alerts.

Summer

Traditional June through August — same as everywhere else. This is when the largest number of camp programs run, and the Triangle has hundreds of them across sports, arts, STEM, theater, nature, and more.

Even year-round school kids get a real summer break (typically late June through early August, depending on the track). Summer is when demand for camps peaks — popular programs open registration as early as January or February.

Triangle cities, briefly