Summer in South Carolina has a rhythm to it. Kids riding bikes through neighborhoods. Splash pads and baseball games. Weekends at the lake. Later sunsets and longer evenings outside.
But behind the scenes, summer also becomes a season of coordination for many working families. Parents rearrange work schedules to cover childcare gaps. Grandparents step in during the day. Friends trade pickup duties. Meals are stretched a little further with kids home full time. Thermostats creep higher as electricity bills rise with the heat.
For many families, summer is not just about making memories. It is about making everything work.
Increasingly, those families are ALICE® households.
ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. These are households earning above the federal poverty line but still struggling to afford the true cost of living in their communities. According to the 2025 State of ALICE in South Carolina report, 38% of households in York County are living below the ALICE Threshold.
That reality touches far more families than many people realize.
These are not households disconnected from the workforce. ALICE families are often the people serving meals at local restaurants, caring for children and aging adults, stocking shelves, working in schools, hospitals, retail stores, and offices across our communities. Summer can place additional pressure on budgets that are already carefully balanced month to month.
Food costs rise when school cafeterias close for the summer. Utility bills increase during some of the hottest months of the year. At the same time, many parents are navigating work schedules that do not pause simply because school is out.
Behind many summer routines is an incredible amount of coordination, sacrifice, and problem-solving from working families.
It is the parent taking online classes after the kids go to bed. The mother working toward a nursing degree while balancing childcare. The family leaning on neighbors, grandparents, churches, and community organizations to help bridge the gap during the summer months.
At United Way of York County, we see that determination every day through initiatives like In Her Corner, which helps provide childcare support for women pursuing education, certifications, and career advancement opportunities.
Because childcare is more than supervision. It is infrastructure for working families. It creates opportunities for parents to stay in the workforce, continue their education, and build long-term financial stability for their families.
When families have the support they need, the impact extends far beyond one household. Stable households contribute to stronger local economies, healthier communities, and better long-term outcomes for children and families.
Summer often reveals just how interconnected those systems really are. It reminds us that financial stability is not only about income. It is about whether families have the support, flexibility, and resources needed to navigate everyday life during every season of the year.
Across York County, there are families doing exactly that with determination, creativity, and resilience every single day.
